Android News

Sony Mobile has created a new variant of its Xperia Loops wallpaper for its new 2018 handsets, including the Xperia XA2 and XA2 Ultra. If you’re looking to try this new wallpaper for yourself, then you’ll be glad to hear that the APK has been extracted and modified to work on your stock Xperia handset. There are six ‘liquid’ wallpapers to choose from (Liquid black, Liquid silver, Liquid sky blue, Liquid blue, Liquid gold, Liquid pink) and you can download the APK from the link below. DOWNLOAD APK: Xperia Loops (2.0.A.0.8.3) Via XDA .

One year ago (to the day almost) we reported that Sony Mobile was planning to launch a premium Xperia flagship in 2018 that would incorporate an OLED display. Well you can now add more fuel to the fire on that lingering rumour. We have come across some official Sony Mobile job listings for a ‘ Display Engineer ’, where “ OLED experience is a must ”. One of the key job descriptors is to “ drive display/OLED integration to mobile phone products (design/verification/production) ”. That seems like pretty hard evidence to us that Sony is at least working on an OLED equipped Xperia device. What we don’t know at this stage is if Sony remains on schedule to release an OLED Xperia device in 2018. The full time job was posted on 30 November 2017, with an ‘unposting date’ of 28 February 2018. So if we don’t see an OLED Xperia device announcement at MWC in February, then there’s a good chance Sony could launch it for IFA in September 2018. We’ll keep you posted with any developments. Sony Mobi

Sony Mobile has opened pre-orders for its latest ‘super mid-rangers’ in the United States. Pre-orders are currently live at Best Buy , with all colour options available to order. While the US market remains a niche one for Sony Mobile, it is great that all of these smartphones will finally have working fingerprint readers straight out of the box. So, US Xperia fans won’t have to mess around importing phones, or changing the firmware’s region. The Sony Xperia XA2 (H3123) will set you back $349.99 and is available in 4 colours (Silver, Black, Blue and Pink). The Sony Xperia XA2 Ultra (H3223) costs $449.99 and is also available in 4 colours (Silver, Black, Blue and Gold). Best Buy also has Sony’s newest budget model, the Xperia L2 (H3321) up for pre-order at $249.99 in 3 colours (Black, Gold, Pink). All handsets sold are the single SIM models. The expected release date for all phones is February 16 2018. Thanks Khaled!

Leave is to Evan Blass to give us all the details of the upcoming HTC U11 EYEs. According to his latest leak, the HTC U11 EYEs will be unveiled on January 15 and will be selling for ￥3,290 or roughly $510 USD. For that price, you get a phone which looks surprisingly similar to the new HTC U11+, but as its price hints the specifications are definitely mid-range. The leak claims that the phone will be equipped with a 6-inch FHD+ Super LCD3 display with an 18:9 aspect ratio, an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, USB-C, a generous 3930 mAh battery, HTC’s Edge Sense technology and IP67 dust and water resistance. What’s not mentioned in the leak are the details regarding the main camera on the back and the two cameras on the front. HTC’s CEO did mention that the company would be releasing a device in 2018 with a dual-camera setup, but most of us were expecting it to be a flagship device with two cameras on the back of the phone. HTC U11 EYEs (Harmony)

Sony Mobile has updated the Xperia XA1 and Xperia XA1 Plus with new firmware updates that move the Android security patch to 5 January 2018. The importance of this security update is that the Meltdown and Spectre CPU vulnerabilities are now patched . The Sony Xperia XA1 firmware has moves the build number from 40.0.A.6.175 to version 40.0.A.6.189. The Sony Xperia XA1 Plus moves from 48.0.A.1.117 to version 48.0.A.1.131. The handsets remain on Android 7.0 Nougat, but Sony is planning an upgrade to Android Oreo later in the year. Thanks Mike!

Samsung has merely confirmed that it’s going to unveil the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ at the Mobile World Congress 2018 next month . It will confirm at the event when the handset is going to be released in key markets. The release timeframe for other markets will subsequently be confirmed by the company’s regional divisions. It’s going to be a considerable wait for Samsung’s new flagship smartphones. That’s one of the reasons why clones of popular flagship smartphones tend to do well, the other being that they’re cheap and not everyone wants to spend $1000 on a smartphone. Samsung may not have released the Galaxy S9+ yet but very convincing clones are now surfacing in China. Galaxy S9+ clones It has only been a few weeks since we saw a video of a very convincing clone of the Galaxy S9+ . The manufacturer has meticulously copied the key design elements right down to the dual camera at the back. This isn’t an anomaly. We saw this happen last year with the Galaxy S8 as well . That’s wh

HTC U11 Eyes is a Single SIM (Nano-SIM) or Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM, dual stand-by) Candybar, Touchscreen Android Smartphone from HTC which runs on Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat). HTC U11 Eyes is available in Black, Silver, Red colors. HTC U11 Eyes has 1080 x 2160 pixels, 6.0 inches, 92.9 cm2 , 18:9 ratio (~402 ppi density) display size which supports Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors.Additional features of HTC U11 Eyes are IP67 certified, Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic. HTC U11 Eyes has GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WIFI, Bluetooth, GPS connectivity options on board. You can take pictures of your beloved ones from its 12 MP camera.

A purported Galaxy S9 retail box has leaked online and it reveals the specifications of Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone. These specs have already been rumored multiple times so it’s not surprising to see them on the back of a box. The box mentions that the Galaxy S9 is going to have a 5.8-inch curved Infinity Display. Previous reports suggest that it’s going to retain the same 18.5:9 aspect ratio of its predecessor. Galax S9 retail box It’s not uncommon for such leaks to surface in the days leading up to a flagship launch. There’s always the possibility that it might be fake or doctored but some of the specs listed on the box have been mentioned in earlier reports. As per the box, the Galaxy S9 is going to feature a “Super Speed” 12-megapixel Dual Pixel rear camera with Optical Image Stabilization. It’s likely going to be the new 1.28-micrometer 12-megapixel ISOCELL Fast 2L9 sensor with Dual Pixel technology that Samsung launched three months ago . It apparently supports v

Alcatel alcatel 3C is a Single SIM or Dual SIM Candybar, Touchscreen Android Smartphone from Alcatel which runs on Android OS, v7.1 (Nougat). Alcatel alcatel 3C is available in Black, Gold colors. Alcatel alcatel 3C has 720 x 1440 pixels, 6.0 inches, 92.9 cm2 , 18:9 ratio (~268 ppi density) display size which supports IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors. Alcatel alcatel 3C is powered by Quad-core 1.3 GHz Cortex-A7 CPU, Mediatek MT8321 Chipset and Mali-400 GPU along with 16 GB, 1 GB RAM.Alcatel alcatel 3C has GPRS, EDGE, 3G, WIFI, Bluetooth, GPS connectivity options on board. You can take pictures of your beloved ones from its 8 MP camera.

It has been a while since Sony’s 2016 budget phone, the Xperia E5 has received a firmware update, but one is now rolling in the form of build number 37.0.A.2.248. There is no change from the Android 6.0 Marshmallow software, so we’re not sure what Sony has added, but it’s likely small bug fixes. The update is only live on the F3311 variant as of writing, but it may also appear for the F3313 variant in the coming days. If you’ve updated, let us know any changes you’ve noticed in the comments below. DOWNLOAD FTF Firmware File: Xperia E5 (F3311) 37.0.A.2.248 Global Generic (Android 6.0) Thanks Moisés and Nikola!

As we all know, Samsung is the worldwide leader when it comes to advanced memory technology. They aim to uphold that distinction with the commencement of production of the second generation of the 8GB High Bandwidth Memory-2 DRAM. The 1st generation HMB2 from Samsung, Flarebolt, was a momentous achievement and an industry-changer, and early data shows that this will be no different. The revamped solution will be known as Aquabolt. New HBM2 from Samsung is a powerhouse Aquabolt is the industry’s first HBM2 to deliver a 2.4 gigabits-per-second (Gbps) data transfer speed per pin, which is the highest level of DRAM performance at 1.2V. It equates to a performance upgrade of nearly 50 percent per package, compared to the company’s 1st-generation 8GB HBM2 package (with 1.6Gbps pin speed at 1.2V and 2.0Gbps at 1.35V). Samsung says with these improvements, a single 8GB HBM2 package will offer 307 gigabytes-per-second (GBps) data bandwidth, achieving essentially 10 times faster data transmis

The idea behind Samsung’s Galaxy A series is simple: Take some key features from the flagship handsets, tone them down and package them into a more affordable device that’s a step above your average mid-range Android-powered smartphone. It all started with the first generation Galaxy A series that was released in 2015 and this idea has been refined every year since then. Announced a couple of weeks ago, the Galaxy A8 (2018) and the Galaxy A8+ (2018) are part of Samsung’s latest attempt at offering some of its best features at an affordable price point. Samsung pushed the envelope on smartphone design with the Galaxy S8 last year. The handset’s Infinity Display has garnered a lot of praise for what it does for the look and feel of the flagship. Sticking to the script of toning down key features, Samsung gave the new Galaxy A handsets a flat Infinity Display but retained the 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The company also listened to the criticism it received because of the fingerprint sensor p

You’ve all heard of Samsung’s legal battles with Apple. The company has also been fighting with Chinese behemoth Huawei in court for over a year now. Huawei accused Samsung of patent infringement back in 2016 , it claimed that Samsung had used its 4G communications technology, user interface software, and operating systems in its smartphones without a license. A verdict handed down in one of those lawsuits ordered Samsung to pay $11.6 million to Huawei for patent infringement . Huawei has won yet another lawsuit against Samsung now in China. Samsung also filed its own patent infringement lawsuits against Huawei but it hasn’t scored a victory as yet. Samsung vs Huawei Information released by a Chinese court confirmed today that Huawei has won a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. The court ruled that Samsung infringed on two of Huawei’s patents involving fourth-generation phone technology. Samsung has been ordered to stop selling or manufacturing the products infringing on

According to a piece in the WSJ , Samsung spent a total of $44 billion last year to emerge as the biggest spender of all public limited companies last year. It is extremely improbable that any privately held company spent more than that sum, which makes Samsung probably the biggest spender of all companies last year. The WSJ post states that Samsung’s spending is about 50% more than the next biggest spender, PetroChina (~$29 billion). It is also more than the combined spending by Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil – two enormous oil and gas companies. It is staggering to think that a tech company is spending more than the oil and gas companies, and points to a shift in the global economy where tech companies are taking center stage in investments, innovation, and influence. More investments in component business A big chunk of Samsung’s capital expenditures went into building or expanding manufacturing facilities for semiconductors, displays, and other products, with Samsung trying

Samsung’s profits and iPhone sales are inter-linked in many ways. Apple is one of the largest customers for Samsung displays and semiconductors. Samsung reportedly makes more money from components supply to the iPhone X than to the Galaxy S8 . A recent report estimated that Samsung will make around $22 billion by supplying OLED panels for iPhones in 2018. So, it is clear Samsung makes a lot of money when iPhones sell well. Samsung also makes money if Apple fails to sell more of their iPhones. Samsung is Apple’s biggest competitor in smartphones around the world. The Galaxy flagship smartphones are the only devices that can rival iPhones in mindshare and market share. So, unsurprisingly, a customer lost by Apple often turns into a new customer for Samsung. This is exactly what seems to have happened in the UK because of the delayed iPhone X launch. iPhone X November launch helps Samsung Apple usually brings their new iPhones to the market in September every year. The trend has been

The January 2018 security patch was detailed by Samsung last week and the company has kicked things off by rolling out the latest security maintenance release to its mid-range handsets first. Samsung has now released it for the Galaxy J7 Max in India. The Galaxy J7 Max is a mid-range handset that was launched in India about seven months ago. It came with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box and it’s still on that iteration of Google’s mobile operating system. Samsung hasn’t even released Oreo for its flagship smartphones yet so it’s unclear when Android 8.0 will trickle down to devices like the Galaxy J7 Max. Galaxy J7 Max January 2018 security patch The Galaxy J7 Max has a 5.7-inch Full HD TFT display with an octa-core MediaTek Helio P20 (MT6757V) processor coupled with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The handset features a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 13-megapixel shooter on the front. It also has a fingerprint sensor as well as support for Samsung Pay Mini . All of thi

Samsung had revealed earlier that the Android 8.0 Oreo beta program for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ would end on January 15, and what could be the last beta build has begun rolling out today for both devices. We’re seeing the update on our Indian variant of the S8, but it should also be hitting other markets where the beta’s second phase was launched , in addition to countries from the first phase. Galaxy S8 and S8+ Oreo beta update The latest build has software version ZRA5, brings fixes for both minor and phone freezing bugs, and includes the January 2018 security patch. This could be the last bunch of issues that need fixing, and Samsung can hopefully start rolling out the official Oreo update within two weeks or so after the beta program ends (that’s how long it took for the final version of Nougat to come out after the S7’s beta program ended). Things are certainly quite stable even with the previous Oreo build from what we’ve experienced on an S8+ running the beta and being

Samsung has just released the January security update for the unbranded  Galaxy A5 (2017) in the Netherlands. The company’s A series phones have been the first to receive the newest security patches for months in a row, but that streak has finally broken as the January patch debuted on the company’s budget devices . As expected, Samsung is yet to release the January patch for any of its flagship handsets. Galaxy A5 (2017) security update The December update we saw for this device was rather hefty. It bolstered a suite of new camera features for both 2017 Galaxy A devices including Selfie Focus , a single camera play on Samsung’s flagship feature Selective Focus , in addition to Snapchat-esque augmented reality stickers and stamps. This update is rather miniscule weighing in at 22MB and updating the firmware to version  A520FXXU4BRA8.  The always improving security patch for this month includes 91 Google fixes for the Android OS itself, as well 13 fixes coming directly from Samsung

Though appreciated for their performance and design, Samsung Smart TVs don’t have the best reputation when it comes to privacy and security. Instances like CIA developing tools to spy on people using Samsung Smart TVs and the fear-inducing Smart TV privacy policy have made some people apprehensive about Samsung Smart TVs Knox comes to your Smart TV Being aware of the problems, Samsung is now trying to beef up the security of its Smart TVs by bringing the Knox technology to its Smart TVs. Samsung Knox is an enterprise mobile security solution available on Samsung smartphones and tablets. Now, Samsung is bringing the same Knox technology to its Smart TVs by optimizing it for the Smart TV environment. Samsung says its new Knox based security solution for Smart TVs can detect and remove malicious apps which can steal sensitive information from other apps. Samsung is also acquiring certifications from global institutes to prove the security credentials of its Smart TVs. Samsung boast

Sony Mobile will launch official cases for its latest mid-range marvels announced at CES. This includes the Style Cover Stand SCSH10 for Xperia XA2 , as well as the Style Cover Stand SCSH20 for Xperia XA2 Ultra . The cases will launch alongside the phones from February 2018. As with previous cases that Sony has released, these Style Cover Stand cases allows users to place their phones at multiple viewing angles, and will automatically turn the display on/off when opening and closing the case. These cases are made from PU leather and should help to provide some light protection against bumps and scratches. Check out some pictures below.