[Update: Rolling out to older Pixel phones] Google Translate’s Material You redesign debut on the Pixel 6 series

Update 1 (11/01/2021 @ 10:55 ET): Google Translate’s Material You redesign has started rolling out to older Pixel phones. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on October 28, 2021, is preserved below.

Google officially unveiled the Pixel 6 series last week. The new Pixels bring numerous improvements to the table, including a fresh design, new camera hardware, an in-house SoC, and the latest version of Android. Besides the updated hardware, the new Google phones also debut numerous exclusive software features. One more thing that appears to be exclusive to the Pixel 6 series is the Material You design for the Google Translate app.

Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: Fantastic everyday phone with an undeniable Exynos inspiration

9to5Google reports that the Google Translate app on the Pixel 6 has received a new update which brings the much-awaited Material You redesign. However, the redesign seems to be exclusive to the Pixel 6 series, at least for now. It’s unclear when Google plans to expand the redesign to other smartphones, including the older Pixel phones.

You can check out the new avatar of the Google Translate in the screenshots attached below:

Screenshots credit: 9to5Google

As you can see, the hamburger menu is gone, and the buttons are rounded and bubbly. Controls for switching languages have also become bigger. Buttons for camera and voice and an option to enable interpreter mode have been relocated to the bottom, making them easier to reach with one hand. And yes, the UI elements also support Android 12’s wallpaper-based dynamic theming.

We have known since last month that Google has been working on a major redesign for the Google Translate app. We first learned about the UI overhaul through a teardown of the Google Translate app in September. We had also spotted hints within the code that the redesign might be exclusive to the Pixel 6 series, and it looks like that’s turned out to be the case.

The redesigned Google Translate app has started rolling out on the Google Play Store, and if you own a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, you can try it out right now. If the update isn’t live for you, you can also sideload the APK from APKMirror.

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Update 1: Rolling out to older Pixel phones

As per multiple user reports on Reddit, the Material You redesign for the Google Translate app has now started making its way to previous Pixel phones. So far, the update has rolled out to the Pixel 5, Pixel 4, Pixel 4, and Pixel 3a units. The update is rolling out via the Google Play Store with Google Translate version 6.25.

The Google Translate Material You redesign seems to be rolling out to other devices on Android 12 after debuting on the Pixel 6 a few days ago with Translate version 6.25.

One person on Reddit got it on their Pixel 4a.https://t.co/IsOlGAPtgD

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) October 30, 2021

The post [Update: Rolling out to older Pixel phones] Google Translate’s Material You redesign debut on the Pixel 6 series appeared first on xda-developers.

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Android 12 Custom ROM List: Unofficially update your Android smartphone!

Ever since Google announced the arrival of Android 12‘s stable release and dropped the source code to AOSP, the tinkering party is underway here at XDA. But unless you own a current-generation device like the OnePlus 9/9 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy S21, there’s a very good chance that you will have to wait for a few months to have your OEM send across the latest dessert onto your phone.

But of course, this is XDA, home to the largest community collection of custom ROMs and many other aftermarket developments. While OEMs are restricted by several factors which limit their ability to provide a timely update, our community members can do a fantastic job at giving other enthusiasts a chance to try out the latest Android release on their phones, right now! Granted, the early works from developers working with inadequate (and often non-existent) official resources can’t possibly give us bug-free ROMs. But they do highlight how groups of like-minded individuals can achieve something great when they all put their minds to it.

With the large number of unofficial builds of Android 12-based custom ROMs popping up, we felt it would be a good idea to create an index of devices that have Android 12 ports available for them. Do note that these are unofficial builds and will very likely contain bugs. Please read the first few posts of each linked thread so you know the current status of the build before flashing it on your phone.

Note: In this article, we will only be providing a link to the first Android 12 custom ROM that we come across for a particular device. This does not serve as an endorsement of that particular build, nor are we suggesting that the work of others should be ignored. We are limiting what we link to in order to prevent this article from becoming too lengthy. Please visit the XDA forums for your device to see if there are other, possibly more complete, builds available.

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List of devices with Android 12 Custom ROMs:

This is the current list of devices that have received an Android 12 custom ROM:

1. ASUS
   1. ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1
2. Lenovo
   1. Lenovo Z6 Pro
3. Motorola
   1. Moto G5S
   2. Moto G9 Plus
4. Nokia
   1. Nokia 6.1
   2. Nokia 6.1 Plus
   3. Nokia 7 Plus
   4. Nokia 7.1
   5. Nokia 8
   6. Nokia 8.1
5. OnePlus
   1. OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T
   2. OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R
   3. OnePlus Nord
6. Realme
   1. Realme 6/6i [India]/6s
   2. Realme 6 Pro
   3. Realme C3
7. Samsung
   1. Samsung Galaxy A10
   2. Samsung Galaxy A20 and A20e
   3. Samsung Galaxy A21s
   4. Samsung Galaxy A30
   5. Samsung Galaxy A40
   6. Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Galaxy Note 10+, and Galaxy Note 10+ 5G
   7. Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+
   8. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite
8. Sony
   1. Sony Xperia XZ Premium
9. Xiaomi
   1. Mi 5
   2. Mi 10T Lite/Mi 10i/Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G
   3. Mi 11 Lite 4G
   4. Mi A1
   5. Mi Mix 3
   6. Mi Note 10 Lite
   7. POCO F1
   8. POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro
   9. POCO F3/Mi 11X/Redmi K40
   10. POCO X2/Redmi K30
   11. POCO X3
   12. POCO X3 Pro
   13. Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5
   14. Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro
   15. Redmi Note 7/7S
   16. Redmi Note 7 Pro
   17. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T
   18. Redmi Note 9S/9 Pro India/10 Lite India, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and POCO M2 Pro
   19. Redmi Note 10
   20. Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max
   21. Redmi S2/Y2

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1. ASUS

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 (X00TD)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 16, 2021

1.1. ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1

If you have the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 and want to try out Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the beta release of official ArrowOS 12.0 build linked below. Note that the ROM ships with a source-built 4.19 kernel.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1

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2. Lenovo

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Lenovo Z6 Pro (zippo)	POSP 5.0	October 16, 2021

2.1. Lenovo Z6 Pro

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered Lenovo Z6 Pro can now run Android 12, thanks to an experimental build of Potato Open Sauce Project (POSP) custom ROM. To know more, take a look at the forum thread below.

POSP 5.0 based on Android 12 for the Lenovo Z6 Pro

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3. Motorola

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Moto G5S (montana)	AOSP 12.0	October 23, 2021
2.	Moto G9 Plus (odessa)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 16, 2021

3.1. Moto G5S

If you have a Moto G5S and want to try out Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the vanilla AOSP 12.0 ROM linked below.

AOSP 12.0 for the Moto G5S

3.2. Moto G9 Plus

An unofficial build of ArrowOS on top of Android 12 is also available for the Moto G9 Plus. This ROM has some issues with Bluetooth and TWRP, but if you can overlook those, you can have your first taste of the latest Android version.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the Moto G9 Plus

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4. Nokia

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Nokia 6.1 (plate2_sprout)	AospExtended 9.0	October 16, 2021
2.	Nokia 6.1 Plus (dragon_sprout)	AospExtended 9.0	October 16, 2021
3.	Nokia 7 Plus (b2n_sprout)	AospExtended 9.0	October 16, 2021
4.	Nokia 7.1 (crystal_sprout)	AospExtended 9.0	October 16, 2021
5.	Nokia 8 (NB1)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 23, 2021
6.	Nokia 8.1 (phoenix_sprout)	OctaviOS 3.0	October 29, 2021

4.1. Nokia 6.1

An unofficial build of AospExtended 9.0 on top of Android 12 is now available for the Nokia 6.1. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 6.1

4.2. Nokia 6.1 Plus

If you have a Nokia 6.1 Plus and want to try out Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the unofficial AospExtended 9.0 custom ROM linked below.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 6.1 Plus

4.3. Nokia 7 Plus

For those of you eagerly awaiting Android 12-based custom ROMs for your Nokia 7 Plus, we have some good news for you: an unofficial build of AospExtended is now available for this device. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread below.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 7 Plus

4.4. Nokia 7.1

The Nokia 7.1 has received a port of Android 12 through an unofficial build of AospExtended custom ROM. The ROM appears to be in good shape, with all basic hardware features working.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 7.1

4.5. Nokia 8

Launched back in 2017, the Snapdragon 835-powered Nokia 8 can now run Android 12, thanks to an unofficial build of ArrowOS 12.0 custom ROM.

ArrowOS 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 8

4.6. Nokia 8.1

Nokia 8.1 users can now taste Android 12, courtesy of an unofficial build of OctaviOS 3.0. This ROM requires the latest stock modem and bootloader, so make sure to download and flash the them beforehand.

OctaviOS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Nokia 8.1

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5. OnePlus

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	OnePlus 5 (cheeseburger) OnePlus 5T (dumpling)	AOSP 12.0 Pixel Experience 12	October 8, 2021 October 29, 2021
2.	OnePlus 8T (kebab) OnePlus 9R (lemonades)	AospExtended 9.0	October 29, 2021
3.	OnePlus Nord (avicii)	Pixel Experience 12	October 29, 2021

5.1. OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T

For those of you eagerly awaiting Android 12-based custom ROMs for your OnePlus 5, we have some good news for you: a vanilla AOSP 12 ROM is now available for this device. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread below.

AOSP 12.0 for the OnePlus 5

A unified beta build of Pixel Experience 12 is also available for the phone duo. The second SIM-Slot does not work for mobile data, though, and VoLTE may not work in this ROM.

Pixel Experience 12 based on Android 12 for the OnePlus 5/5T

5.2. OnePlus 8T and OnePlus 9R

Although the OnePlus 8T and the OnePlus 9R don’t share a common firmware, both of them can now run Android 12, thanks to an unofficial unified build of AospExtended 9.0.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the OnePlus 8T/9T

5.3. OnePlus Nord

OnePlus has yet to publish a Android 12 beta build for the mid-ranger OnePlus Nord, but an alpha release of Pixel Experience 12 ROM for this phone is already available on our forums.

Pixel Experience 12 based on Android 12 for the OnePlus Nord

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6. Realme

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Realme 6/6i [India]/6s (RMX2001/RMX2002)	Palladium OS 2.0	October 29, 2021
2.	Realme 6 Pro (RMX2061)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 23, 2021
3.	Realme C3 (RMX2020)	Pixel Experience 12	October 23, 2021

6.1. Realme 6/6i [India]/6s

The Realme 6 gets a taste of Android 12 through the Palladium OS 2.0 custom ROM. The build is also compatible with the Realme 6s and the Indian edition of the Realme 6i. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

Palladium OS 2.0 based on Android 12 for the Realme 6/6i [India]/6s

6.2. Realme 6 Pro

An unofficial build of ArrowOS 12.0 brings the vanilla Android 12 experience to the Realme 6 Pro. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the Realme 6 Pro

6.3. Realme C3

Android 12 comes to the Realme C3 in the form of an unofficial build of Pixel Experience 12 custom ROM. Since this is an early unofficial build, do intimate yourself of the bugs before flashing.

Pixel Experience 12 based on Android 12 for the Realme C3

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7. Samsung

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Samsung Galaxy A10 (a10)	OctaviOS 3.0	October 23, 2021
2.	Samsung Galaxy A20 (a20)	OctaviOS 3.0	October 23, 2021
3.	Samsung Galaxy A21s (a21s)	AOSP 12.0	October 23, 2021
4.	Samsung Galaxy A30 (a30)	OctaviOS 3.0	October 23, 2021
5.	Samsung Galaxy A40 (a40)	OctaviOS 3.0	October 23, 2021
6.	Samsung Galaxy Note 10 (d1) Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ (d2s) Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G (d2x)	LineageOS 19.0	October 16, 2021
7.	Samsung Galaxy S10e (beyond0lte) Samsung Galaxy S10 (beyond1lte) Samsung Galaxy S10+ (beyond2lte)	LineageOS 19.0	October 14, 2021
8.	Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (gta4xl)	LineageOS 19.0	October 23, 2021

7.1. Samsung Galaxy A10

The Exynos 7884-powered Samsung Galaxy A10 has received an unofficial build of OctaviOS 3.0 custom ROM based on Android 12. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

OctaviOS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy A10

7.2. Samsung Galaxy A20/A20e

If you’re looking for a vanilla Android 12 ROM to replace the One UI firmware on your Galaxy A20, you can opt for the unofficial OctaviOS 3.0 build linked below. The ROM is also compatible with the Galaxy A20e.

OctaviOS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy A20/A20e

7.3. Samsung Galaxy A21s

The Galaxy A21s can now have a taste of Android 12, thanks to an experimental AOSP 12.0 build. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread below.

AOSP 12.0 for the Samsung Galaxy A21s

7.4. Samsung Galaxy A30

Android 12 for the Galaxy A30 is available in the form of an unofficial OctaviOS 3.0 build. Check out the ROM thread below and read the instructions carefully before flashing.

OctaviOS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy A30

7.5. Samsung Galaxy A40

An unofficial build of OctaviOS 3.0 custom ROM has brought Android 12 to the Galaxy A40. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

OctaviOS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy A40

7.6. Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+, and Note 10+ 5G

Samsung has yet to start the One UI 4.0 beta testing for the Galaxy Note 10 series, but you can already try out Android 12 through an unofficial LineageOS 19.0 release for the Exynos variants of these devices.

LineageOS 19.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 10/Note 10+/Note 10+ 5G

7.7. Samsung Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+

For those of you eagerly awaiting Android 12-based custom ROMs for your Galaxy S10, we have some good news for you: an unofficial build of LineageOS 19.0 is now available for the Exynos variants. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread below.

LineageOS 19.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy S10e/S10/S10+

7.8. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

Both the Wi-Fi only and LTE variants of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite can now run Android 12, thanks to an unofficial build of LineageOS 19.0. Keep in mind that you need to be on a stock One UI 3.x/Android 11 firmware before flashing this ROM.

LineageOS 19.0 based on Android 12 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite

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8. Sony

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Sony Xperia XZ Premium (maple)	AOSP 12.0	October 29, 2021

8.1. Sony Xperia XZ Premium

Your age-old Xperia XZ Premium can now run Android 12, courtesy of a vanilla AOSP 12 ROM compiled on top of Sony-provided binaries. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread below.

AOSP 12.0 for the Sony Xperia XZ Premium

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9. Xiaomi

Sr. No.	Device, Device Forums, Codename	Android 12 Custom ROM	Date Added
1.	Mi 5 (gemini)	AospExtended 9.0	October 23, 2021
2.	Mi 10T Lite/Mi 10i/Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G (gauguin)	Pixel Experience 12	October 29, 2021
3.	Mi 11 Lite 4G (courbet)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 16, 2021
4.	Mi A1 (tissot_sprout)	AOSP 12.0	October 16, 2021
5.	Mi Mix 3 (perseus)	xdroidsp 2.0	October 29, 2021
6.	Mi Note 10 Lite (toco)	Kang OS 3.0	October 23, 2021
7.	POCO F1 (beryllium)	AospExtended 9.0	October 16, 2021
8.	POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro (lmi)	Pixel Experience 12	October 23, 2021
9.	POCO F3/Mi 11X/Redmi K40 (alioth)	Arrow OS 12.0	October 23, 2021
10.	POCO X2/Redmi K30 (phoenix)	POSP 5.0	October 16, 2021
11.	POCO X3 (surya)	AOSP 12.0	October 16, 2021
12.	POCO X3 Pro (vayu)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 16, 2021
13.	Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5 (vince)	ArrowOS 12.0	October 16, 2021
14.	Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro (raphael)	AOSP 12.0	October 5, 2021
15.	Redmi Note 7/7S (lavender)	Weeb Project	October 23, 2021
16.	Redmi Note 7 Pro (violet)	Project Elixir 1.0	October 29, 2021
17.	Redmi Note 8 (ginkgo) Redmi Note 8T (willow)	AOSP 12.0	October 8, 2021
18.	Redmi Note 9S/9 Pro India/10 Lite India (curtana) Redmi Note 9 Pro (joyeuse) Redmi Note 9 Pro Max (excalibur) POCO M2 Pro (gram)	Project Elixir 1.0	October 29, 2021
19.	Redmi Note 10 (mojito/sunny)	Fluid 2.0	October 16, 2021
20.	Redmi Note 10 Pro (sweet/sweetin) Redmi Note 10 Pro Max (sweetin)	AOSP 12.0	October 8, 2021
21.	Redmi S2/Y2 (ysl)	AOSP 12.0	October 16, 2021

9.1. Mi 5

Launched back in 2016, the Snapdragon 820-powered Mi 5 can now run Android 12, thanks an unofficial build of AospExtended 9.0 custom ROM.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the Mi 5

9.2. Mi 10T Lite/Mi 10i/Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G

Those of you having a Mi 10T Lite (sold as the Mi 10i in India and the Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G in China) and want to try out vanilla Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the Pixel Experience 12 build linked below.

Pixel Experience 12 based on Android 12 for the Mi 10T Lite/Mi 10i/Redmi Note 9 Pro 5G

9.3. Mi 11 Lite 4G

If you’re looking for an AOSP 12-based ROM instead of the MIUI skin on your Mi 11 Lite 4G, you can opt for the ArrowOS 12.0 beta build. The ROM appears to be stable, albeit SELinux is in permissive mode.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the Mi 11 Lite 4G

9.4 Mi A1

Xiaomi didn’t update its first Android One device officially beyond Android Pie, but that doesn’t mean you can’t run the latest version of Android on this phone. In fact, a vanilla AOSP 12 ROM for the Mi A1 has already popped up in our forums. Check it out below.

AOSP 12.0 for the Mi A1

9.5 Mi Mix 3

The Mi Mix 3 gets a taste of Android 12 through the xdroidsp 2.0 custom ROM. This ROM has some issues with the second SIM and SELinux policies, but if you can overlook those, you can have your first taste of the latest Android version.

xdroidsp 2.0 based on Android 12 for the Mi Mix 3

9.6 Mi Note 10 Lite

If you have a Mi Note 10 Lite and want to try out Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the official build of Kang OS 3.0 custom ROM linked below.

Kang OS 3.0 based on Android 12 for the Mi Note 10 Lite

9.7. POCO F1

If you’re looking for an Android 12-based custom ROM for your POCO F1, you can try out the community build of AospExtended 9.0 ROM. There are some bugs, though, so ensure that you intimate yourself of the same before proceeding.

AospExtended 9.0 based on Android 12 for the POCO F1

9.8. POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro

Those of you having a POCO F2 Pro (sold as the Redmi K30 Pro in China) and want to try out vanilla Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the alpha build of Pixel Experience custom ROM linked below.

Pixel Experience 12 based on Android 12 for the POCO F2 Pro/Redmi K30 Pro

9.9. POCO F3/Mi 11X/Redmi K40

Apart from the official public beta version of Android 12 from Xiaomi, POCO F3/Mi 11X/Redmi K40 users can also try out the early build of Arrow OS 12.0 custom ROM to get a taste of the latest iteration of Android on their phone.

Arrow OS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the POCO F3/Mi 11X/Redmi K40

9.10. POCO X2/Redmi K30

The POCO X2 (the global edition of the Redmi K30) has received a taste of Android 12 courtesy of an unofficial POSP 5.0 build. The ROM offers a nearly stock Android experience, but it still has a couple of bugs that need to be ironed out.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the POCO X2/Redmi K30

9.11. POCO X3

The POCO X3 and the POCO X3 NFC share a common firmware — a design that helped these devices to get a unified AOSP 12 custom ROM. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

AOSP 12.0 for the POCO X3

9.12. POCO X3 Pro

If you’re looking for an AOSP 12-based ROM instead of the MIUI skin on your POCO X3 Pro, you can opt for the early release build of ArrowOS 12.0.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the POCO X3 Pro

9.13. Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5

It’s great to see that development for the Redmi 5 Plus (sold as the Redmi Note 5 in India) is still going strong, as an unofficial build of ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 is now available for this phone. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

ArrowOS 12.0 based on Android 12 for the Redmi 5 Plus/Redmi Note 5

9.14. Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 855-powered Redmi K20 Pro (sold as the Mi 9T Pro in certain regions) is the first phone to receive an Android 12 custom ROM. Grab the latest build of the ROM from the thread below and give it a shot.

AOSP 12.0 for the Redmi K20 Pro/Mi 9T Pro

9.15. Redmi Note 7/7S

The Redmi Note 7 and the Redmi Note 7S share a common firmware, which is why both of these devices have now received a unified Android 12 custom ROM in the form of Weeb Project. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

Weeb Project based on Android 12 for the Redmi Note 7/7S

9.16. Redmi Note 7 Pro

The “Pro” variant of the Redmi Note 7 gets a taste of Android 12, thanks to an official build of the Project Elixir 1.0 custom ROM. Check it out below.

Project Elixir 1.0 based on Android 12 for the Redmi Note 7 Pro

9.17. Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T

The Redmi Note 8 and the Note 8T have received a unified Android 12-based AOSP ROM. If you are ready to ignore some minor glitches, the ROM appears to be in pretty good shape for something that is being based on a brand new OS version that was launched this week.

AOSP 12.0 for the Redmi Note 8/8T

9.18. Redmi Note 9S/9 Pro India/10 Lite India, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and POCO M2 Pro

Xiaomi has a bunch of Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G-powered devices in its portfolio with a very similar hardware configuration. All those devices – collectively known as “miatoll” – have received a unified build of Project Elixir 1.0 on top of Android 12.

Project Elixir 1.0 based on Android 12 for the Redmi Note 9S/9 Pro India/10 Lite India, Redmi Note 9 Pro, Redmi Note 9 Pro Max, and POCO M2 Pro

9.19. Redmi Note 10

If you have a Redmi Note 10 and want to try out Android 12 on your phone, then go right ahead and check out the unofficial build of Fluid 2.0 custom ROM linked below.

Fluid 2.0 based on Android 12 for the Redmi Note 10

9.20. Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max

An unofficial build of AOSP 12.0 brings vanilla Android 12 experience to the Redmi Note 10 Pro. The ROM is also compatible with the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. If you would like to try it out, head on over to the forum thread linked below.

AOSP 12.0 for the Redmi Note 10 Pro/Pro Max

9.21. Redmi S2/Y2

If you still have a Redmi Y2 (sold as the Redmi S2 in China) lying around, you can now flash this vanilla AOSP ROM to get a taste of Android 12. There are a few bugs that you would need to deal with, though. For instance, the Goodix fingerprint sensor is buggy, and SELinux is set as permissive.

AOSP 12.0 for the Redmi S2/Y2

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Android 12 Google Apps

Apart from the ROMs mentioned above, we are going to be seeing a lot of custom builds of Android 12 released in the coming weeks. However, not all custom ROMs ship with pre-installed Google apps. In case you’re looking for a suitable GApps distribution, then you’ll be happy to know that the maintainers have already laid the groundwork to support the latest version of Android.

1. BiTGApps

XDA Senior Member TheHitMan has recently released an alpha version of the BiTGApps package. The new branch, tagged as 3.0, focuses specifically on Android 12.

Download BiTGApps

2. NikGapps

The maintainer of the NikGapps project, XDA Senior Member Nikhil, has also started releasing Android 12-comaptible GApps packages.

Download NikGapps

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Have you spotted a custom ROM on our forums for a device we haven’t covered yet? Let us know in the comments below!

The post Android 12 Custom ROM List: Unofficially update your Android smartphone! appeared first on xda-developers.

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What do you think about Facebook’s new ‘Meta’ name?

Last week, Facebook revealed that it was rebranding itself as ‘Meta.’ The new name is a reference to the “Metaverse,” a term loosely defined as interconnected virtual reality experiences, which Facebook Meta is now investing plenty of time and money into. Now that the dust has settled, what do you think about the new company name?

The news arrived during Facebook’s “Connect” livestream, where the company talked about its efforts in augmented reality and virtual reality. Jason Koebler summed up the event nicely in a Vice article as, “a delusional fever dream cribbed most obviously from dystopian science fiction and misleading or outright fabricated virtual reality product pitches from the last decade.” The event was also subject to a few recurring jokes on social media, especially regarding the bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce that Zuckerberg had on a shelf.

why does he have sweet baby rays bbq on the decorative shelf pic.twitter.com/qyytoSjv0z

— conar (@subtoconnorpls) October 28, 2021

tfw you have sweet baby rays (or maybe you are out. honestly i cant tell) pic.twitter.com/jMIDxtnm67

— Incognito Finito (@incognitofinito) October 29, 2021

Jokes aside, it’s difficult to see the rebranding as anything but a distraction from the dumpster fire (lovingly pictured above) that is Facebook’s problems. The company has been heavily criticized for its lack of enforcement against high-profile users, tax avoidance (like nearly every other tech company), privacy policy changes in WhatsApp, allowing hate speech, and much more. The United States Federal Trade Commission is also attempting to reverse Facebook/Meta’s acquisition of Instagram and WhatsApp, but that seems unlikely to succeed.

Importantly, the name change only applies to Facebook as a company. Facebook as a social network will continue to have the same name, as will Instagram, WhatsApp, and other services. However, the company is rebranding its Oculus virtual reality division to Meta — the Oculus Quest headset is now the Meta Quest.

So, what do you think about the new name? Do you think it might help Facebook push back against criticism? Do you think it’s a good move as Facebook pivots to AR and VR content? Head on down to the comment section and talk it out.

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Honor 50 Review: Google Services were sorely missed

The Honor 50 is a pretty big milestone for Honor, as it is the company’s first smartphone with Google Play Services in a long, long time. After officially splitting away from Huawei late last year, Honor launched the Honor V40 series in China, which was then followed up by another China-only launch event in June where the company unveiled three new devices — the Honor 50, Honor 50 Pro, and Honor 50SE. The company has now launched both the Honor 50 and the Honor 50SE in western markets, and the big news is that both devices now come with Google Play Services preinstalled.

The Honor 50 has a full western release and can be purchased in Germany, France, Finland, the Czech Republic, and the United Kingdom. You’ll also be able to import this one to other European countries through the likes of Amazon, and it has a somewhat-high starting price of €529.

About this review: I received the Honor 50 for review from Honor. Honor did not have any input into the contents of this article.

Honor 50: Specifications. Click to expand.

Specification	Honor 50
Dimensions & Weight	159.96 x 73.76 x 7.78mm 175g
Display	6.57-inch FHD+ OLED 2340 x 1080p 100% DCI-P3 coverage 120Hz refresh rate 300Hz touch sampling rate
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G Adreno 642L GPU
RAM & Storage	6GB RAM + 128GB storage 8GB + 256GB
Battery & Charging	4,300mAh 66W fast charging
Rear Camera(s)	Primary: 108MP f/1.9 Ultra-wide: 8MP f/2.2 Macro: 2MP f/2.4 Depth: 2MP f/2.4
Front Camera(s)	32MP f/2.2
Port(s)	USB Type-C
Connectivity	5G NR 4G LTE Dual-band Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax) Bluetooth 5.2
Software	Magic UI 4.2 based on Android 11 with GMS
Colors	Midnight Black Emerald Green

The bold design of the Honor 50

The Honor 50 packs a 6.57-inch Full HD OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. It’s pretty severely curved on either side, much more so than other phones that I’ve used. It sits nicely in the hand and the palm rejection has been good, so I don’t have too many complaints about that. The front-facing camera is a rather large blotch on the display, though, and I wish it was smaller.

The back of the phone features a unique pairing of camera modules, comprised of two circles. The top module has a single 108MP camera, whereas the bottom module has a 2MP depth sensor, a 2MP macro sensor, and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. There’s also an LED flash too. The right-hand side has a power button with a volume rocker that sits above it.

The Honor 50 has a mono speaker, with the single-fire speaker sitting at the bottom of the phone. It’s quite loud but sounds average, and I’m disappointed that the earpiece doesn’t double up as a second speaker. There’s also a single USB-C port, a SIM tray, and no headphone jack. There’s also an in-display fingerprint scanner, which is easy to reach with my thumb when I pick up the phone.

Overall, I'm a fan of the Honor 50's design and it's an extremely comfortable phone to use for long periods of time.

Overall, I’m a fan of the Honor 50’s design, and the curved edges combined with how light the phone is, makes it an extremely comfortable phone to use for long periods of time. Mind you, I’d typically prefer a flat display over a curved one, but the Honor 50 looks really good. The biggest issue I had with the phone’s display was that the always-on display just sometimes doesn’t turn on, and I can’t figure out why. I’ve enabled it and it sometimes works. But sometimes when the phone is sitting on my desk facing upwards, the always-on display fails to enable. Hopefully, Honor fixes this with a software update.

Camera

The Honor 50 features a 108MP main camera, and it also features an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2MP depth sensor. The 108MP camera uses a 9-in-1 pixel binning technique to create 12MP photographs, and it’s by far the only camera worth talking about on this phone. It’s capable of decent photographs from the main sensor, though it falls behind experiences offered by other manufacturers at this price point, especially when the other cameras on the phone range from passable to borderline useless.

Magic UI 4.2 — complete with Google Play Services!

The headline feature of the Honor 50 is its inclusion of Google Services, something that we haven’t seen in a long time on an Honor smartphone. We’ve seen Honor smartphones preloaded with Huawei Mobile Services, and we’ve obviously seen Huawei devices that run HarmonyOS and EMUI that look more or less exactly like Magic UI.

Personally, while Huawei Mobile Services have improved leaps and bounds over their initial iterations, nothing beats Google Play Services for me. I use innumerable Google services in my day-to-day life, and it’s a blessing to finally be able to use them on an Honor smartphone without needing to jump through hoops or look for alternatives. I don’t have to think about using a Google service, or any of my favorite apps — they just work now as they do on the hundreds and thousands of other phones out there. I would like to reserve further judgment on the company until we see a proper flagship, but the Honor 20 Pro was one of my favorite phones at the time of its release.

The problem with Huawei Mobile Services wasn’t just that it wasn’t Google, it’s that there were still some teething issues that couldn’t really be solved. Any apps that used the Google Maps API couldn’t actually show the map, as it needed that integration. Installing apps that were not on the AppGallery was also often a cumbersome process, even if tools like Petal Search helped a little bit. Overall, it was difficult to hand an Honor phone to just anyone, as it definitely wasn’t what many consumers would be familiar with from an Android smartphone.

However, with all of that said, Honor can make and has made fantastic smartphones, but the Honor 50 with Google Play Services is more or less just another budget offering. Honor smartphones typically have great battery life, Magic UI has a lot of great features, and the camera has always been very impressive. I’m a little bit disappointed by the Honor 50’s camera as I expected more from the company, especially at this price range.

I'm excited to see how Magic UI develops its own identity in the years to come

All in all, this is the first big return of Honor without Huawei’s support in the west, so I’m willing to wait and see what happens. I’m certainly optimistic about what it can do, and given that Magic UI was based on EMUI, I’m excited to see how it develops its own identity in the years to come.

Performance, Audio, and Battery

The Snapdragon 778G is similar to the Snapdragon 780G, though has a slightly weaker GPU and ISP. However, it boasts a faster CPU, better modem with support for mmWave 5G, and support for faster memory in the form of LPDDR5. Just like other Snapdragon 7 series chipsets, the goal with the Snapdragon 778G is to deliver some of the premium features from the top-tier Snapdragon 8 series portfolio in a more affordable package.

In terms of gaming, the chip comes with the Adreno 642L GPU, and it supports select Snapdragon Elite Gaming features such as Variable Rate Shading (VRS) that helps game developers offer higher visual fidelity while reducing the GPU workload, and Qualcomm Game Quick Touch, which offers up to 30% faster touch response rate in games.

For any normal smartphone user, this chipset is perfectly capable

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G is an interesting chip, as it serves as a stop-gap between the upper mid-range and flagship chipsets. Everything basic that you’d use a smartphone for feels fluid and fast, and there’s nothing really more that I’d want from a chipset. You won’t be able to push your smartphone to its absolute limits through the likes of Wii and GameCube emulation, but for any normal smartphone user, this chipset is perfectly capable.

From all of our benchmarking, the Honor 50 is as good as the Snapdragon 778G allows it to be. All of these results are decent for this caliber of chip, and the storage speed is also quick enough that loading times in apps and games shouldn’t ever be a problem. The CPU throttling test is somewhat poor, as its lowest points are quite low. Even still, those are are levels of throttling you will really only face after a few minutes of pushing the CPU to its limits, be it either through gaming, or other means.

When it comes to audio, however, I’m disappointed. There’s a single bottom-firing speaker when we’ve seen smartphones at this price range (and much further below) launched with dual speakers. It’s not something I usually care about, but I know a lot of people do, and it’s something that I’m used to in smartphones at all price ranges at this point in 2021. On the bright side, the speaker does get quite loud, but the audio quality itself is just average. These are “smartphone speakers”, with every ounce of the stigma that that phrase carries.

At the very least, when it comes to battery life, Honor has nailed it yet again. The Snapdragon 778G is not a power-hungry chip like we see on the flagship end, and Magic UI’s software optimizations mean that this phone just sips battery throughout the day. Even better, the 66W charging brick that’s in the box (crazy, right?) can help to pick up the slack if you find yourself needing some juice in a pinch.

Conclusion: Honor’s big western comeback is a step in the right direction

If this were any other smartphone from any other company, there wouldn’t be a whole lot to write home about. €529 is a lot of money for what this phone offers when the likes of Xiaomi and even OPPO offer a whole lot better for lower prices. However, there are a few key advantages that Honor smartphones have inherited from their past owner, and those are what will make the company really shine. Camera prowess for one, and battery life being the second.

Honor 50

The Honor 50 is a major return to western markets for the company, though it's not quite got the Honor flair just yet.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

See at Honor

However, my initial stance still remains; this is a hard phone to recommend to just about anyone. It’s good in its own right, but there are phones like the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro that offer nearly as good specs for significantly less. The POCO F3 is another such phone, or even the OnePlus Nord 2. Whatever you value most in a smartphone, there seems to be something nearly as good as the Honor 50 in that department for significantly less money.

I like the Honor 50, and I’m really happy that Honor can again make use of Google’s Play Services. I’ve always been a huge fan of the company’s flagships, and I’m excited to see what’s to come. This is a step in the right direction, and there’s nothing I could see wrong with this phone as a mid-range smartphone — it’s just that there are phones as good for less. Nevertheless, I’m excited to see what comes next, and I’m really looking forward to testing out and reviewing Honor smartphones in the west again.

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This week in Tech: Android 12L, new mid-range Qualcomm chips, Facebook rebranding, and more

After last week’s frenzy, this week in tech was a little relaxed. Even then, we saw a few significant announcements, like Google announcing Android 12L, Qualcomm releasing four new mid-range chips, and Facebook changing its name. If you missed any of our coverage, here’s a brief recap of all the noteworthy developments in the tech world this week.

Android 12L announced

At the Android Dev Summit this week, Google officially announced Android 12L — a feature drop purpose-built for large screen devices. We had previously seen Android 12L in the wild, but at the time, we referred to it as Android 12.1. However, Google has now confirmed that the feature drop will be called Android 12L, but the company is yet to reveal what the ‘L’ stands for.

Android 12L brings a host of new features to enhance the Android experience on large-screen devices like foldables, tablets, and Chromebooks. It packs several UI refinements that improve how the operating system utilizes the extra screen real estate, a new taskbar to give users quick access to apps, split-screen mode improvements, and letterboxing improvements.

Google has already rolled out the first Android 12L developer preview. The company plans to release three beta updates over the next few months and a stable build before the end of Q1 2022. While the update is purpose-built for large-screen devices, it will also roll out to Google’s Pixel lineup.

New developer tools

With Android 12L, Google aims to improve the Android experience on large-screen devices as a whole. So it has also released various tools to help developers build responsive apps that work well on foldables, tablets, and Chromebooks. The company has added reference devices to Android Studio, a Layout validation tool, and a resizable emulator.

Google has also introduced new WindowManager APIs to help developers build responsive UIs for their apps that adjust to any screen size. The WindowManager library includes Activity embedding, Window Size Classes, and a common API surface for window features like folds and hinges.

Qualcomm 7, 6, & 4 series chips

Qualcomm announced four new mid-range chips this week — the Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G, Snapdragon 695 5G, Snapdragon 680 4G, and Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G. The Snapdragon 778G Plus 5G is a small step above the Snapdragon 778G with faster CPU and GPU performance. The Snapdragon 695 5G succeeds the Snapdragon 690 from last year and features mmWave 5G support, 30% faster graphics rendering, and 15% improved CPU performance.

The Snapdragon 680 is a new mid-range chipset for 4G smartphones. It’s based on Qualcomm’s Kryo 265 CPU cores and features the Adreno 610 GPU. Lastly, the Snapdragon 480 Plus 5G is a slightly improved version of the Snapdragon 480 from earlier this year, featuring better CPU and GPU performance than the previous model.

Facebook is now Meta

During its Connect event this week, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the company’s new branding. “We are at the beginning of the next chapter for the internet and it’s the next chapter for our company too…To reflect who we are and the future we hope to build, I’m proud to share that our company is now Meta,” Zuckerberg said in a blog post.

In addition to Facebook’s new name, we also learned that the social media giant is working on a smartwatch to rival the Apple Watch. Check out the leaked render in our previous coverage.

Other stories you shouldn’t miss

Along with these announcements, we share the following stories that you shouldn’t miss:

• JioPhone Next to launch with Google and Jio’s collaborative effort — Pragati OS
• JioPhone Next pricing officially revealed ahead of launch
• New Motorola-branded smartwatch with a circular display spotted on FCC
• Google blocked ad competition and skirted privacy regulations, court filings reveal
• Experience Material You theming on older phones with Lawnchair 12
• Apple has released macOS 12 Monterey to the public, here’s how to update
• Sony’s latest smartphone features a massive 1.0-inch sensor and variable aperture
• This is what the Surface Neo would have looked like in real life
• Google explains the reasoning behind Android 12’s Internet Quick Settings tile
• T-Mobile will soon let you pickup, trade-in, and return devices at stores even if you bought online
• Google Camera 8.4.167 starts rolling out through the Play Store
• Microsoft is reportedly working on a low-cost laptop with a new Windows 11 version
• You can now transfer WhatsApp chats from iPhone to Pixels and Android 12 devices
• WhatsApp may soon ask users to verify their identity to make payments
• WSATools makes it easier to sideload Android apps on Windows 11
• Google really wants to fix Android’s emoji problem
• The new Redmi Note 11 lineup is here with up to 120W fast charging and improved cameras
• The Redmi Note 11 Pro will likely come to India as the Xiaomi 11i
• Get Pixel 6’s Magic Eraser on older Pixels with Google Photos 5.64
• PSA: Trying out Windows Subsystem for Android? Install an Android launcher to make your life easier

XDA’s thoughts on the latest hardware and software

In addition, we published editorials, reviews, first impressions, and comparisons for several new devices and software this week. You can check those out by following the links below:

• Google Pixel 6 Pro Review: Fantastic everyday phone with an undeniable Exynos inspiration
• MacBook Pro 16 (2021) Review: Apple finally does justice to Pros with the M1 Max
• Realme 4K Smart Google TV Stick Review: Enough to douse Amazon’s Fire?
• Lenovo Smart Clock 2 Review: Lovely design, Questionable utility

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Microsoft PowerToys 0.49 adds Find My Mouse and more tools

Microsoft’s PowerToys has received an update to version 0.49, and it’s one of the larger ones in we’ve had in a while. For users of the stable releases, this version includes two major new tools, one of which is new Video Conference Mute utility. This tool has been in testing in experimental versions of PowerToys for well over a year, but it’s finally been merged into the stable release.

If you’re wondering what it does, the Video Conference Mute utility in PowerToys gives you system-wide control over your camera and microphone. If you use multiple meeting platform or you’re looking at a different window, this tool lets you turn off your camera or microphone for every app using a keyboard shortcut or the floating toolbar. This way, you can more easily avoid showing off anything you don’t want or disturbing other users with loud noises.

Another new tool in PowerToys 0.49 is Find My Mouse. With this tool, users can more easily find their mouse cursor on the screen by double pressing the Ctrl key on their keyboard. This will create a spotlight around the mouse cursor, which can also follow the mouse for a few seconds when it moves. This is mostly meant for multi-monitor setups with big screens or users with low vision.

You may be thinking this feature is already built into Windows, and it is. But the native Windows highlight is only a circle that disappears much more quickly and isn’t as visible compared to this version.

Another big change in this version of PowerToys is a new UI for PowerRename. This tool allows users to quickly rename multiple files using a common template, and the new UI is meant to align more with the design language used in Windows 11.

Aside from that, there are some overall design and usability improvements throughout the app. These include accessibility improvements for screen readers in many of the tools, including PowerToys Awake, FancyZones, and Color Picker. If you’re interested, you can download PowerToys 0.49 from GitHub or the Microsoft Store on Windows 11, where it was made available recently. It’s actually still downloaded from GitHub since Microsoft Store apps can now come from external sources.

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Microsoft Teams revamps Whiteboard, improves Live Transcript, and much more

Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular communication tools right now for businesses and other organizations, especially throughout the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden increase in interest has led Microsoft to speed up the development cycle for Teams, to the point where dozens of new features in a single month isn’t out of the ordinary. Microsoft has now published a blog post covering everything new in Teams for the month of October, and even if you dread logging into Teams for mandatory calls, there are a few features here that might get you excited.

The main new improvement this month, as highlighted in the blog post, is the revamped Whiteboard for sketching and organizing ideas with multiple people. “With 40+ new customizable templates, ability to insert images and shapes, and 8 new reactions, you can bring people together in a rich visual collaboration workspace. Insert documents such as PowerPoint presentations and annotate with 15 new pen and highlighter colors to iterate together and bring your ideas to life.”

Microsoft Teams whiteboard

Microsoft has also rolled out Live Transcript support for unscheduled meetings, as long as your organization has ‘Allow Transcription’ turned on. Although not quite “live,” transcripts for scheduled meetings are automatically generated in the chat screen after the meeting. Breakout rooms have also received some attention this month — the configurations and participant tasks can be set before the start of a meeting (at least in the desktop Teams app), and presenters can be set up to manage breakout rooms.

Other improvements include a new overlay mode for PowerPoint presentations, 1:1 calling support in the Safari web browser, landline calling support for more countries and services, improved Visio file viewing and editing, and much more. You can check out all the improvements in Microsoft’s full blog post, but some features are only available to organization managers.

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MacBook Pro 16 vs LG gram 17: Which laptop should you get?

Apple recently launched the 2021 MacBook Pro, and its announcement made quite the splash. Powered by the new Apple M1 Pro or M1 Max chipsets, the MacBook Pro is a very powerful laptop, and on top of that, it’s power-efficient, and it brings back classic ports users have been begging for. It’s easily one of the best Macs in years, and it gives many Windows laptops a run for their money. In this article, we’ll be comparing the new MacBook Pro 16-inch model to the LG gram 17 to see how the two stack up.

Right off the bat, it has to be said that these are radically different laptops, and they’re very clearly meant for different audiences. While they can both be considered professional laptops, they have very different strengths and weaknesses, to the point where they almost don’t compete with each other. Let’s take a look at why that is, starting with the specs.

MacBook Pro 16 vs LG gram 17: Specs

	MacBook Pro 16	LG gram 17
Processor	Apple M1 Pro (unknown clock speed, 10-core) Apple M1 Max (unknown clock speed, 10-core)	Intel Core i5-1135G7 (up to 4.2GHz, 4-core) Intel Core i7-1165G7 (up to 4.6GHz, 4-core)
Graphics	16-core GPU (M1 Pro) 24-core GPU (M1 Max) 32-core GPU (M1 Max)	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
RAM	16GB (M1 Pro only) 32GB 64GB (M1 Max only)	8GB 16GB 32GB
Storage	512GB 1TB 2TB 4TB 8TB	256GB 512GB 1TB 2TB
Display	16.2 inch, 3456 x 2234 resolution, Wide Color (P3), True Tone, 120Hz, 1000 nits	16-inch Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) IPS, 99% DCI-P3, 60Hz
Audio	Six-speaker stereo sound with force canceling woofers, Dolby Atmos	Dual 2W stereo speakers with Smart Amp
Webcam	1080p front-facing webcam	720p webcam
Biometric security	Touch ID on power button	Fingerprint reader in power button
Battery	99.8Wh, up to 21 hours of Apple TV movie playback	80Wh battery, up to 19.5 hours (MobileMark 2014)
Ports	3 Thunderbolt 4 ports HDMI MagSafe 3 charging port SD card reader 3.5mm headphone jack	2 Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C) ports 2 USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports HDMI SD card reader 3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6 + Bluetooth 5.0	Intel Wi-Fi 6 AX201 (2×2), Bluetooth 5.1
Colors	Silver Space Grey	White Silver Black
Size (WxDxH)	14.01 x 9.77 x 0.66 in (355.7 x 248.1 x 16.8 mm)	14.97 x 10.24 x 0.7 in (380.2 x 260.1 x 17.8 mm)
Weight	Starting at 4.7lbs	Starting at 2.98lbs
Starting price	$2,499.99	$1,399.99

Right away, you can probably see how different these two laptops are, but we’ll explore that more later.

Windows or macOS?

Before we dive deeper into the specs of each laptop, it’s important to talk about the operating systems these two laptops run. The MacBook Pro, as you’d expect, is running Apple’s macOS, specifically the newly-launched macOS Monterey. Some users prefer macOS due to it being easier to understand and learn compared to Windows if you’re a newcomer. But what often makes macOS many users’ preferred OS is content creation, specifically Final Cut Pro, which is developed and sold by Apple.

On the other hand, the LG gram runs Windows 10, which you can upgrade to Windows 11 for free. There are big advantages to using Windows, too. It’s a far more popular operating system, and because of that, app support is much more robust in most areas. This is especially true with niche apps or very business-focused applications. On top of that, while it can be a bit harder to learn, Windows gives you more options to mess with some advanced tools if you’re a power user.

Neither operating system is necessarily better than the other, but there are good reasons to prefer either one. Truth be told, you likely already have a preference, and that’s going to dictate which laptop you prefer, too.

Performance: The MacBook Pro is far more powerful

Now, let’s dive deeper into how the MacBook Pro 16-inch and LG gram 17 compare in various areas, starting with performance. This is one area that’s hardly even a fair fight, at least based on Apple’s claims.

As we’ve mentioned, the MacBook Pro is powered by the Apple M1 Pro and M1 Max. These two processors have the same CPU, and during its presentation, Apple compared their performance to two kinds of Intel-based processors, including a 4-core laptop CPU. This is specifically referring to the Intel Core i7-1185G7 as found inside the MSI Prestige 14 Evo, and you can see that the peak performance of the Apple M1 Pro/Max is over twice that of the Intel chip, while using less power. Now, the LG gram 17 isn’t powered by the Intel Core i7-1185G7, it’s powered by the slightly slower Core i7-1165G7. That means the performance gap is likely even bigger, albeit the difference shouldn’t be too significant.

Image: Apple

For graphics, there isn’t as much of a direct comparison, but Apple’s claims leave very little to the imagination. In this case, the Apple M1 Max is more powerful than the M1 Pro, and Apple compared the M1 Mac to the power of an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 laptop GPU found inside the Razer Blade 15 Advanced (with 105W of power). The GPU inside the M1 Max offers a similar level of performance while using 40% less power, which is very impressive.  The LG gram 17 uses Intel’s integrated Iris Xe graphics, which are nowhere near the same level of performance. The MacBook Pro is going to leave the LG gram 17 in the dust in that regard.

Despite its lead in performance, the MacBook Pro is also more power-efficient than the LG gram 17. Apple claims up to 21 hours of battery life watching Apple TV video content, while LG claims up to 19.5 hours for the gram 17 using the MobileMark 2014 test. Of course, this will always depend on your usage, but the MacBook Pro is promising despite being more powerful.

The MacBook Pro has more RAM and storage than the LG gram 17.

The MacBook Pro leads in other areas, too. It comes with up to 64GB of unified memory, which is equally accessible to both the CPU and GPU. Meanwhile, the LG gram 17 can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM, but it’s not as integrated. Both laptops have the memory soldered onto the board, so you can’t upgrade either one later. For storage, you can get up to 8TB on the MacBook Pro and 2TB on the LG gram 17, but the latter uses M.2 SSD slots, meaning you can technically upgrade it yourself if you want to.

MacBook Pro 16-inch vs LG gram 17: Display

Moving on to the screen, the MacBook Pro continues its reign thanks in no small part to the addition of Liquid Retina XDR in this year’s model. This is Apple’s marketing name for the new mini-LED panels it’s been using in the new iPad Pro and now the MacBook Pro. Using mini-LED technology means the MacBook Pro has hundreds of dimming zones, with the ability to adjust the backlight specifically for each of them. It’s not quite as precise as an OLED panel, but it still provides a  fantastic 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio, and it should deliver vibrant colors and true blacks similar to an OLED display in many ways.

It’s a very sharp display, too, with a resolution of 3456 x 2234, it’s not far off from 4K, and it comes in the typical 16:10 aspect ratio of most Macs. On top of that, the MacBook Pro also has Pro Motion, meaning it supports up to a 120Hz refresh rate. The display adjusts the refresh rate dynamically to make animations smoother and save battery when the high refresh rate isn’t needed.

The LG gram 17 also has a great display, but it’s got none of the bells and whistles of the MacBook Pro. It’s a 17-inch panel with Quad HD+ (2560 x 1600) resolution, meaning it’s also got a 16:10 aspect ratio. However, it’s not quite as sharp, and in addition, it’s got a 60Hz refresh rate and it’s a typical IPS panel, so there’s nothing that stands out too much. It’s still a great screen, but you can’t deny the one on the MacBook Pro is just better.

LG Gram 17 (17Z90P)

One area that might sway things in LG’s favor, though, is the webcam. The LG gram 17 actually has a worse webcam – at 720p – compared to the MacBook Pro’s new 1080p camera. The thing is, to accommodate that new 1080p camera, Apple added a notch to the display, taking cues from its iPhone design. While the better webcam quality is certainly welcome, it’s certainly odd to have a notch on a laptop screen, and that might keep some users away.

Apple uses a six-speaker stereo setup that’s one of the best in any laptop.

Back to Apple’s dominance, it’s important to mention audio. The LG gram has dual stereo speakers, which is a common setup for many Windows laptops. However, Apple has been using a powerful six-speaker setup for a few years, and it performs a lot better than almost any Windows laptop out there. The company says its speakers are even better this year, so this is another area where the MacBook Pro wins.

Design and ports: The LG gram 17 is truly portable

So far, this comparison has been somewhat one-sided, with the MacBook Pro having much better performance and a nicer display. But design is one area where the LG gram 17 has some key advantages, and it might just make this your favorite laptop of the two. Both of these are clamshell laptops, and there are no bells and whistles to them.

However, the LG gram 17 is known for being especially light, and that’s what the gram brand is all about. At 2.98lbs, this is one of the lightest 17-inch laptops around. Even smaller laptops often weigh more than that. Being a 17-inch laptop, naturally, the gram 17 is bigger in just about every dimension, but if you put it in a backpack, it’s going to be very easy to carry around all day. Comparatively, the MacBook Pro starts at 4.7lbs in weight, which is a stark difference that you’re going to feel on your back after carrying the laptop for a while.

The LG gram is also arguably a little more interesting looks-wise. The MacBook Pro comes in Silver or Space Grey colors, which are really just different tones of silver. The LG gram also has some silver models, but you can get it in black or white if you want something a bit more distinct. White, specifically, can really stand out and feel more lively than most other laptops.

The LG gram is indreibly lightweight, making it ideal for portability.

As for ports, it’s a balanced match-up thanks to Apple finally bringing back classic ports that have been missing from MacBooks for a few years. The MacBook Pro has three Thunderbolt 4 ports, HDMI, an SD card reader, headphone jack, and a MagSafe charging connector. This is a magnetic connector, so when you pull on the cable, it just comes off without dragging your laptop with it.

MacBook Pro ports

Meanwhile, the LG gram 17 has two Thunderbolt 4 ports, two USB Type-A ports, HDMI, a microSD card reader, and a headphone jack. Including USB Type-A is good if you use a lot of peripherals that still use that connector, and it’s a potential advantage for the gram 17. Another advantage of the LG gram 17 is that it has a full number pad on the keyboard, which might be useful if you’re usually crunching numbers on your PC.

Bottom line

If you’re struggling to choose between the MacBook Pro 16-inch and the LG gram 17, we’d say your options are very clear. Yes, these are two very capable laptops, and if you’re mostly browsing the web, writing up documents, and so on, both will serve you just fine.

But if you’re a content creator, be it video, photo, or 3D rendering, the MacBook Pro is leagues ahead of the LG gram 17 in terms of performance. You’re definitely going to want to go that route. Plus, it’s got a fantastic display that’s going to be great for content creation.

On the other hand, if you don’t need to create that kind of content and you want something you can take with you to school or work, the LG gram 17 is by far the most suitable option. It’s incredibly lightweight of a laptop of its size, and much lighter than the MacBook Pro, even though it’s physically bigger.

That’s what it comes down to: Do you need the utmost performance for high-resource tasks, or do you want something you can easily take with you anywhere for less demanding tasks? If you can answer that question, you already know what to choose.

You can buy either laptop from the links below. If you choose the MacBook Pro and you want to protect it, we have a list of the best cases for the MacBook Pro you may want to check out.

MacBook Pro 16-inch (2021)

The MacBook Pro is a powerful laptop thanks to the M1 Pro and M1 Max chipsets, making it far more powerful than any Windows ultrabook.

See at Adorama

LG gram 17

The LG gram 17 is an ultra-light 17-inch laptop with high-end specs and great battery life.

See at Amazon

The post MacBook Pro 16 vs LG gram 17: Which laptop should you get? appeared first on xda-developers.

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