A Look Back: 2016 Has Been One Of The Most Exciting Years For Android Enthusiasts

This is part 1 in my three part series reviewing 2016; the good, the bad, and an outlook on what 2017 may hold for smartphone enthusiasts and Android fanatics

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his year will likely go down as the year of few compromises, the year of the flagship, the year where Android OEMs tried something entirely new or just put out the best smartphones they could. But to really understand just how good and different 2016 has been, one has to have a little context.

Last year was a bad year for Android smartphones, there is just no other way to put it… While there were some shining points like the above-excellent Nexus 6P and the new premium focus of Samsung, it also was full of controversy. Things like Android OEMs inability, or unwillingness to provide timely updates was brought to the fore with security flaws like StageFright. LG started fighting with a boot-loop problem it still is facing, and the "2016 Flagship Killer" simply wasn't. HTC saw profits continue to decline past what anyone thought was actually possible… and who can forget the Snapdragon 810, and almost-equally poor 808. If you were a smartphone enthusiast, 2015 was a year where you likely saved quite a bit of money. But just a year later the entire Android landscape has changed for the better and is ending with a bang (heh).

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Samsung really got the year off right with its Galaxy S7 — love it or hate it the S7 is one of the best phones released in years. It sported a stunning screen, amazing fast camera and more bells and whistles then one could ever use, and the return of the mighty micro SD card support. They also added IP68 water resistance back to the lineup, showing that you simply don't have to compromise on design, with flaps or the removal of ports to achieve this feat. Even on the software front it was a vast improvement over prior years, despite having plenty of room to continue that pace. Later on in the year HTC finally got around to releasing the HTC 10, a phone that absolutely does not get enough credit. It would not be a stretch to say that the HTC 10 was one of, if not the best, while also being the most forgettable phone of the year. Google, working with HTC, launched its Pixel phones which despite their prices and "missing features" are two of the best Android phones ever.

It wasn't just Tier 1 OEMs that saw success this year. How often can you say that there are multiple outstanding phones you can recommend with little reservation that don't cost an arm and a leg, or a kidney… OnePlus rebounded in spectacular fashion with the OnePlus 3, a phone that feels and performs far beyond its price bracket. ZTE shot back with the Axon 7, a phone that packed feature on top of feature, despite its questionable software decisions which are slowly being rectified. The Honor 8 is also an easily recommendable phone for the price. The Android SOC space also went from one where finding a good chipset meant going back a year, to really having your pick of the litter. Qualcomm offered a range of excellent performing chips from the 617, to the 652 to the top-tier 820 and faces stiff competition from the Exynos 8890 and the Kirin 950, 955 and now the 960. The proliferation of faster storage solutions like UFS and EMMC5.1 along with DDR4 and the optimization of Android in general has made even skinned devices surprisingly snappy. While speaking of the optimization of Android, we cannot skip over the impact that Nougat has had.

The Nougat rollout to older Nexus devices has not been without its share of issues, but largely Nougat has brought a more responsive system, more features pulled from other OEM skins like multi-window, and 7.1.1 looks to improve the longevity of batteries. Huge improvements were also brought to notifications, Doze and overall system smoothness. Many OEMs have yet to update or ship with Nougat preinstalled, but as 2017 rolls in more and more devices will benefit from one of the best Android updates in years. More so than in any other year, a good, solid and in some cases a great smartphone can be had at any price, and 2016 isn't even over yet.

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True though, the camera could be better on the OnePlus 3, the DAC could be better on the Pixel, and the screen could be better on the HTC 10… but here is the kicker, despite those things each of those phones offers an above-standard level of performance across the board. You are really grasping at the wind complaining about the things that those devices do not do "as well" as its competition. Choosing the Pixel does not mean you have a bad DAC, because it is great, it just means the HTC 10 and V20 chose to focus on this experience. Choosing the OnePlus 3 does not mean you have a bad camera, it has a fantastic one, but the Galaxy S7 and Pixel have one even better.

Going out and buying a great phone across the board has never been easier, regardless of how much you have to spend and it all boils down to choice. Choosing what matters to you in a smartphone no longer means you have to choose an audio experience at the cost of a poor display or camera, and that is an amazing feeling.

So is it safe to call 2016 the year of no compromises? Not quite, and I will be looking into this in Pt 2 of this article, but Android OEMs largely rebounded from an awful 2015 to deliver one of the most exciting times to be a smartphone enthusiast.

So what devices stood out to you in 2016? What OEM really kicked it up and just delivered? Sound off in the comments and be on the lookout for Pt. 2 of my series coming soon!

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Motorola Moto MAXX/Droid Turbo Gets Unofficial Android 7.0 Nougat Update

Owners of the Motorola Moto MAXX/Turbo/Verizon Droid Turbo can now enjoy the taste of Android 7.0 Nougat thanks to crDroid Android ROM. Check it out!

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First Google Tango Phone, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro, Now Available in the USA for $499

A few months ago, Lenovo introduced its first smartphone with Google's Tango, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. This device was to be the first smartphone developed to showcase the technological innovations that grew out of Google's ambitious augmented reality (AR) project, formerly known as Project Tango. The Phab 2 Pro was scheduled to go on sale in mid September 2016, but after a little delay, it's finally here!

Even without all of its Tango tricks, the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro sports some fairly decent specifications for its price. The front is dominated by a large 6.4″ QHD IPS display — a size necessary because the phone needs to incorporate a lot of additional sensors, though we might see smaller devices once more companies decide to invest in Tango. The Phab 2 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 SoC, which might disappoint those of you expecting the latest and greatest Snapdragon 821, but the 652 is respectable in its own right. Couple that with 4GBs of RAM, 64GBs of internal storage and expandability up to 256GB via a microSD card slot through the hybrid dual-SIM tray, and you've got a pretty beefy device. Furthermore, the battery capacity of 4,050 mAh is certainly welcome keeping in mind the strain the display, Tango-related sensors, and the cameras will place on the device.

 

The main camera on the rear is a 16MP shooter with PDAF. Additional sensors on the back help it with motion tracking, depth sensing and 3D mapping. The front is a 8MP shooter with f/2.2 aperture.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is the first device to support Google Tango, but more devices are expected in 2017 that will help build up the AR ecosystem. It is the first commercially available Tango device for the average consumer though, and with it being sold at an affordable price, the Phab 2 Pro seems primed for success. Assuming, of course, that the device is decently marketed to consumers.

So what about Tango makes this device so special? First of all, Phab 2 Pro utilizes its dual rear camera sensors along with a bunch of other sensors to create a 3D map of our physical surroundings. This 3D mapping is then displayed on the screen, supplemented by other elements and points of interaction that is filled in via software – thus creating an Augmented Reality experience on a smartphone. The uses of AR on a smartphone are limited as of now, albeit the possibilities are mostly left up to the imagination of developers. Currently, only a limited number of apps and games make use of the AR capabilities of the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro. Though with the crazy success of Pokémon GO, we can expect to see a lot more interest in AR now that the technology will be more widely available.

Google currently operates both Google Tango, its platform for Augmented Reality, and Google Daydream, its platform for Virtual Reality, under separate organizational heads. There is a chance that we might see a merge down the line, with phones coming in that might support both Tango and Daydream out of the box.

The Lenovo Phab 2 Pro is available in the USA from today from Lenovo's official webstore or in select Lowe's retail stores. The phone will cost you $499.99, and shipping is expected to be within 4-5 weeks. At launch right now, only the Gunmetal Grey color is available, with the Champagne Gold color variant "coming soon".

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Would you be purchasing the Lenovo Phab 2 Pro? Would you like to see other smartphones with Google Tango? Let us know in the comments below!

Check out XDA's Lenovo Phab 2 Pro Forums!

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Android to iOS for 30+ Days Challenge

For this XDA TV video, Jared has switched from an Android device to using an iPhone as his daily driver. What happens when you no longer have lockscreen media control, app drawer, white balance and other android features? Check out this video and find out!

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Google Beefs Up Fraud and Spam Detection in the Play Store

As a developer, having your application rise to the top of the charts can mean the difference between having enough money to fund your next app or having to look for outside funding. You may not like it, but you can understand how a superior app beats your app in ratings. Competition will drive you to improve your app, and further satisfy your existing and potential customers. But it's completely different when you see an obvious spam app start to garner significant attention and bring in more revenue than a truly polished product.

Google uses a number of factors to determine an application's rank within the Play Store. These factors include things like the number of installs, highly-praised reviews, and how many stars a person is rating your application. The sad part is, some businesses have figured out ways to game these key factors and they sell services to desperate developers who want to increase the awareness of their application within the Play Store. This system is terribly unfair to developers who don't have the cash to spend to also use these systems, and it's unfair to users who are presented apps with artificially inflated ratings.

Google has been aware of this issue for awhile now, and they've been working hard to improve the experience for developers who are not trying to manipulate their app's rankings. The company has just announced some new and improved detection and filtering systems that will be able to spot these ranking abuses more effectively. Naturally, it is unlikely that this will be the end-all solution to the problem, but it's one much needed step further in the cat and mouse game between Google and Play Store ranking abusers.

Still, Google rolled out these new detection systems for the Play Store yesterday and they'll continue to improve them as they are able to collect more data. If Google's new systems detect an application's ranking is being manipulated, then they will simply filter out those changes. If a developer is caught manipulating the system for an extended period of time, then Google will remove all of their apps from the Play Store entirely.

Google still encourages that developers use 3rd-party marketing companies to promote their application, but asks that you follow the rules outlined in the Developer Support Resources.

Source: Android Developers Blog

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Xiaomi is Testing Devices in US Wireless Carrier Labs

Xiaomi has become a well-known smartphone OEM in countries like China, India, Russia, Mexico and the Middle East. These are the markets where they currently push their smartphones and they are working to get their smartphones sold in Poland, Vietnam, Thailand plus some Latin American markets soon. The causal smartphone owner in the United States likely will have never heard of them, but us enthusiasts have had them on our radar for years.

Just about every time someone in the United States interviews Hugo Barra, they inevitably ask when the company will start to sell smartphones in the country. Barra has said that the United States is certainly on their list of markets to expand into, but also frequently pointed out the number of hurdles the company would have to be ready for ahead of time. These hurdles range from patents to distribution to servicing centers and marketing. They realize it will be a wasted effort if they don't have plans for these things before launch.

This week we're seeing a report that sheds some new light on this move though. Engadget is speculating that Xiaomi could launch their smartphones in the United States as early as 2017. There's still a lot of work they have to do between now and then, but Xiaomi seems to believe they are getting close. Barra reveals that his team is currently in multiple carrier labs throughout the United States so they can test their smartphones.

The cellular bands that US wireless carriers use aren't the same ones that the rest of the world uses. So not only does a phone have to support that band, but they also have to pass strict compatibility tests before they're allowed to be sold on the carrier's network. Assuming everything goes smoothly, Xiaomi will likely have their phones sold directly from the carriers as opposed as directly to the customer (like we see with OnePlus).

Source: Engadget

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Photos Allegedly Reveal the Upcoming Mate 9 from Huawei

Huawei has a product launch event coming up this week, so it's not surprising that we're seeing an influx in rumors surrounding their next flagship smartphone. The company launched the Mate 8 last year in November, so everyone is expecting to see the Mate 9 during the November 3rd product launch. Rumors about the Mate 9 started all the way back in April of this year when the device was rumored to launch with the Kirin 960 and a dual 20MP rear camera setup.

We don't know if the two rear cameras will be 20MP or not, but the company did officially announce the Kirin 960 SoC recently. A couple of months ago Huawei trademarked the name SuperCharge in the EU and many are speculating that this be the name of the company's fast charging technology for the upcoming Mate 9. Then it was just last month that we had two leaks about how the device will look from none other than Evan Blass himself.

The first image showed that Huawei is likely to be launching two models of the Mate 9. One with a flat screen and then one with a dual curved edge screen (similarly to what Samsung does). Then toward the end of last month Evan was able to get his hands a high quality render of what he believed to be the Huawei Mate 9. He also revealed that his sources told him the device would have a 5.9″ display, 4GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage.

The most specced-out version of the Mate 9 is even said to cost upwards of $1,300 if rumors are to be believed. So today, there has been four different real life photos leaked of what looks like the Mate 9. The photos match up with the press renders that we've seen, and seem real convincing that this will be the device Huawei officially announced on November 3rd. Check out all the images at the source!

Via: Phone Arena

Via: Source

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