Android has grown over the last decade to become the most popular computing platform on Earth, and it’s an open source project. However, the version of Android you get on most smartphones is bundled with proprietary components, some of which plug into advertising services. It can seem intimidating, but …
Read More »Lenovo’s Z5 Pro GT Could Be the First Snapdragon 855 Phone
The smartphone spec race isn’t as hot as it once was with almost every flagship phone sporting the same chips and features. However, some markets are much more focused on the speeds and feeds than others. Case in point: Lenovo has been on a tear lately, launching ultra-high-end smartphones in the …
Read More »The New Vivo Nex Phone Offers a Secondary Display Instead of a Notch
Vivo doesn’t get a lot of attention outside of China, but it turned heads in early 2018 when it showed off the all-screen Apex prototype. That phone went on to become the Nex, and there’s already a follow-up. Like the original Nex, the new phone has almost no bezel …
Read More »Google Finally Ends Support for Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
It’s the end of an era. After seven years, Google is ending support for Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS). The launch of ICS was a pivotal moment for Android and has a lot to do with its current dominance. Anyone still using an Android device with …
Read More »Russian Search Giant Yandex Releases Its First Android Phone
Google is by far the most popular search engine in most countries, but Russia is one of the rare exceptions. There, the home-grown Yandex platform beasts Google by a wide margin. The two companies have clashed over Google’s control of Android, and now Yandex is taking advantage of Russia’s …
Read More »Report: Samsung Planning 10th Anniversary Galaxy With 6.7-inch Screen, 5G
We’re rapidly approaching the tenth anniversary of the Galaxy S line of phones, and Samsung is planning to go big. Like, physically large. According to a new report from the Wall Street Journal, Samsung has four versions of the Galaxy S10 in the works including one called “Beyond X” that …
Read More »Sharp Announces the Aquos R2 With 2 Screen Notches
You need only look at recent phone launches to see that screen notches are very in right now. Apple, Google, LG, Nokia, and many others have fully embraced the space saving and visually contentious screen notch. If one is good, then maybe two would be even better? That’s the approach …
Read More »New Samsung Exynos 9820 Includes Neural Processing Unit
In the ARM ecosystem, Apple has emerged as one of the only companies building its own high-performance custom CPUs. Other onetime rivals, like Qualcomm, have taken to licensing parts from ARM instead of building their own architectures. The field, however, isn’t empty — Samsung also has a custom CPU designed …
Read More »Samsung’s Foldable Phone Could Cost $1,770
Samsung has finally shown off its first foldable phone, but only for a few seconds. At the tail end of the Samsung Developer Conference, the company talked up its display innovation and demonstrated the first foldable phone, which it will sell in 2019. The presenter folded the phone twice and …
Read More »Google Suggests Dark UI Mode Could Finally Be Coming to Android
Google focuses more on the interface and user experience of Android more than it ever has in the past. Android Pie is more thoughtfully designed than past versions of the platform, and Google’s interface design is coming together on app and service at a time. However, it’s coming together with …
Read More »