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jeudi 31 mai 2018

Samsung wins case that would have forced them to update older phones

If you ask an Android enthusiast which smartphone you should buy they’ll likely suggest one that has a good reputation when it comes to software updates. This mean something in the Google Pixel line or it could be one that has a dedicated developer community behind it. Either way, timely and extended software updates is a feature that many of us look for but it’s something that we rarely see these days. A consumer association recently took Samsung to court claiming the company should provide at least 4 years worth of Android updates to their phones, but the court ended up ruling in Samsung’s favor in the matter.

Most OEMs will support their flagship devices for two full years after they have been released. Some companies, including Google, have extended this support period by one year, but only when it comes to security updates. Google has been working to make things easier for Android OEMs to support devices they no longer sell, but it ends up being a poor business decision unless they have data that shows the company is losing sales as a result of it. However, we’re getting to the point where Android is a highly targeted operating system and this means it has become a major target of malware developers.

It makes sense that a consumer association took Samsung to court in an attempt to force the company to support their devices with Android updates for 4 years after release. Samsung feels their 2-year support cycle is good enough and their update frequency is “reasonable” enough too. The case was brought to court in the Netherlands and the court ended up ruling in Samsung’s favor. The court believes the claims made by the association were “inadmissible” since they related to “future acts.”

So for instance, if a severe issue was discovered in the future then Samsung may make the decision to update all of their devices on the market. Not only that, but the court says there may be a case where Samsung isn’t able to update the software due to the nature of the bug and/or the limitations of the hardware. So it would be unfair to hold Samsung liable for something like that.


Source: BCC



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Pro Camera mode is now available for the Nokia 8

Before Nokia dove into the Android smartphone market, the company was making devices that used Microsoft’s mobile operating system. That platform has since died, but the Nokia Lumia series of smartphones still holds a strong place in a lot of people’s hearts. Most Android enthusiasts had little interest in switching over to a Windows-based mobile platform, but it was clear that the Nokia Lumia was able to produce some incredible looking photos. This is why news of the Pro Camera mode making its way to the upcoming Nokia 8 has owners excited.

One of the big selling points for the Nokia Lumia smartphones was the impressive camera quality that came along with it. When looking back to that era, buying a smartphone that also produced impressive photos was actually slim pickings. Over time we’ve seen many Android OEMs step up to fill the gap as they have learned this is actually a make or break feature for some customers. So when Nokia came back as a new Android smartphone brand it left many wondering how long it would take before they would embrace their smartphone camera heritage.

As the newly formed company grew we started to see this happen more and more and it’s something that we covered just last month with the Lumia’s pro camera mode for the Nokia 7. The pro camera mode was one of the most popular features of the camera app from the Lumia phones and we’re now seeing it brought to the Android smartphones. Early this morning Juho Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer at HMD Global, announced that the pro camera mode is finally available for the Nokia 8 and current customers can now start using its features thanks to the new update.

This new camera mode lets you adjust the white balance, manually focus the photo, adjust the ISO of the image, set a manual shutter speed, adjust the exposure of the photo and more.



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Real-time Google Lens with Style Match and Smart Text Selection now rolling out widely

Over the last couple of years, Google Lens has been able to garner a lot of attention from the tech community during the company’s annual developer conference. One of the highlights from Google I/O 2018 was the fact that Google Lens will soon start to work in real-time and that it would be receiving a couple of new features. This includes features like Style Match and Smart Text Selection, but we had yet to learn exactly when those features would be rolling out to the community. We’re now seeing reports that these new real-time features are rolling out to the community as we speak.

In case you missed it, Google showed off a number of new Google Lens features on stage at Google I/O earlier this year. One of the new features is being called Style Match and it offers a way for you to search for similar products online by simply pointing the smartphone camera at something. This may result in the exact product you’re looking at it or it may just show you some similarly designed results that it was able to find. To that end, the Smart Text Selection feature lets you point the camera at some text displayed on any object.

This could be a menu, a street sign, a card, anything. The camera software will then detect that you’re looking at some text and let you interact with it as if it was a digital object. This is especially useful as you can then do a Google web search using the text in real-time. We’re now seeing a report from Engadget saying these new Google Lens features are making their way to devices right now. As always, Google likes to do a slow, gradual rollout with new features so if you don’t have access to it right now then it may only take a bit more time before you do.

Google Lens is being built directly into the native camera applications and will be available from smartphone OEMS including Google, LG, Motorola, Xiaomi, Sony Mobile, Nokia, Transsion, TCL, OnePlus, BQ and ASUS.


Source: Engadget



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Xiaomi launches the Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and Mi 8 SE in China

At an event in China, Xiaomi has launched the Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, and the mid-range Mi 8 SE. The company has also announced MIUI 10, the next version of MIUI. Finally, the Mi Band 3 has been made official.

The highlight of the event was the launch of the Mi 8. This phone has been in the rumors for a while, and we have exclusively reported many of its specifications. The launch of the Mi 8 comes two months after the launch of the Mi Mix 2S in China, which is another Snapdragon 845 flagship.

The Mi 8’s first differentiating feature is the 6.21-inch notched AMOLED display. It has an infrared scanner for better face unlocking in low light, and its camera setup is upgraded over that of the Mi Mix 2S. The phone aims to differentiate on price as well, as its starting variant will be available for the equivalent of $420. Its specifications are listed below.

Xiaomi Mi 8 – Specifications at a glance

Xiaomi Mi 8

Xiaomi Mi 8 Specifications
Dimensions and weight 154.9 x 74.8 x 7.6 mm, 175g
Software MIUI 10 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo
CPU Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (4x 2.8GHz Kryo 385 Gold + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 385 Silver cores)
GPU Adreno 630
RAM and storage 6GB of RAM with 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage; Mi 8 Explorer Edition: 8GB of RAM with 128GB of storage
Battery 3400mAh
Display 6.21-inch Full HD+ (2248×1080) AMOLED, 600 nits brightness, supports HDR10, DCI-P3 gamut
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Ports USB Type-C port, dual nano SIM slots
Bands GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
WCDMA: 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz
FDD-LTE: Bands 1/2/3/4/5/7/8/12/17/20
TDD-LTE: Bands 34/38/39/40/41
Rear camera 12MP camera with 1.4μm pixels, f/1.8 aperture, Dual Pixel autofocus, 4-axis OIS
12MP telephoto camera with f/2.4 aperture, 2x optical zoom
Video recording up to 4K at 60FPS, Slow motion at 1080p240
Front-facing camera 20MP front-facing camera with 1.8μm pixels, f/1.8 aperture

The Xiaomi Mi 8 will be available in three variants: 6GB of RAM with 64GB/128GB/256GB of storage. The 64GB storage variant costs CNY 2699 ($420), while the 128GB storage and 256GB storage variants will be available for CNY 2999 ($468) and CNY 3299 ($515) respectively.

The phone will be available from June 5 at offline and online retailers in China. Xiaomi hasn’t detailed international availability yet.

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition

Xiaomi Mi 8 Explorer Edition

The Mi 8 Explorer Edition has the same internal specifications as the Mi 8. The differences are the presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor, which requires pressure activation in order to save power. Also, the Explorer Edition has an iPhone X-style Face ID competitor, using 3D facial scanning for facial recognition.

Finally, the Mi 8 Explorer Edition has a translucent back, similar to the HTC U11+ and the U12+. It comes in a single 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant, and it will be available for CNY 3799 ($593).

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE – Specifications at a glance

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Special Edition (SE) is a cheaper, lower-end variant of the Mi 8. It’s the first smartphone to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chip, which was announced last week. The phone has a smaller 5.88-inch notched display, without using dedicated hardware for face unlock. Its specifications are listed in the table below:

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE

Xiaomi Mi 8 SE Specifications
Dimensions and weight 147.3 x 73.1 x 7.5 mm, 164g
Software MIUI 10 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo
CPU Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 (2x 2.2GHz Kryo 360 Gold + 6x 1.8GHz Kryo 360 Silver cores)
GPU Adreno 616
RAM and storage 4GB/6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage
Battery 3120mAh
Display 5.88-inch Full HD+ (2244×1080) AMOLED, supports HDR10, DCI-P3 gamut
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0
Ports USB Type-C port, dual nano SIM slots
Bands GSM: 850/900/1800/1900MHz
WCDMA: 850/900/1700/1900/2100MHz
FDD-LTE: Bands 1/3/7/8/34
TDD-LTE: Bands 38/39/40/41
Rear camera 12MP camera with 1.4μm pixels, f/1.9 aperture, Dual Pixel autofocus,
5MP camera with 1.0μm pixels, f/2.6 aperture
Video recording up to 4K at 30FPS
Front-facing camera 20MP front-facing camera with 2.0um pixels, f/2.0 aperture

The Mi 8 SE will be available in two variants: 4GB/6GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. The 4GB RAM variant costs CNY 1799 ($281), while the 6GB RAM variant costs CNY 1999 ($312).

Xiaomi Mi Band 3

The Xiaomi Mi Band 3 is the successor to the popular Mi Band 2. It now offers waterproofing up to 50m for continuous connection when the device is underwater. Battery life is rated up to 20 days.

It has a 0.78-inch OLED display, and uses Bluetooth 4.2 to connect to devices. It’s powered by a 110mAh battery, and will be available from June 5 for CNY 169 ($26). A variant with NFC costs CNY 199 ($31).

Xiaomi Mi Band 3

Let us know your thoughts about Xiaomi’s new products in the comments below.



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mercredi 30 mai 2018

Subby helps you manage your online subscriptions so you never miss a payment

We’re becoming a society of subscriptions. Customers pick and choose which services they want from each company and then pay a monthly subscription fee for each of them. The more services you subscribe to the more difficult it can be to know which payments are coming up next and when they’re due. This is where the application “Subby” comes into play.  It was created by XDA Member cristidclxvi and it can help you manage all of those online subscriptions so you don’t forget about an upcoming due date.

Subby comes with over 300 subscription templates to choose from and the template that a service uses can even be automatically detected. The application supports over 30 currencies and you’re even able to set a preferred hour to be notified of your upcoming subscriptions. The majority of the features are available for free, but it does come with some niche features (such as Google Drive backup & restore) that require an in-app purchase to be unlocked.

Subby The Subscription Manager (Free, XDA Labs) →



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The Qualcomm Snapdragon XR1 is a chip for dedicated AR & VR headsets

Qualcomm, just like many other technology companies, believes there is a future in augmented reality and virtual reality technology. The two technologies tend to intersect so often that some are combining the two and referring to them both as “XR.” We talked about Qualcomm’s work in this area recently with the Snapdragon 3100 SoC but it looks as if the company’s first dedicated chipset for augmented reality and virtual reality devices will be called the Snapdragon XR1. The chip will be used for dedicated AR and VR headsets and we’re told to expect them in the second half of 2018.

The company has been working on the heterogeneous computing technology that will be shipping with the Snapdragon XR1 chipset. For many, it will look like the typical SoC that we currently see in smartphones and wearables on the market today. However, Qualcomm has been working to improve the Snapdragon XR1 in areas that will help our current AR and VR technologies. This includes UltraHD video playback, 6DoF head tracking, 3DoF and 6DoF controllers, Qualcomm’s Aqstic voice UI and support for QuadHD+ (2K) displays.

We have barely scratched the surface of what virtual reality and augmented reality is capable of and Qualcomm knows this. The big areas of interest are naturally going to be virtual reality videos and games for a bit, but some feel that it’s augmented reality that will actually be the breakthrough technology here. The IDC has been studying this technology for a while and their current estimates put the market at around 186 million standalone devices in consumer’s hands by the end of 2023.

As with most new platforms, Qualcomm isn’t expecting things to get too crazy right out of the gate. However, the team has been able to score some partnerships with the likes of Meta, Pico, Vuzix, and Vive. They will continue to market their latest flagship SoC (currently the Snapdragon 845) for high-end smartphones, but they feel the XR1 will be well suited for devices like the Oculus Go and other headsets where component cost is an important factor. As of this time, Qualcomm has chosen to not disclose the specs of the SoC, but they’ve developed the chip to an extent where they can start marketing it to potential partners.

The companying is positioning the XR1 as a chip that will be able to drive headsets up to 4K resolution, which makes a lot of sense considering its video decoder can also handle up to 4Kp60 video. The initial examples of the headset have highlighted the chips 3DoF tracking but it can actually handle 6DoF tracking as well. The vendor will just need to include the additional sensors in their headset and then have the software setup so that it can handle all of that additional data.


Source: Qualcomm



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The Google Pixel 3 XL may have a notched OLED display from LG

The Pixel 2 XL was almost universally praised when it launched, but it had one issue that everyone seemed to notice. The LG-made OLED was consistently blasted in reviews. As time went on, Google tightened up quality control and the displays seemed to get better. Hopefully, we won’t have a repeat of the situation this year as it looks like LG will be making the displays again.

LG is Back

According to Ice Universe, a well-known Weibo leaker, the Pixel 3 XL will have an OLED display with a notch made by LG. This information was first reported by the Digital Daily, a Korean publication with no track record of Google leaks. However, the Weibo posting adds more weight to the report.

People will probably not be happy to hear that LG is providing the displays again, but Google should have the situation under control this time. We’d be surprised if they make the same mistake twice. Last year’s debacle should be a good lesson in the importance of quality control.

The Notch is Real

There have been rumors floating around about the Pixel 3 having a notch, but this Weibo posting is the first reliable source we’ve seen. With the recent trend in smartphones to minimize bezels and the notch features in Android P, this is really no surprise.

The Korean publication mentions how LCD displays with notches cost almost as much as standard OLED panels, while a notched OLED display can be up to 25% more. This is pure speculation, but the notch could end up increasing the price of the Pixel 3 XL. It would be the first device with a notched OLED panel since the iPhone X.


We have just a few more months until Google’s Fall hardware event. With the rumors of a Pixel smartwatch, updated Pixel Buds, and the Pixel 3 devices, it’s looking we’ll have a lot of new hardware. What are your thoughts on LG displays and notches?


Source: Digital Daily Source: Weibo

Via: 9t05Google Via: PhoneArena



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The AT&T LG V35 ThinQ is an LG G7 with an OLED screen but no notch

The LG V35 ThinQ has popped up on our radar a few times in the last couple of months. Today, LG has made the device official. The previous reports were all true: it has an OLED display without a display notch and it’s exclusive to AT&T. This is the third V Series phone LG has launched in less than a year, and they all look basically the same.

LG G7 vs LG V35

The LG G7 was announced earlier this very month, so naturally, people are going to compare the two devices. The most noticeable differences are found in the display.

  • V35 Display: OLED, 6-inch, 18:9, no notch
  • G7 Display: LCD, 6.1-inch, 19.5:9, notch

The V35 has 6GB of RAM, while the G7 has 4GB. LG also put a slightly bigger battery in the V35: 3,500 mAh vs 3,000 mAh. One thing that the G7 still has on the V35 is the “Boom Box” speaker.

Pricing

The LG V35 looks like an excellent phone on paper, but one thing will likely hold it back. AT&T is pricing the phone at a whopping $900. So if you’re an LG fan on AT&T you don’t get the G7, but you get a similar phone for $150 more. That won’t be worth it for a lot of people. Pre-orders will kick off on Friday and it will be available in stores on June 8th.

Specs

LG V35 ThinQ
Display 6-inch, OLED, 18:9, QuadHD+
Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon 845
Memory 6GB
Storage 64GB/128GB, microSD slot
Camera Rear: Dual 16MP, Wide Angle (f1.9 / 107 degrees)
Standard Angle (f1.6 / 71 degrees)
Front: 8MP (f1.9 / 80 degrees)
OS Android 8.0 Oreo
Battery 3,300 mAh
Size 151.7 x 75.4 x 7.3mm, 157 g
Network LTE-A 4 Band CA
Connectivity Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / Bluetooth 5.0 BLE / NFC / USB Type-C 2.0 (3.1 compatible)
Colors Black, Gray
Misc Quick Charge 3.0, Wireless Charging, Fingerprint sensor, IP68, 32-bit HiFi Quad DAC, FM Radio

Source: LG Newsroom



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Intel’s elusive Ice Lake architecture shows up on a new Chrome OS platform

Intel’s latest generation micro-architecture, Cannon Lake, has barely even released and yet its successor, Ice Lake, has appeared on the Chromium Gerrit on a new Chrome OS platform codenamed “Dragonegg.” Ice Lake will be a 10nm+ refinement on current Cannon Lake’s 10nm process and will ostensibly bring the usual efficiency and power improvements over the current generation.

Intel isn’t shy about its involvement in the Chromium Project. They have a number of engineers directly contributing to the Chrome OS operating system. One of the many benefits of Intel and Google’s open-source relationship is that development on new chipsets can start long before chips hit mass production. Intel seems to be getting trigger happy with the commits, however, as the latest generation architecture available is Kaby Lake on the Pixelbook.

Intel and other chip vendors are vying to get to ever-smaller process nodes (smaller process nodes mean more efficient chips) but, as Cannon Lake was delayed by two years, it is evident that leaps and bounds per Moore’s Law are proving difficult. Generations are now obfuscated by refinements on existing nodes.

Micro-architecture Core generation Process node Release
Skylake 6th 14nm 2015
Kaby Lake 7th 14nm+ 2016
Coffee Lake 8th 14nm++ 2017
Cannon Lake 8th? 10nm 2018
Ice Lake 9th? 10nm+ 2019?

Ice Lake’s appearance on the Chromium Gerrit comes amid reports that Intel is struggling to get high yields from the 10nm process node.

Availability notwithstanding, Ice Lake is on the cutting edge of Intel’s production line and the latest platform development on Chrome OS. We saw Kaby Lake G (Intel chip with AMD Radeon integrated graphics) make its appearance just last week on the Chromium Gerrit. This yet another reminder that development doesn’t stall for production issues.



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Unofficial LineageOS 15.1 now available for the Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1

Earlier this month the ASUS Zenfone Max Pro M1 received an unofficial port of TWRP. Shortly after that, it received a modified version known as the Red Wolf Recovery Project. Since then we’ve watched as a couple of custom ROM options have become available for the device, with an unofficial port of LineageOS 15.1 being a popular option. This port is available to the community thanks to the work from XDA Senior Member Shivam Kumar Jha. You should remember that this is an unofficial port so there are some bugs to be expected.

For instance, there is talk about a multi-touch bug that has been fixed in Oreo by Google and we will need to wait until the June patch before this gets resolved. We’re also seeing talk from the community about the charging rate being low while the phone is in use, and some are experiencing the screen not turning off while in a phone call. So far these seem to be isolated issues so your mileage may vary. Check out the XDA forum thread below and download unofficial LineageOS 15.1 for your Zenfone Max Pro M1.


Check out this unofficial build in our Zenfone Max Pro M1 forum



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mardi 29 mai 2018

‘Motorola One Power’ is an Android One device with a display notch

The notch has officially made its way to Android One devices. At least that’s what appears to be the case in a new leaked image of a device called “Motorola One Power.” There are a lot of strange things about this phone, regardless of the display notch. This Android One device marks a return of the “Motorola” brand.

Design

The notch is the obvious stand-out when looking at the design of the phone. As far as notches go, this one is pretty wide. There’s also a small chin on the bottom with the “Motorola” logo (more on that in a bit). The back of the phone looks like an iPhone X with dual cameras in a vertical orientation. The iconic Motorola dimple appears to double as the fingerprint sensor.

Goodbye, Moto?

It’s hard to miss the “Motorola” logo on the front of the phone. That’s actually one of the strange things about this device. It’s called the Motorola One Power. We haven’t seen a device with the full “Motorola” branding in a long time. Also, the “One Power” branding is completely new. It’s not the typical Moto G/C/X/Z. Lenovo is ditching the “Moto by Lenovo” branding and going back to the classic “Motorola.”

Android One

You probably guessed it by the name, but this is an Android One device. The Moto X4 was the last Android One device from Motorola and it was available in the U.S. Android Headlines says the One Power will also be available for purchase in the U.S. We don’t know anything about pricing yet, but the Moto X4 cost around $400.

Specs

There is not much to go on in terms of information about specs. However, this could be a repurposed Moto X5. We saw leaked photos of the Moto X5, which had dual-cameras in a different configuration. Plans for the Moto X5 were reportedly scrapped when Motorola laid off a chunk of their workforce. The front of the Motorola One Power looks the same as the X5, but the back is completely different.

The Moto X5 was reported to have a 5.9-inch FHD+ display with 18:9 aspect ration and slim bezels. That’s all we know at this point (assuming this device is the Moto X5).


The report doesn’t include anything about a launch event or release date. It’s likely that we’ll see this device whenever the Moto Z3 and Z3 Play are announced. All of these devices have started popping up in leaks and rumors the last few weeks. What are your thoughts on the Motorola One Power?


Source: Android Headlines



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The UMIDIGI Z2 Goes on Presale June 11 Starting at $249.99

The UMIDIGI Z2 will go on presale starting on June 11. While the phone is priced at $299.99, early buyers will be able to get a $50 discount at $249.99 at Gearbest.

While the Z2 is a budget phone, it tries to capture the essence of much more expensive phones like the Galaxy S9 and Huawei P20 Pro. The Gradient Twilight Colors, that make up the body of the phone, shimmer in the light to create a nice effect. Check out the video below to see that in action.

The large 6.2″ display is one of the most notable features of this phone. The super full-screen includes a notched display. In the notch you’ll find two front facing cameras. That makes four cameras all-together with two on the back and two on the front. Everything is powered by the Helio P23 chipset and 6GB of RAM.

Gearbest is also doing a giveaway for users who want the chance to test out the UMIDIGI Z2 Pro with wireless charging. Details for that can be found in the link below.

Check out the UMIDIGI Z2 on Gearbest and order it early to get that $50 discount. Presale begins on June 11 2018.

Preorder the UMIDIGI Z2



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EasyJoin is a PushBullet and Join alternative for sharing links, files, and more between Android and your PC

Transferring pieces of content from a computer over to your Android device used to be quite the hassle. Most stuck with just sending an email to themselves, but there are some who came up with creative solutions to the problem. We saw the introduction of the Pushbullet application which soared in popularity before the developers introduced a paid tier and roped off a number of core features that so many people had grown to love. After some time we saw another developer join the fray with the application called Join, and it’s grown to include a lot of unique features. Now there is yet another contender with a new alternative called EasyJoin.

EasyJoin does a lot of what we already get from applications like Pushbullet and Join, but it does them in a way that offers something new to the end user. A lot of the features include the ability to interact with devices on the same network that have the EasyJoin app installed. No pairing required. You’re able to send SMS messages from your PC or tablet without ever pulling your connected phone out from your pocket and you can manage your phone calls like that as well. It even comes with the ability to send and receive files, folders, and contents of the clipboard from one device to another.

However, EasyJoin also does a lot that its main two competitors are unable to do. For instance, EasyJoin will work without any of your devices being connected to the internet, but they will all need to be connected to the same internal network. It also comes with end-to-end encryption when sharing content from one device to another and you can create your own secure hotspot network with a single click to keep your data off the grid. EasyJoin comes in a paid tier as well as a free tier.

EasyJoin "Essential"- Send photos to PC & more (Free, Google Play) →

EasyJoin "Pro" - Send photos to PC & more ($4.99, Google Play) →


Check out EasyJoin in our Apps and Games forum



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How to enable Always on Display on the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, and OnePlus 6

There are some smartphone features that have become so standard that many of us automatically assume every new phone will have them. Double tap to sleep/wake is one that I assume a smartphone with an AMOLED screen will have and it seems like we’re getting to that point with the always-on display as well. The OnePlus 6 had the always on display feature removed due to battery concerns, but there’s a Magisk Module that will bring the feature to the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, and the OnePlus 6.

This always-on display feature was included in the initial firmware that shipped with the OnePlus 6, but it has since been removed due to battery concerns. It can be easily brought back for anyone who has Magisk installed as there is now a module specifically for this feature. Since OxygenOS is so similar across devices, we have noticed that it will also bring the always on display feature to the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T as well.

  1. All you will need to do is download the Magisk Module from the page linked below.
  2. Install it within the Magisk Manager application.
  3. Once installed, reboot the OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, or the OnePlus 6 so the changes can take effect.
  4. After rebooting your phone, you will find the always-on display feature tucked away in the Display section of the Settings application.

A growing number of people are keeping their smartphone on a flat surface rather than keeping it in their pocket. This is why so many people like the always-on display feature since it’s easy to glance over at the phone to check the time, date, weather, and notifications. It just makes sense for smartphones with an AMOLED screen include this feature as the act of lighting up the minimal amount of pixels doesn’t use much of the phone’s battery life.


Source: Daxiaamu



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The BL9000 is a Phone with a Massive 9000mAh Battery

Doogee has set out to make a phone with a ridiculously large 9000mAh battery. This phone is called the BL9000 and it’s built for people who want big phone that will last for days on a single charge. This phone is not light or thin or pretending to be anything other than a big phone with a big battery.

BL9000 Specs
Display 5.99″ FHD+
Chipset Helio P23
RAM 6GB
Storage 64GB
Camera 12+5MP
Battery 9000mAh

The BL9000 with Box and Cables

To power this ultra large battery, you’re given a charger that will juice your phone to 30% in 10 minutes, and 100% charged in 70 minutes. This technology is called the Pump Express 4.0.

You also have the option to use wireless charging. It’s compatible with 5V-2A wireless chargers and it’s the first large-battery phone to support wireless charging.

Use the Fingerprint Sensor to navigate or launch specific apps.

The phone is surprisingly heavy and thick. It’s designed to have a business/professional look with the Smoky Black and Silver Edge color options.

The BL9000 Features a 12+5MP Camera

The 18:9 FHD+ display is an LG manufactured screen with high color saturation and a great image quality.

As far as performance, Doogee went with the P23 chipset and the Mali-G71 GPU. This paired with 6GB of RAM has this phone performing very well even under stress. With the software being near-stock Android, using this phone is a great experience.

Many software feature are available to even further enhance the performance, like being able to clear out of your apps when the screen is powered off.

If you’re looking for a phone with a large battery and great performance, and you don’t care about it being a bit heavy and thick, this is a great option.

Grab the Doogee BL9000 for ₹21,000 on Flipkart or BangGood.

Find out more about the Doogee BL9000 here.

Get The BL9000 on Flipkart Get The BL9000 on BangGood



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Call recording rolling out to some Samsung Galaxy S9/S9+ after latest update

Samsung released the May security update for the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ not too long ago. It added the latest security patch along with call recording on devices from certain regions. This was noticed by Reddit user The-Mentalist who took a screenshot of the call recording option in the in-call UI.

This update is build number G960FXXU1BRE5 and G965FXXU1BRE3. It has rolled out to several countries, including Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Romania, Netherlands, and in the UK. More countries should get the update in the near future. The time you receive this update will depend on your carrier and country of residence.

Call recording seems to be rolling out in the United Kingdom on devices running this latest patch. Call recording without consent is illegal in some countries and states, which is why this is not a universal feature. California, for example, requires both parties on the phone to consent to be recorded. If you do not have consent from both parties it is considered a wire-tap. Laws like that are some of the reasons why call recording can’t be a universal feature on all phones and can’t be released to all countries.

Even though this isn’t officially on many devices, there are apps like ACR which allow you to record your phone calls. Keep in mind that while this app might allow recording calls, it doesn’t get around wire-tap laws. In some places, you still need consent from both parties to be able to record a phone call. You should probably get consent from both parties even if your state/country doesn’t require it since that’s just the proper thing to do.

Hopefully, Samsung can get this feature rolled out to more users in more areas where call recording is legal. It would be cool for Samsung Galaxy S9 users to have this feature without a third-party app like ACR.


Source: Reddit



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Pixel Experience brings Google Pixel features to Project Treble supported devices

Project Treble has done a lot of good for Android devices. It has allowed devices to use many different flavors of Android that would otherwise not be available, and often with more functionality than early ROMs can offer. Now, there’s another ROM you can install on your Treble-supported device if you wish, and it will bring a little Pixel flavor. It’s called Pixel Experience.

Pixel Experience is a ROM that aims to bring as many features as possible from the Google Pixel to other devices. The Generic System Image (GSI) version is created by XDA Senior Member jhenrique09. Check out the video below to see it in action if you’re on the fence.

If you’re interested, you may not be sure how to flash a Project Treble GSI yet. We’ve made a guide here that you can check out which should simplify the whole process. Then check out the link below when you’re ready to download the Google Pixel Experience ROM!

Download Pixel Experience GSI



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Vivo X21 launched in India with in-display fingerprint sensor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC

Vivo is the fourth largest smartphone vendor in India. In March, the company launched the Vivo V9 in the country with a 6.28-inch notched display. This was the first smartphone to launch in India with the notch, but the choice to use the budget Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 system-on-chip meant that the phone did not compete well on value. The company had launched the higher-end Vivo X21 in China at the same time, which had better specifications. Then, rumors stated that the Vivo X21 would arrive in India in May.

Now, at an event in Delhi, Vivo has officially launched the Vivo X21 in India. The smartphone is the first to launch in India with an in-display fingerprint sensor. It costs Rs. 35,990 ($530) for the single 6GB RAM/128GB storage configuration, and its specifications are listed below.

Vivo X21 – Specifications at a glance

 

Vivo X21 Vivo X21 Vivo X21
Vivo X21 Specifications
Dimensions and weight 154.45 x 74.78 x 7.37 mm, 156.2g
Software FunTouch OS 4.0 on top of Android 8.1 Oreo
CPU Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 (4x 2.2GHz Kryo 260 Performance + 4x 1.8GHz Kryo 260 Efficiency cores)
GPU Adreno 512
RAM and storage 6GB of RAM with 128GB of storage; hybrid microSD card slot
Battery 3200mAh
Display 6.28-inch Full HD+ (2280×1080) Super AMOLED with a 19:9 aspect ratio
Wi-Fi 802.11ac
Bluetooth Bluetooth 4.2
Ports microUSB port, dual nano SIM (nano SIM/microSD), 3.5mm headphone jack
Bands GSM: Bands 2/3/5/8
WCDMA: Bands 1/5/8
FDD-LTE: Bands 1/3/5
TDD-LTE: Bands 40/41
Rear camera 12MP camera with Samsung S5K2L8 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 2PD Dual Pixel autofocus
5MP depth-sensing camera with f/2.4 aperture
4K video recording at 30FPS
Front-facing camera 12MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture

The Vivo X21’s design is similar to the Vivo V9 and the Oppo F7. The phone has thin side bezels, a display notch at the top, and a chin at the bottom. The dual cameras are vertically placed at the top left of the back. The phone has an aluminium frame and a glass back.

The most differentiating feature about the design is the in-display fingerprint sensor. In India, Vivo has launched a single variant of the X21 that has an in-display fingerprint sensor, choosing to skip the one that has a conventional fingerprint sensor.

In-display fingerprint sensors have been in the news since last year, but the technology has yet to be widely available in commercially shipping products. Last year, Vivo teamed with Qualcomm to demo an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor. In March, it launched the world’s first phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor: the Vivo X20 Plus UD. The X20 Plus UD featured Synaptics’ optical in-display fingerprint sensor.

The Vivo X21, on the other hand, does not use a Synaptics fingerprint sensor. Instead, the in-display sensor is supplied by Goodix.

Display

The X21 has a 6.28-inch Full HD+ (2280×1080) Super AMOLED display with 406 PPI and a 19:9 aspect ratio. The phone has a 90% screen-to-body ratio, thanks to the presence of a display notch. The display’s specifications are very similar to the OnePlus 6. It’s protected by “3rd generation Gorilla 2.5D Glass.”

Performance

The Vivo X21 is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC. The SoC has four Kryo 260 Performance cores clocked at 2.2GHz and four Kryo 260 Efficiency cores clocked at 1.8GHz, paired with the Adreno 512 GPU. This chip is also used by the Nokia 7 Plus.

The phone comes in a single configuration with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also has a hybrid microSD card slot (nano SIM/microSD) for expandable storage up to 256GB.

Audio

The X21 has the AK4376A Hi-Fi audio chip for better audio quality. It also retains the 3.5mm headphone jack like the OnePlus 6.

Cameras

The primary rear camera of the Vivo X21 has a 12MP Samsung S5K2L8 sensor with 2PD Dual Pixel autofocus and a f/1.8 aperture. It’s paired with a 5MP secondary camera that has a f/2.4 aperture.

The primary camera has “AI HDR,” Portrait and Bokeh, Live Photo, and Shot Refocus features. It can record 4K video at 30FPS, and slow motion video recording is also included.

The front-facing camera uses the same 12MP sensor as the primary rear camera. However, it has a f/2.0 aperture instead of the f/1.8 aperture of the primary rear camera.

Connectivity

The Vivo X21 has a 3200mAh battery with “Dual Charging Engine technology.” In terms of connectivity, it has dual nano SIM slots (nano SIM/microSD), Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.2, a 3.5mm headphone jack, 4G VoLTE, and… a microUSB port. The presence of a microUSB port at the price of Rs. 35,990 is perplexing. Vivo still refuses to move on to the newer, more advanced USB Type-C port.

Software

The phone is powered by FunTouch OS 4.0 (Vivo’s custom UI) on top of Android 8.1 Oreo. The software comes with Face Access (Vivo’s implementation of face unlock). Face Access has an in-built infrared light sensor for faster unlocking at night.

It also has “AI Game Mode” that knows when the user is playing games. The Background Call feature lets users stay on call while gaming, and Game Mode prevents accidental touches as well.

Vivo X21 — Pricing and availability

The Vivo X21 costs Rs. 35,990 ($530) in India. The smartphone is a Flipkart exclusive, and it is already available for purchase. The phone is available in Black, with the Gold color option set to be available later.

Launch offers include Rs. 3000 off on regular exchange value, 5 percent cashback on SBI credit cards, and 280GB additional data by Vodafone.

The phone competes with the OnePlus 6 and the Honor 10 at its launch price. The Nokia 7 Plus also uses the Snapdragon 660 chip, but it has an advantage of being Rs. 10,000 cheaper than the Vivo X21.

Let us know your thoughts about the Vivo X21 in the comments below.



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lundi 28 mai 2018

70% of VPNs Still Unblock Netflix Despite Their Recent CrackDown

Accessing Netflix through a VPN has always been a hit or miss type of situation. Many users who do not have regular access to Netflix are forced to use a VPN service to access content. Sometimes they are greeted with a proxy-error message. This is because Netflix started cracking down on VPNs back in 2016. There are still VPN services that can get you access to Netflix though. Here is a list put together from TheBestVPN that highlights some of the best VPNs with Netflix support.

1. NordVPN

NordVPN servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States (3)
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands

NordVPN has been around since 2008 and has some of the highest ratings among VPN services. Based out of Panama, they have nearly 4,000 servers across 62 countries. Their website keeps track of all of their servers that can access Netflix, so you don’t have to spend any time trying to figure it out on your own.

TheBestVPN has done a full review of NordVPN here. Check it out for more information.

2. GooseVPN

GooseVPN servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands

GooseVPN promises that you’ll be able to binge watch anywhere in the world. TheBestVPN tested the service and found that Netflix is accessible on their servers.

3. LiquidVPN

LiquidVPN servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United States: Chicago
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands

One of LiquidVPN’s primary services is advertised as being able to unlock Netflix. They also include an article on their website, detailing how to unblock Netflix using their service.

4. PrivateVPN

PrivateVPN servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United States: Los Angeles
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherland

This VPN is based in Stockholm and has a custom-built VPN design specifically for Netflix access. They say the VPN will unlock the entire catalog of U.S. Netflix titles.

In addition to this, they have a list of servers from their service that will probably allow a connection to Netflix, and they keep this list up-to-date.

5. StrongVPN

StrongVPN servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United States: Chicago
  • United Kingdom
  • Canada
  • Netherlands

StrongVPN uses some of the most comprehensive VPN provider networks in the industry, utilizing over 660 servers across 24 different countries. TheBestVPN tested New York and Chicago servers and found that they had access to Netflix without any trouble.

6. VPN.ht

VPN.ht servers connecting to Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United States: California
  • Canada
  • United Kingdom
  • Netherlands

Based in Hong-Kong, VPN.ht is primarily focused on protecting privacy and accessing blocked content. The company advertises Netflix unblocking as a primary feature on their website. TheBestVPN was able to verify this and found that their Netflix access works just fine.

7. Astrill

Astrill servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: Chicago
  • United Kingdom: London
  • Netherlands

Astrill servers blocked by Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • Canada

Astrill was founded in 2009 and is based in Seychelles. There are currently more than 330 servers in almost 50 countries. The company does not specifically advertise any ability to unblock Netflix, but three of their servers were found to have Netflix access.

8. Hide ALL IP

Hide ALL IP servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United States: Chicago
  • United Kingdom: London

Hide ALL IP servers blocked by Netflix:

  • Canada
  • Netherlands

While Hide ALL IP doesn’t saying anything about being able to give you an unblocked connection to Netflix, is does say that they can provide “access to internet TV”. It has been found to provide access to Netflix and Hulu on some of their servers. Try the USA and UK servers to get a connection.

9. Norton Wi-Fi Privacy VPN

Norton WiFI Privacy servers unblocking Netflix:

  • United States: New York
  • United Kingdom: London
  • Canada

Norton WiFi Privacy servers blocked by Netflix:

  • Netherlands

Norton is a company that all of you will have heard of, but a lesser amount of people have heard of their VPN service. This service stays in line with their anti-virus software by being designed to protect your privacy when you’re using public WiFi. If you visit their website, you will notice that it also lists “global access” to content a feature of their service.  They do make it clear that the Netflix VPN block might make streaming unavailable, however three severs are confirmed to give you access to the site’s content.

 

Find more VPNs that will still unblock Netflix here.

 

We thank TheBestVPN for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.



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dimanche 27 mai 2018

Essential Phone getting new Android P beta with fixes for radio, Bluetooth, and dark mode

We were surprised to see Google open up the Android P Developer Preview program to non-Google devices this time around. While you can run Android P on the Google Pixel and Pixel 2 lineup, you can also get it running on devices like the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, the OnePlus 6, and the Essential Phone among others. This is definitely a first: previously, Developer Previews for Android L, M, N, and O were limited to Nexus and Pixel devices with the rare Sony Xperia phone jumping in. Essential, which has rolled out the Android P beta preview to their sole device, has done a stellar job regarding updates to their phone, and they are now rolling out a new build of their Android P beta that fixes many bugs.

The OTA update, which should have dropped already on Essential users running the current Android P beta, is still based on the second Developer Preview, meaning that there’s really no new features to see here. However, the update is focused purely on patches and bug fixes for basic functionality. Essential is rolling out improvements for cellular connectivity as well as certain fixes for both the Dark Mode and Bluetooth.

The company is currently at the edge of a cliff—the successor to the Essential Phone has allegedly been shelved and the company is apparently also up for sale. It is, as such, really nice to see the company is still actively supporting their device for now. Users interested in downloading this update should either take the OTA (if you’re currently on P) or install it from scratch (if you’re on Android Oreo).



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AOSP on the Honor 9 Lite – How Stock Android Made a Budget Device Better

We recently reviewed the Honor 9 Lite, a budget phone released by a subsidiary of Huawei. With some semi-decent specs consisting of a Kirin 659, 3GB of RAM, and an 18:9 1080p display coming in at 229 euro, it’s not a bad phone for the price. While there are certainly better options in the same price range, it can often be easier to purchase a phone locally, Especially since this device has been launched officially in the West.

While the phone had a number of things to like about it, one of the biggest hangups was shown when it came to performance. Despite the phone’s decent specifications, it often couldn’t keep up with a heavier usage that would not only suit a power user or enthusiast but even a regular consumer who is active on social media as well. As a result, I turned to an AOSP custom ROM which was possible thanks to the device being Project Treble compatible to see if it could help.

honor 9 lite project treble aosp

Disclaimer: Honor sent XDA this device for review purposes. The opinions in this article are our own.

Editor’s note: This article was being worked on and was completed before the recent news regarding bootloader unlocking on Huawei/Honor devices. As it is, we realize that installing a custom ROM on a Huawei/Honor device may no longer be possible in the future, but we still wanted this article out to showcase how even a basic AOSP ROM can improve the user experience on some Android devices.

Installing AOSP on the Honor 9 Lite

It’s actually really easy to install an AOSP ROM on the Honor 9 Lite. You’ll need to meet a number of pre-requisites to get started, especially in case anything goes wrong. If you’d like a more comprehensive guide, you can check out the one we did here.

First, you’ll need to apply for your bootloader unlock code. This isn’t a hard process and took me about five minutes. You’ll need to create an account on the unlocking site, then just go through the process of unlocking your bootloader. The site will give you instructions on how to find the data you need, so it shouldn’t take that long and should be a fairly painless process. Once you get your bootloader unlock code, go to Settings on your phone, enable Development Options (by tapping “build number” repeatedly under “about phone”) and then enable OEM unlocking. Reboot your phone into fastboot mode and flash the TWRP recovery linked above. Note, the command you want is fastboot flash recovery_ramdisk recovery.img if you are using the Honor 9 Lite.

Next, you can either boot into TWRP and flash the GSI or flash the system.img via fastboot, making sure to wipe your device’s /data partition. Make sure to back up /system in TWRP, because if anything goes wrong the process to acquire a stock system image is rather painful so you’ll want to avoid doing that. Once you’ve got that done, you’re good to go!

AOSP on the Honor 9 Lite

Performance

While I had a number of performance-related issues on the Honor 9 Lite on stock EMUI, AOSP is leaps and bounds faster in just about any task. It’s so much easier to multitask on a device that doesn’t freeze up inexplicably when switching quickly from Snapchat to Facebook Messenger. I also noticed that apps stay open a lot longer in the background, being able to return to applications an hour later and have them still in RAM. In terms of benchmarks (which should never be the deciding factor of whether a device performs or not), the Honor 9 Lite on AOSP scores a respectable 88209 in AnTuTu benchmark. Note that this is roughly 14,000 points more than on stock. A huge increase for a simple software switch. It shows just how much EMUI hampered device performance here. Storage speeds also went up massively in AndroBench.

honor 9 lite project treble aosp honor 9 lite project treble aosp

As you can see, there is a huge difference in storage performance benchmarks. The phone running AOSP has been on it for a few weeks now and has been used quite a bit. The only question I have is why is EMUI causing this huge of a performance drop-off? I simply don’t understand why on AOSP things are just so much better in terms of benchmarks. Maybe EMUI is doing something wrong, maybe AOSP is doing something right… or maybe it’s a mix of both. The phone boots fast, apps launch fast, and the phone no longer shuts down when switching on Bluetooth.

Quite an improvement.

As for camera performance, there are no longer any issues. The camera starts quickly and takes a photo quickly. Camera quality is another topic entirely, but I’ll get to that later. Snapchat works fine and the camera works fine (even more so with OpenCamera). The stock AOSP camera is a bit barebones in terms of features, though. In terms of performance, AOSP is definitely an improvement over stock EMUI. I’ve been running AOSP for about as long as I had it on EMUI, so it’s not as if that’s the reason. Even Snapchat runs without a hitch, which is what shocked me the most. If none of that is enough improvement, applications also stay running in the background throughout the day rather than being closed inexplicably despite plenty of unused RAM.

For the performance increases alone I’d recommend installing an AOSP-based ROM on the Honor 9 Lite.

Battery

Sadly, battery reporting appears to be broken on the Honor 9 Lite when it comes to GSIs. The battery stats can’t be viewed, but I will say that my general impressions are that it’s slightly worse than on stock. I’m happy to trade a small bit of battery for performance though, as I’m still getting through a full day without any issues while also having a much better experience. It’s completely worth it in my opinion.

I believe that the reason for the better performance at the cost of battery life is that there is less throttling of the processor. It could also be related to the fact that applications are being held in memory so that the device doesn’t need to constantly re-launch them. Expect similar or slightly worse battery to stock, and if you’re okay with that then I’d highly recommend making the switch. From what I can tell, the screen on times fluctuate around the 4 to 5-hour mark. What I will say though is that the battery life is certainly more consistent. I figured EMUI shutting things down in the background would lead to better consistency, but apparently not. I’m no longer seeing extremes of 6 hours of screen-on-time, but I’m also no longer seeing 2 or 3.

Video, Camera, and Audio Recording

This is where the advantages end for the AOSP ROM over stock EMUI, and that’s simply a limitation of how it’s implemented. Most of the stock camera features don’t work because the right camera libraries don’t exist, so photos are often poorer quality than on stock due to the lack of processing. On other Project Treble-enabled phones, the camera libraries were ported so it may just be due to a lack of developer interest in the Honor 9 Lite rather than an actual difficulty. I personally attempted to do it but couldn’t get it working at all.

honor 9 lite project treble aosp honor 9 lite project treble aosp honor 9 lite project treble aosp

The photos above show the polarizing nature of the camera. It can take semi-decent photos like in the first and then terrible photos like in the second. The colored lines in the second photo appear on random occasions in other scenes too, and I can’t seem to find any pattern that causes them. It’s just poor camera processing all around that’s causing it, so if you’re buying this phone for the camera then you won’t want to put an AOSP ROM on your Honor 9 Lite.

As for the video, it’s plagued by the same problems. Filming picks up on random coloured artifacts like in the photo above, and again there seems to be no way to stop it. As for audio, it sounds fine but can no longer handle loud environments correctly. It crackles and peaks the audio, so on all accounts, using this phone is impossible for taking photos, videos, and recording audio on an AOSP ROM. That’s fine, it’s still early, but it’s just a warning for those who care about it.

In other words, don’t expect much. You are not going to be seeing some of the great video and audio quality that was present in the stock ROM. It’s probably one of the few things stock EMUI has over AOSP.

AOSP

While AOSP is AOSP, there’s a number of issues that it has when installing through a GSI. None of the issues are actually deal breakers, but they can be annoying. For example, signal strength values are entirely broken. Both of my SIM cards constantly display 0dB and 255ASU, but the actual signal strength is displayed just fine in the status bar. The Android version and security patch level are also misreported. Then, of course, there’s the aforementioned issue of being unable to view the actual battery statistics on the device. Finally, there is the issue of SafetyNet. You can not use Google Pay or any other SafetyNet enabled applications on a GSI on the Honor 9 Lite. I don’t know about other devices, but on the Honor 9 Lite none of the suggested fixes I saw actually worked.

Sure, it’s annoying, and there are lots of small inconsistencies. However, that isn’t such a big deal when you remember that you are literally booting a system image of Android that also boots on other Android devices that come with Project Treble support. It’s a crazy feat of development to even get this far and over time, of course, things will improve. While I’m unsure if SafetyNet will ever pass, the other issues will probably be fixed with time.

Conclusion – Does AOSP on the Honor 9 Lite Improve the Experience?

AOSP improves the Honor 9 Lite in a number of different ways. The Honor 9 Lite, as time went on, was unbearable in terms of performance, as I touched on in my review. With AOSP, it tells a very different story. The device is fluid, it’s quick, and it’s extremely responsive. It blows EMUI out of the water in just about every metric. If what you’re after is features, then you can even install a Resurrection Remix or LineageOS ROM instead of AOSP. If you don’t care about camera quality that much, then I fully recommend ditching EMUI. Even then, the camera issues may eventually be fixed with time. But it does leave one question: What on Earth happened to EMUI?

I can’t tell why AOSP on this device is just so much better than EMUI. It’s fluid, it’s fast, and it’s everything that EMUI is not. It could be the lack of bloat slowing down the device. An interesting fact is that I could not work on articles on my phone on EMUI as Chrome would simply crash, but other than the occasional lag spikes on AOSP I was able to edit and work on articles to my heart’s content. It just felt so much nicer to use. That’s not something you can pick up on synthetic benchmarks either: it’s something you’d have to try yourself. If you have an Honor 9 Lite with EMUI and you don’t mind losing out on camera quality then I highly recommend switching over to an AOSP-based ROM.

If you make the switch to LineageOS, you should definitely make sure and try to make use of all of its features that will be made available to you. It’s not recommended, really, to go with an AOSP ROM, because really, why would you? LineageOS has a huge number of features over AOSP and both are fundamentally the same at a technical level.

If you remember me saying that for a period of time I considered using this device with EMUI over the OnePlus 3, now with AOSP the Honor 9 Lite has really got me thinking.



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