Wednesday, November 30, 2016

OnePlus 3 Receives Android 7.0 on OxygenOS Via Open Beta 8

After waiting around for a few months, and going through all the hype that is oft associated with OnePlus launches and releases, it is finally here.

Android 7.0 Nougat has landed on the OnePlus 3 in official capacity, albeit in a limited format. This Nougat build is part of the beta builds, and you can flash it manually. The Beta 8 build, sized at a hefty 1.3GB, brings the Android version upgrade as its most noticeable change. The key changes of the update is as follows:

  • Upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat
    • New Notifications Design
    • New Settings Menu Design
    • Multi-Window View
    • Notification Direct Reply
    • Custom DPI Support
  • Added Status Bar Icon Options
  • Added Quick Launch For 3rd Party Applications
  • Improved Shelf Customization

There are UI changes involved as well. Most of these changes will be familiar to users running OxygenOS's Beta builds for the OnePlus 3. We will have more to talk about the UI changes in our hands-on soon.

To download the OnePlus 3 Android 7.0 Beta 8, head on over to the download link mentioned in the forum announcement. OnePlus is inviting feedback on issues you find, which you can through a OnePlus Feedback app. You can also submit bug reports here. Additionally, if you would like to converse with other users on the update, you can head on over to our forums.

Have you tried out the update? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gJhvT8
via IFTTT

Chainfire Releases SuperSU v2.78 SR5, Fixing Some Nougat Bugs

Since September, XDA Recognized Developer Chainfire started a new versioning system for SuperSU. This began with version 2.78 SR1 of SuperSU, and today the man has released 2.78 SR5. Instead of labeling them as a Beta, he changed this to a Service Release naming scheme. He felt this would be a good way of reducing the number of people trying to upload beta releases to non-Google Play app stores since it would continue to carry the same version number.

Since then, Chainfire started work on getting SuperSU compatible with the Pixel and Pixel XL, along with ironing out some bugs related to Android 7.x Nougat. Most of these bug fixes have been related to the A/B partition system that was introduced with Android 7.0 and the Pixel phones. But there have been some other fixes for things like sukernel, supolicy, suinit, and making sure SuperSU worked alongside of TWRP as they were having a conflict until SR4 was released.

Today, he has released yet another update to SuperSU, and this one focuses on some Nougat related bugs again. In a Google+ post, Chainfire tells us that some scripts and services weren't able to be executed thanks to some modifications SuperSU makes to SELinux and the stricter service execution rules in Nougat. This didn't happen on all firmwares, but this did lead to Wi-Fi, cellular, and other modem-related features not working on some of them (like the Samsung Nougat beta and CyanogenMod 14.1).

With this update, the SuperSU GUI now offers a way to disable Samsung's SecurityLogAgent component as part of disabling KNOX (to help remove some of the popups that people were experiencing). Chainfire has also released a custom package for gaining root access to the HTC 10's new Nougat update. This will be replaced with a flashable ZIP via TWRP or CF-Auto-Root when it becomes available.

You can download the new version of SuperSU here, and be sure to check out the SuperSU thread right here on XDA as well.

Changelog

  • Fix shell-based scripts/services possibly not being executed on 7.x firmwares
  • Add SecurityLogAgent to Samsung KNOX detection
  • sukernel: force seclabel

Source: +Chainfire



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gVvOa8
via IFTTT

Flyperlink: The Best Way to Open Links from Within Apps

 

Flyperlink is a great alternative app to System WebView. System WebView is the browser that is used when you open a link from within an app. It's a very basic version of Chrome that many people get very frustrated with. There are no customization options for System WebView. Flyperlink creates a floating browser window that can be resized, minimized, and closed easily. I much prefer Flyperlink as my in-app browser, so I made a video showing you how it works.

Download Flyperlink



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gkxt82
via IFTTT

Android 7.0 Nougat is Rolling Out to the Sony Xperia X Performance

Owners of both the Xperia X Performance (F8131) and X Performance Dual (F8132) are now seeing Android 7.0 Nougat being pushed to their devices in select regions. This update carries the firmware version 39.2.A.0.327, and XDA Senior Member Mazellat shows us they're showing up in XperiFirm.



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gkk3sE
via IFTTT

Sailfish OS Receives Certification for Government and Corporate Use in Russia

Jolla's Sailfish mobile OS platform hasn't had the best of luck over the years. The company's first flagship device was first shown off back in 2013, and later that year they announced Android owners would soon be able to install the Sailfish OS on select smartphones. The company announced the Jolla tablet in late 2014, which would be the second Sailfish OS device to be released by the company.

Toward the middle of 2015, the company even struck a deal to have their mobile OS installed on the Yotaphone (beating out both Android and Tizen). Things were looking good for the Finnish company, but then they started running into financial issues at the end of 2015. In January of this year, Jolla had to tell their community that not every backer would be able to receive the Jolla Tablet they paid for.

They were able to produce 540 tablets, but said they were looking into refunding the other 21,000 Indiegogo campaign backers. While looking for some additional funding, Jolla was able to close on a $12 million round in May of this year. These investors now include shareholders in its Russian licensing customer OMP (Open Mobile Platform) and this has forced the company to switch to a b2b company instead of being b2c like they were before.

Russia hasn't been the biggest fan of Google and their Android platform. In early 2015, Russia said they would start an antitrust investigation into Google and which concluded with claims that Google's pre-loaded Android applications were violating the company's antitrust laws. Since then, Russia has been actively looking into alternatives for the country's mobile platform of choice and it seems like they found one with Jolla's Sailfish OS.

Jolla says the Russian version of Sailfish OS will not be a fork. Instead, they will be working closely with its licensing partners within the country to develop custom versions that suit their particular needs. So Jolla will continue to maintain the core code base and that will be tied to all custom versions they develop.

Source: TechCrunch



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2g6uBc9
via IFTTT

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

LeEco Releases Kernel Source Code for their Devices

In 2016, LeEco rapidly expanded their international presence with an aggressive marketing campaign in its first push into the United States.

The company launched the LeEco Le S3 and the LeEco Le Pro 3, and despite mixed reviews decrying the software experience, few have denied that these smartphones pack quite a punch in spite of their pricing. But software is something that can be fixed with enough tinkering, as we here at XDA are especially wont to do. However, one of the major hurdles facing active development is the timely release of kernel source code. Although required to do so under the GNU General Public License and GNU Lesser General Public License, some OEMs defer releasing kernel source code until they feel its necessary. Some companies release the code, but do so in an obscure location. Fortunately, it doesn't look like LeEco will follow that trend.

LeEco has just released the kernel source code for a fair number of their products. The company has created a new Open Source landing page on their corporate website for current and future kernel source code releases. So far, there are 7 sets of kernel source code for 7 current LeEco products including the Le S3, Le Pro 3, Le 1s (Lollipop and Marshmallow), Le 1s Eco (Lollipop and Marshmallow), Le 2, Le Max and the Le Max 2. The company is also listing kernel source code for a few TVs they sell including the Super4 X55, Super4, X43 Pro, and the Super4 X65. Lastly, LeEco has included kernel sources for three different versions of the LeTV Box U4 set-top box.

Some people outside the United States are reporting that these kernel source download links are broken. Oddly, LeEco has seems to be restricting its kernel source code downloads to people living in the United States. Developers living outside of the U.S., at least for now, will have to use a U.S.-based VPN service to download the source code.

Source: LeEco



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gFTZXl
via IFTTT

OnePlus 3/3T Users Voice Concern Over Touchscreen Latency Issues

The OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T are among the best Android smartphones you could buy right now (or not, in the case of the OnePlus 3). Mix great hardware with an open software approach (compared to other popular OEMs) and what you get is a flagships that is closest to the Nexus of old in the developer scene of 2016.

In fact, our forums for the OnePlus 3 attract more traffic than our forums for the Nexus 6P, which was the last Nexus flagship. But not everything is rosy with the OnePlus 3/3T. As of late, users have been complaining about an issue that should not exist on a 2016 flagship. Particularly, despite all of its hardware prowess, the OnePlus 3/3T have poor performance with respect to touch latency.

What is touch latency, you ask? This video from Microsoft Research explains and demonstrates touch latency and its issues in a very easy to understand form:

The delay between the response on the touchscreen to your input is what constitutes touch latency. Modern flagship devices, barring the OnePlus 3/3T that is, typically have latency at around 50ms. But a French review at Les Numériques quoted the touch delay on the OnePlus 3T to be at 93 ms, which as the video above would demonstrate, is unacceptable in high interaction scenarios.

Several users and developers have voiced their displeasure at the current state of touch latency on the flagship product. The issue has been brought up several times in the OnePlus forums, our device forums and on Reddit as well, gathering hundreds of votes and comments. XDA Recognized Developer Arter97 commented on the issue at OnePlus's forums, and gave his thoughts on the matter:

OnePlus 3/3T needs touch firmware (in /system/etc/firmware/tp, closed source) tuning for better latency. The latest 3.5.3 update on the 3T is still not good enough (tried it myself).
Currently, the "move sensitivity" on the OnePlus 3 is set too big, which results in latency. If you touch the screen and move the finger around very little (like 3~5mm), it won't be registered as a scroll. This is because the "move sensitivity" is set too big. We are on a 5.5″ screen. I think it'll be totally fine to reduce the threshold a bit. (If the threshold is set too small, a tap will be registered as a scroll. If it's set too big, a scroll will be registered as a tap and increase latency.)

As Arter97 mentions, the touch latency delay is not to be confused with smoothness. As we tested out in our hardware review of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T, both the devices output exemplary real-world performance. You are unlikely to notice these latency issues in quick and sparse reaction scenarios, as the issue becomes much more apparent when you have numerous screen interactions like while typing, or when doing short scrolling interactions. And, you are much more likely to notice the issues if you come from other flagship devices with better touch response timings, like the Pixel XL. The latency troubles do not make the phone unusable, but they do perceptibly affect the device's overall responsiveness.

The OnePlus 3/3T need tweaking on the firmware level to help combat these issues. It is indeed a shame to have the experience of quality hardware marred by issues that should not be so pressing in 2016. It also bears to mention that the OnePlus 3/3T will not be receiving Android 7.1 Nougat right off the bat, so the touch latency improvements that this update brings across Android is unlikely to be seen here as well (unless OnePlus has been listening and cooks a fix). Our best bet right now is to have OnePlus issue fixes and improvements to this end, and hope that Android 7.1 further improves the scenario as well.

What are your thoughts on the OnePlus 3/3T's touch latency issues? Have you noticed input lag before? Let us know in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gCADEI
via IFTTT

Google, Bertelsmann, & Udacity to Offer 10,000 Android Scholarships for EU Developers

Estimates peg the current number of active Android developers residing in the EU at 1.3 million.

Out of this group of developers, a recent report claims that just under half (42 percent) are self taught. As such, Google has recognized the need to reach out to these self-taught developers in order to foster independent development on Android. Therefore, Google has recently announced an initiative to fund 10,000 Android Developer training scholarships for developers residing in the EU. 9,000 of these scholarships will be specifically targeted towards aspiring developers getting their feet wet in the Android Basics course. The remaining 1,000 scholarships will be aimed at experienced developers who will benefit from the Associate Android Developer Fast Track, the training course required to receive the official Android Developer certification.

Google has announced a partnership with the international media enterprise Bertelsmann in this endeavor, which will be shifting part of their skill-building and training budgets across their nearly 1,000 businesses towards ICT. Furthermore, Google will also partner with Udacity to offer Nanodegree scholarships.  This partnership will begin next year, and will offer about 2,000 Android developers from Europe a chance at obtaining one of these Nanodegree scholarships.

In order to apply, all you have to do is visit a special Udacity landing page for more details about the available scholarships. Remember, these scholarships are only available to European residents and applications for the scholarships must be sent by December 18th of this year. Winners of the 9,000 Android Beginner Path and 1,000 Android Programmer Path scholarships will be chosen on January 5th of the upcoming year. There aren't special restrictions to apply for the Android Beginner Path scholarship, but the Android Programmer Path does require that you have at least 1 year of programming experience under your belt.
Source: The Keyword



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gSfB5s
via IFTTT

ZTE Wants You to Help Name its Project CSX Winner

At CES 2016, we learned that ZTE planned to crowdsource ideas for an upcoming smartphone release. This was a rather big deal because it's rare for a smartphone OEM to pull their ideas directly from the Android community. The rules were simple, and only required the ideas to be technically possible by 2017 and not be too expensive that it wouldn't be affordable by the general public.

So a few months ago, ZTE actually started to collect ideas from the community about what they wanted to see in the company's next smartphone. Then in October, ZTE had chosen 5 different features and asked the community to vote on which one they wanted the most. This caught the attention of us at XDA because one of the options for us to choose from was a flagship smartphone that used stock Android software.

Other options included eye tracking and a self-adhesive phone, intelligent smartphone covers, a powerglove, and a VR-interactive diving mask. A month later, ZTE wanted to get some details on why people chose the option they did. But soon, the winner was announce and surprisingly it was the eye tracking and self-adhesive smartphone idea. This would become the basis of an upcoming ZTE smartphone in 2017. We aren't told exactly when this smartphone will be released, but we are to expect it sometime next year.

While ZTE develops this new smartphone for the public, they want your help in coming up with a name for it (you can submit your idea here). Ideas will be collected until December 5th and ZTE will choose 5 different finalists for the name of the phone. These names will go up on ZTE's Project CSX website and the community will be able to cast their vote on which one they like the most. The winner will be announced at CES 2017, and ZTE promises the person who came up with the name will receive a "small cash prize" as well.

Source: ZTE Community



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gEzclB
via IFTTT

Layoffs Continue at Cyanogen Inc., Seattle Office to Shut Down by Year-End

Cyanogen Inc. has been in the news lately for the major changes that the company was recently undergoing. Most notably, the former CEO of Cyanogen, Kirt McMaster had to hand over the managerial roles of the company to Lior Tal and assume the role of Executive Chairman. Further, Cyanogen Inc's co-founder Steve Kondik, more famously known around the Internet as "cyanogen" and the creator of CyanogenMod, was stepping down from his role of CTO and taking up the position of "Chief Science Officer".

It seems that some more shuffling around is in store for the company. As AndroidPolice reports from sources inside and outside the company, Cyanogen Inc. is scheduled to go through another round of layoffs and downsizing. The company will announce internally that its Seattle headquarters will be closed down by the end of this year. AndroidPolice claims that some employees from the Seattle office are given options to relocate to Cyanogen Inc's smaller Palo Alto office, where two more employees responsible for "Android development" were let go.

The most surprising news coming in from the report is that the future of Steve "cyanogen" Kondik is also allegedly up in the air. The position of Chief Science Officer was never defined to the outside world, so assumptions were made on its reduction of authority over company's broader matters. But the upcoming announcement might just be the end of the first commercial road for Kondik's Cyanogen Inc dream, a developer whose legacy powers millions of devices across the world.

What does all of this mean for CyanogenMod? Nothing immediately, as CyanogenMod continues to remain distinct from Cyanogen Inc, although Cyanogen Inc. employees contributed often to CyanogenMod. CyanogenMod thrives on the work of the enthusiast community so there's no question of CyanogenMod dying anytime soon — that's the beauty of open source.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Source: AndroidPolice



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2g1uP4f
via IFTTT

Monday, November 28, 2016

Xiaomi India Sells 2+ Million Smartphones in Q3

Xiaomi has been doing a lot of expanding throughout India these last couple of years. They were originally an online-only smartphone OEM within the country, but recently started expanding how and where they offered both their services and products. We saw this expansion pick up steam back in March of last year when they started selling the Mi 4 and the Redmi Note 4G at The Mobile Store (India's largest mobile phone retailer, inside the Delhi-NCR region).

Toward the end of last year, the company started offering a pickup and repair service in India that they would call Pick Mi. This would allow those in certain regions to have their Xiaomi smartphone picked up by a courier, have the phone fixed, and then have it returned. At launch, those who lived in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Kolkata could get their phone back in 24 hours while others were required to wait 7 to 10 days.

Xiaomi has continued expanding their online and offline presence within India and it has started paying off for them. The Redmi Note 3 was recently named the best-selling Smartphone in India after it was announced they had sold over 2.3 million units. And the company doesn't show any signs of slowing down either. Throughout the third quarter of this year, Xiaomi has announced they have sold over 2 million smartphones in India alone.

This is big for the company as they normally sell between 1 to 1.5 million per quarter. This shows a growth of 150% when compared to the third quarter of last year and Xiaomi is very proud of that accomplishment. This was aided by the recent Diwali sale, where Xiaomi India managed to sell over 247,000 smartphones through the company's Mi.com website alone. As far as online sales go, Xiaomi ranked 2nd for the quarter and was only bested by Lenovo/Motorola.

Source: The Economic Times



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gzpEIN
via IFTTT

Samsung Pay with Gear S3 Currently Doesn’t Work on Pixel Phones

A major selling point of the new Gear S3 smartwatch from Samsung is the ability to use Samsung Pay directly on your wrist. This includes both NFC and MST capabilities, so even if the pay terminal hasn't been upgraded with a contactless payment option, then you can still use it on the magnetic stripe part.

This has been known since launch, but then a couple of weeks ago Samsung said that it would also work on non-Samsung smartphones.

This makes sense because the NFC and MST features are built directly into the smartwatch, but many thought Samsung would restrict Samsung Pay to Samsung devices anyway. This confirmation via Twitter has since been deleted, but many Android publications started to cite it with headlines claiming Samsung Pay on the Gear S3 would work on any Android 4.4+ device. Sadly, this is not the case and many people are just finding out about it now.

Granted, it does work with some Android devices running Android 4.4 KitKat and higher, just not all of them. While there are likely to be some other devices are are incompatible with Samsung Pay on the Gear S3, the big one that has been uncovered is the Pixel and Pixel XL. Samsung has confirmed the feature will not work with either of these two smartphones, but doesn't go into detail to tell us why.

It doesn't seem to be an issue with Android 7.0 Nougat, as Samsung Pay on the Gear S3 has been shown to work on the LG V20. Samsung does say they are "constantly working to expand Samsung Pay to new devices," and to "stay tuned," but doesn't give any details about when or if this will happen for the Pixel phones. For those looking to buy a Gear S3, you can refer to this list and see which devices are guaranteed to work with the Gear S3.

Source: @SamsungPay



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2goabM7
via IFTTT

Saturday, November 26, 2016

5 Christmas Tech Deals Under $100

With Christmas right around the corner, it's time to get serious about your holiday shopping. In this video, we explore some of the best deals under $100 for anyone who loves their Android device. Check out the deals we found below.

Chromecast Ultra $69

"Stream up to 4K Ultra HD & HDR picture quality over your WiFi network with Chromecast Ultra, a streaming device that plugs into your TV's HDMI port. Chromecast Ultra provides fast, reliable performance with minimal buffering and smoother streaming. Use your iPhone®, iPad®, Android device, or laptop to stream thousands of Cast-enabled apps."

Get this deal

chromecast-ultra

Google Home $99

"Google Home is a voice-activated speaker powered by the Google Assistant. Ask it questions. Tell it to do things. It's your own Google, always ready to help. Just start with, "Ok Google".

A simple voice request triggers Google Home to play music, podcasts or radio from services like Google Play Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Pandora and TuneIn.

"

Get this deal

home

Fire HD 8 Tablet $60

"Choose from millions of Kindle e-book and magazine titles. Connect with the largest online community of book lovers on Goodreads. Discover over a million titles with a Kindle Unlimited subscription. Also, listen to your favorite books with Audible. Plus, enjoy exclusive Kindle features you only get from Amazon like X-Ray, Whispersync, Vocabulary Builder, Page Flip, Blue Shade and more."

Get this deal

firehd7

Philips Hue Bloom $60

"Together, the Friends of Hue Bloom accent light, the bridge and the Hue app will change the way you use light. Play with all the colors in the Hue spectrum. It's stunning, it's smart, and it's tailored for you. A Hue bridge is required, and the Bloom single pack can be used in addition to any of the Hue or Friends of Hue starter kits."

Get this deal

41j4kdlkf9l

Sony MDRXB950BT/B Extra Bass $88

"Wireless freedom, sleek comfort, and unmistakable bass response add-up to an unforgettable audio experience. Connect via Bluetooth with NFC and let your music loose for up to 20 hours battery life anytime anywhere. 40mm drivers with electronic bass boost will add punch to your favorite tracks."

Get this deal

headphones



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gt3204
via IFTTT

OnePlus 3T Gets Fully Functional TWRP and Root

As the first few batches of the OnePlus 3T begin shipping and users get their hands on the new device, they can now dive straight into the world of custom ROMs without sparing nay another thought on complicated procedures or other difficulties.

Thanks to the efforts of XDA Recognized Developer jcadduono, OnePlus 3T owners can flash a fully working and stable build of TWRP 3.0.2. As mentioned, the recovery can do all the tasks expected out of it despite being the first version release for this phone.

Flashing this recovery is easy and involves steps that are very familiar to Nexus users. You enable OEM unlocking in the Developer Options on your phone, and proceed to unlock your bootloader using the "fastboot oem unlock" command via fastboot on your computer. Then you flash the recovery through fastboot using the "fastboot flash recovery recovery.img" command…and that is it. To get root, simply boot into recovery and flash the requisite root package (like SuperSU).

Since this recovery is for the OnePlus 3T, it is implied (and even explicitly mentioned, just in case) that it is not compatible with the regular OnePlus 3. Another point to note, the OnePlus 3T's stock boot image has dm-verity enabled, so you will be unable to boot back into system if you swipe on TWRP to enable system modifications without the intention to root via SuperSU. You need to follow along the steps mentioned in the thread to get back into your system, rooted or otherwise. You can either swipe right and just flash SuperSU, or you can swipe right and flash the dm-verity disabler zip to be able to boot back into the system.

For download links, sources and further detailed instructions, head on over to the forum link!

Have you received your OnePlus 3T? Have you tried out the above mentioned TWRP and obtained root? Let us know in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gso2jY
via IFTTT

Friday, November 25, 2016

A Look at the HTC 10’s Nougat Update, Rolling out Now!

HTC is wishing all of its flagship users in the USA a Happy Thanksgiving, and it's doing so by announcing the rollout of the official Android 7.0 Nougat update for the HTC 10.

Clocking in at a hefty 1.11GB in size, there is no mistake in assuming that this is a significant update for the HTC 10 which was launched with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. This update is currently rolling out to unlocked HTC 10 users in the USA. Sadly, there is no word on when this update will begin its rollout for other regions of the world, but we can guess that it won't be too long now. Carrier locked HTC 10's would have to wait for their update as well.

Update Info Screen

Update Info Screen

But if you can't wait, or don't have a HTC 10 for that matter, we received the update on our unlocked HTC 10. Take a look at some screenshots from the update:

About Phone About Phone Settings Menu with Suggestion Settings Menu Settings Menu Settings Menu Settings Menu Settings Menu

The update that is rolling out is Android 7.0 Nougat, and not Android 7.1, in case you got too happy about it. The update contains security patches up to November 1, but the patch level for November 1 is partial only. The full security update with many more critical fixes is dated for November 5, and an additional patch was rolled out on November 6. We are disappointed that HTC did not include the absolute latest in security patches as this is a critical area where being on the cutting edge is preferable over still being vulnerable.

The Settings Menu sees the Nougat overhaul, and HTC has left things untouched for the most part.

screenshot_20161125-090108_1 screenshot_20161125-090114 screenshot_20161125-090123_1 screenshot_20161125-090210 screenshot_20161125-092341 screenshot_20161125-121050

The Nougat treatment extends onto the Notification Panel and the Quick Toggles. One thing to note, Night Mode comes "revealed" by default on HTC's minimalistic skin. You do not need any additional apps to enable or toggle it, as you can do so out-of-the-box on the update. Heads up notification is slightly different as well.

App switching experience is improved as well. Double tapping on the recents button switches to the last used app, instead of just going back into the original one. The animation for this switch is smooth as well.

As for bugs, we found one so far in our usage. HTC's "Weather Clock" widget breaks on the Google Now Launcher, while it works fine on the Sense launcher. The widget is iconic (albeit modern in its current avatar) and represents an "HTC" experience ever since widgets were introduced in Android, so we're slightly bummed on this. You can use other widgets, so all is not lost.

Sense Launcher Google Now Launcher

Have you tried out the update? How do you like it so far? Let us know in the comments below!

Big thanks to Steven for the screenshots!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gHI0Lv
via IFTTT

Xposed Version 87 Fixes Bootloop Issues with Google’s November Security Update

The latest update to the Xposed framework fixes the compatibility and bootloop issues brought about on ROMs which included Google's November security patch. Rovo89 has detailed the issue on a separate GitHub page as well.



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gd40ux
via IFTTT

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Nougat Beta on the Honor 8 (Also Get $110 Off)

A beta version of the Android Nougat update for the Honor 8 has been pushed to phones that are enrolled in the beta program. Along with the jump from Marshmallow to Nougat, we get an update to EMUI 5.0. This video highlights all of the new features found in the beta update.

Check out these screenshots of the latest update.

hs1 hs2 hs3 hs4 hs5 hs6 hs7hs8

When it comes to performance, there is a noticeable improvement throughout the system. Honor 8 owners will be glad to know that this is a solid updates bringing a lot of great stuff to your devices.

As a side note, there is a crazy deal going on over at Amazon for the Honor 8. You can grab one of these phones for only $289. Check out our affiliate links.

Honor 8 in Midnight Black

Honor 8 in Pearl White

Honor 8 in Sapphire Blue

Check out more content for your Honor 8 phone over at the XDA Forums here.



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fJVIJC
via IFTTT

LG V20 for “US Open Market” Added to LG’s Official Bootloader Unlock Tool

When we talk about developer support, the first name that pops up outside of Nexus devices…is not LG. Recent LG devices have been notoriously bad when it comes to allowing the user full control over what they can do with their device. LG does not provide complete access from the get-go for even its flagship devices. For some respite though, devices from certain markets are added on later to their official developer unlock tool.

As spotted by AndroidPolice and threads in our forums, the LG V20 is the latest device from LG that can now be officially unlocked through the OEM provided tool. The catch in this situation is that not all V20 devices will get the unlock love. Only devices sold for the U.S. Open Market through retailers like Amazon and Newegg, codenamed US996.USA, will have support from the unlock tool. This excludes all the other regions that the V20 is sold in, and also excludes all the carrier variants of the LG V20 (including the ones purchased from US Cellular, despite them bearing the similar codename – US996TNUCL). Effectively, in a market where carrier and contract based phones are preferred especially in the premium smartphone segment, the unlock tool extends the opportunity to those who bought the V20, LG's costly $800 flagship, in the open market.

Of course, the standard disclaimers continue to apply if you do decide to unlock your device. The bootloader unlock process cannot be undone, and your warranty from LG will be void once your bootloader is unlocked. If you need further instructions beyond the ones provided by LG, you can refer to the instructions and help thread in our LG V20 device forums.

The other devices and regions that LG officially allows bootloader unlocks for include:

  • LG V20: US996.USA for the U.S. open market
  • LG V10: H960A for the European market and Android M (Except France)
  • LG G5: H850 for the European market
  • LG G4: H815 for the European market

We hope LG extends some more developer love to its flagships in other regions as well.

What are your thoughts on LG allowing bootloader unlock on the LG V20? Let us know in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gEnfQW
via IFTTT

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

OnePlus AMA Roundup: OnePlus 3T Edition

Contrasting the mediocre response to its 2015 products, OnePlus has been on a high with the OnePlus 3 in 2016. The company managed to deliver one of the best and consistent experiences that one could purchase in its price bracket. To top that off, OnePlus is once again in the news with the launch of the OnePlus 3T: an "enhanced re-release" of their best product, aiming to solidify their position as one of the top dogs despite the continuous barrage of new competition.

The launch of the OnePus 3T inevitably presented a situation where consumers, both old and new, had a lot of questions to ask. We answered a whole bunch of such questions in our article on the philosophy of the OnePlus 3T. Mario also went on to answer what changed between the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T in his extensive review, so check that out as well.

But if you still had more questions, the OnePlus team had offered to host an AMA (Ask Me Anything) session over on Reddit's Android subforum. This AMA was attended by Carl Pei (/u/carpe02), co-founder of OnePlus; Aaron (/u/Aaron_oneplus) from the ROM team; Jonathon (/u/jonathan_oneplus) from the Customer Service team; Steven (/u/StevenG_OnePlus from Logistics and Caio (/u/Caio_OP) from the EU team. The AMA saw close to a thousand comments in all, and a bunch of the earlier ones were answered to by the team.

In case you did not plan to go through all the comments and hunt down replies, we compiled this summary of the AMA session:

On updates:

  • Android 7.0 is what the next update on the OnePlus 3/3T would be. Android 7.1 was released midway through OnePlus' development cycle, and hence, integrating it would have delayed their schedule of providing Nougat. (Link)
  • Following the Android 7.0 Nougat update, both the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T would be on the same update cycle.
  • Future updates will bring Enhanced EIS to both the devices for their IMX298 camera sensor.
  • No ETA was given for Nougat update on the OnePlus 3, but it is "sooner than you think". (Link)
  • The merger of OxygenOS and HydrogenOS has helped the company move at a much faster pace than before while still maintaining two different products with the same team. (Link)

On the OnePlus 3T specifically:

  • The OnePlus 3T was launched because OnePlus had the capability to improve their product (Link).
  • Clearing up some confusion, the front camera is fixed focus and not PDAF (Link).
  • Accessories purchased for the OnePlus 3 (cases, screen protectors) are compatible for the OnePlus 3T as well.
  • The increase in the battery voltage to 4.4V does not compromise on the safety of the device. OnePlus certified Dash charger keeps the heat out of the device, just like it did with the OnePlus 3.
  • 3rd party chargers (5V/3A) will work with the device, but you will be bereft of "fast" Dash Charging unless you use the certified charger (Link).
  • The rear camera on the OnePlus 3T did not see any hardware upgrade because there were none ready to go (Link).
  • The OnePlus 3T does not have a MIMO antenna but does support MU-MIMO (Link).
  • When asked why the OnePlus 3T (or the OnePlus 3, for that matter) do not come with a hybrid SIM slot and stick strictly to using a Dual SIM try, Carl commented that the 128GB UFS 2.0 storage performs much better than current microSD card implementations (Link).
  • The reason why a choice for microSD was not provided was to avoid a scenario of unacceptable user experience (Link).
  • The OnePlus 3T makes use of the F2FS file system while the OnePlus 3 used EXT3. Both use UFS 2.0 for storage (Link).
  • The OnePlus 3T ships with Enhanced EIS 2.0 (Link).
  • The Gunmetal Gray color came from feedback from the forums and reddit. Users wanted a darker variant.
    "Gunmetal is the best balance between aesthetics and darkness. Darker, but light enough to reflect light the way we want, accentuate the product's subtle curvature" (Link).

On Developer Support for the OnePlus 3T:

"Dev support is something we're serious about, and it's an area where we really put our money where our mouth is. Honestly, we just love the custom ROM scene. It's why we are one of the few that allow for rooting/installing custom ROMs without voiding warranty. It's also why we always release kernel sources and devices trees super early, as mentioned in the OP.

As for devs who are upset about the 3T – we hear you, we understand where you are coming from, and it's something we were prepared for. We have something planned (that we can't announce just yet) to address this. Just hang on a bit. We got you."
– Bradon

Link

On the OnePlus 3:

  • You cannot swap the battery for that of the OnePlus 3T. This will 100% void your warranty, with OnePlus explicitly condoning this modification. There is no cross-compatibility with regards to the batteries (Link).
  • The OnePlus 3 will receive EIS 2.0 as well, although no ETA was given for the same.
  • When asked why the OnePlus 3 does not pack in a 3400mAh battery as well, the team commented that they were still in the testing phase for checking the reliability of the higher density cell, and they were not ready in time for the OnePlus 3. Since battery is an area where quality is very important, the company opted to play safe and not compromise of user safety (Link).

On sales and regions:

  • The OnePlus 3T will come to India. The time window was left unspecified but OnePlus India's social media channels have pointed to an announcement soon.
  • Availability on some regions is restricted as production of the device needs to ramp up (Link).

On Daydream support:

  • Both the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T are not Daydream compatible yet and there are no plans to support Daydream on either at this time (Link).
  • Daydream was announced after the product design of the OnePlus 3, so the design remains uninfluenced by Daydream compatibility specifications (Link).

On the lessons of the past:

Q: What do you guys feel like you've learned from the OnePlus X and 2?
A: To think more, and reflect more. To better know ourselves and our situation, and do the right thing. In other words, to find our own true north, and not to have noise such as the market or competition lead us.
– Carl Pei

(Link)

On the future of OnePlus products:

  • There are no concrete plans on going ahead with "T" releases. The company would like to assess the reception for this current model, so it is early to comment on this (Link).
  • Will there be more product lines? Carl answered that they could consider that when they are "10x" their current size, and there is still a lot of work to do to reach there (Link).
  • Will prices of future products move ahead on the price scale? Are current price points sustainable for the company? Currently, OnePlus is happy, but it is a tough market so they are unsure of the future (Link).
  • Will there be Dash Charge battery packs in the future, or simple cases (silicon/translucent gray) for the OnePlus 3? There are no confirmed plans as of yet (Link).

As the AMA title suggested, a lot of focus of this session was understandably on the OnePlus 3T. Hopefully, this session answered those questions that the community and users wanted answers for.

Check Out XDA's OnePlus 3T Forum >>

Check Out XDA's OnePlus 3 Forum >>



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2ggw7rD
via IFTTT

Nextbit Releases a Nougat Beta with Help from Paranoid Android

The folks behind the Nextbit Robin have announced they've begun beta tests for their upcoming Nougat release. For anyone who wants to participate, the company asks that you fill out this form to send in your request. However, they warn anyone who has made any type of modification to their phone to stay away from this Nougat beta. If you have made such modifications to your phone, you will want to revert back to stock before trying to install this update.

The interesting part about this Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Nextbit Robin is that they didn't do it alone. In fact, the company says their developers worked very closely with current members of the current Paranoid Android. Nextbit says they have "joined forces" to work on this new OTA update, and the result is a "faster, less power-hungry OS." The Paranoid Android brand is well known with the developer community, and Nextbit appreciates what they've been able to create.

If you remember, certain team members of Paranoid Android had to stop working on the project at one point in time when they were hired by OnePlus. This helped lead Paranoid Android to stop pushing out new releases, but then in June it was announced the AOSPA custom ROM would be relaunched. The current team has been releasing builds of Paranoid Android for the Nextbit Robin for a couple of months now.

Nextbit tells us they've been working closely with the Paranoid Android team by providing them with "kernel source code and system images" so they can test their custom ROM. This turned into discussions about how they could work closer together on the company's upcoming Nougat release. Nextbit was having some issues and the teams started to exchange "ideas, code, and resources" to help get NextbitOS running smoothly on Nougat.

So be sure to fill out the beta request form if you want to try out a beta version of Android 7.0 Nougat on your Nextbit Robin.

Source: Nextbit



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2frDxuC
via IFTTT

Google is Reportedly Rebranding “Google Cast” to “Chromecast Built-in”

In what is said to be the result of the company's newly formed hardware division, it's being reported that Google is currently in the process of phasing out the Google Cast brand. This comes as a surprise since they recently started pushing this name once 3rd-party companies started selling products with the streaming technology built in. Now, we're seeing multiple places where the term Google Cast is being phased out and replaced with the Chromecast branding.

It was back in March of this year when Google officially launched the Google Cast branding. The move seemed like a way for the company, and consumers, to know the difference between a Chromecast (which is a product) and the streaming technology it used (which was then labeled Google Cast). This made sense from an technical perspective, but this new report from Variety seems to indicate that Google wasn't happy with the changes.

The evidence given in this report starts by saying hardware partners like Vizio, Toshiba and Philips are now advertising their products with the new "Chromecast built-in" term. Then they cite a Twitter post from Google that says "From Google Cast to Chromecast. New name on Twitter, same device you know." Google has even started using the "Chromecast built-in" name on their own Google Cast page.

However, there are still some places, like the Android TV landing page, that still references it by the Google Cast name. So this whole thing seems to be a slowly phased out process that Google is currently in the middle of. The whole thing just seems confusing from a consumer standpoint. The quicker Google decides on, and sticks to, a name for their streaming technology, the better it will be for them and for consumers.

Let us know what you think is best? Were you a fan of the Google Cast name, or do you think Chromecast built-in is better since it helps to tie it to their Chromecast products?

Source: Variety



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gm993L
via IFTTT

Pixel XL Audio Mod Turns Ear Piece into Speaker

A lot of people were disappointing with the lack of front facing speakers on the Pixel XL. In this video, Miles shows us how this simple mod can turn your ear piece into a front facing speaker, on your rooted Pixel XL.

Check out this mod from the XDA forums here.



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2foWb34
via IFTTT

SD Association Announces an App Performance Class for Smartphones

Last year, Google release Android 6.0 Marshmallow a little more than one year ago. This update introduced a new feature that let you virtually add the amount of storage you had on a microSD card with your internal storage capacity. This was a surprising move as Google has generally not been a fan of SD cards. They removed SD card slots from their Nexus phones and didn't include one in the Pixel or Pixel XL.

Google's reasoning behind this move was due to performance issues. They don't want the customer to blame the phone or the operating system because of slow performance from an SD card. The people at the SD Association have acknowledged this issue and have just announced a new class of SD cards. The Application Performance Class was introduced in the organization's SD 5.1 specification and this comes with the first App Performance Class1 (otherwise known as A1).

This new Application Performance Class will evolve over time as hardware improves, but it serves as a way for consumers to know their microSD card is fast enough for applications. The A1 app Performance Class comes with minimum random read performance inputs/outputs per second (1500 IOPS), minimum random write performance (500 IOPS) and minimum sustained sequential performance (10 MB/sec).

It's unclear if this move will push companies like Google to offer better support for SD cards, but it's a great move for consumers who know what they're looking for. The SD Association is even taking steps to make it easy for the customer to know if they have the right SD card or not. In the video, they explain that the recommended App Performance Class will be printed on the box of their smartphones.

So if the OEM recommends you get an A1 class microSD card, then it will be placed right on the box. This way the customer knows to go into a store and buy a microSD card with the A1 rating.

Source: SD Association



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fp1Q9f
via IFTTT

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

What Do You Think of Enhanced Re-Releases of Smartphones?

The launch of the OnePlus 3T has caused an uproar among existing OnePlus 3 users. On one hand (objectively speaking) OnePlus has taken their best product yet and made it even better to stay ahead of the flagship market competition. On the other hand, the timing of the launch undermines the greatness of what the other flagship once was.

Similarly, other OEMs like ZTE have also taken to releasing second iteration of their flagship, with the launch of the ZTE Axon 7 Enhanced (which, to be fair, was available in other regions before). Other Chinese OEMs are also releasing different variants of the same phone with differences in processor, memory, storage and more right alongside the main launch, often denoting said differences with monikers like "Premium" or "plus". So our question to you is,

When is it alright to release an "upgraded" version of a flagship? After a particular amount of time, or at any time? How long should an OEM ideally wait to release an enhanced re-release? Should Android OEMs hold onto significant enhancements for a proper release cycle?

Let us know in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fCAAoM
via IFTTT

Android 7.1 Dev Preview 2 Images are Live for Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 9 and Pixel C

Not too long ago we received hints that we'd see a second 7.1.1 developer preview for Nexus devices, as the rollout process had reportedly begun yesterday. Now, we finally see the system images become available for select Nexus devices!

This is the final update to the Android 7.1 Developer preview before the final release, and it includes the developer features available on the Pixel and Pixel XL as well as extra optimization and bug fixes. If you are a developer, using this preview you will be able to make sure your apps are ready for 7.1.1 once it reaches consumers.

The update includes the features and APIs (level 25) included in the first developer preview, and Google is also updating the SDK build and platform tools in Android studio. The latest version of the support library (25.0.1) is available as well for you to add image keyboard support, bottom navigation and more to your apps running on devices running lower API levels.

Below you can find links to install the update on your Nexus or Pixel C. Alternatively, you can follow this link to find the same links and instructions. Finally, you can enroll for automatic OTA system updates in the Android Beta Program as well.

Device Download
Nexus 5X "bullhead"
bullhead-npf26f-factory-0e9ab286.zip
Nexus 6P "angler" angler-npf26f-factory-0cd1829d.zip
Pixel C "ryu" ryu-npf26h-factory-caed9427.zip
Nexus 9 "Volantis" volantis-npf26f-factory-c0591bf3.zip
Nexus 9 LTE "volantisg" volantisg-npf26f-factory-412bba4a.zip

You can also find the list of big fixes in Android DP2 here, but keep in mind many of these won't be present in this release. We'll keep you updated with the changes we find!

 



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fCzKrX
via IFTTT

Google Pixel NPF26J Update Brings Two New Gestures and More!

Updates and more usually begin off with the region of USA being amongst the first to experience it. But this time, it's Canadian users of the Google Pixel who are reporting of a new update rolling out for the smaller of the two Pixels by Google.

Clocking in at 261MB, this update is curiously rolling out to Canadian Pixel owners without a changelog in the official updater screen. The update build number is NPF26J, which does not really tell us much on the face of it. Redditors on the Google Pixel subforums however have noted that the build date for this release is October 26th. Compared to the previous NDE63V build with a build date of September 1st, this update likely involves a whole bunch of fixes that Google has managed to undertake in more than a months work. Further, the shift from the "P" development branch from the "D" development branch could be indicative of yet more changes.

Along with the presumed security and bug fixes, the NPF26J update brings in two new gestures to the Pixel. As spotted by eagle-eyed Redditors who received the update, the new "Moves" are Double-Tap-to-Wake and the Lift-to-Wake gestures. Custom ROM and several OEM skins have implemented features like these since a while now, and now the Google Pixel will also be joining in on the convenience.

moves

Both of the new gestures are enabled by default in the update, though you can disable them if you prefer not using them.

Meanwhile, word is floating around that a new Android 7.1.1 Dev Preview 2 is right around the corner. The upcoming builds are number NPF26F for the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus 9 and Android One, while the Pixel C will be getting NPF26H.

We are waiting on the official changelog of the update, along with requisite download links. We will inform our readers of new information soon.

What are your thoughts on the newest Android version updates? Have you received the update? Let us know in the comments below!



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fo50gG
via IFTTT

MediaTek’s UltraCast Technology Adds 4K Capabilities to Miracast

Miracast was launched back in 2012, and it allowed for a wireless connection from devices like a smartphone, tablet or laptop to other devices like TVs, monitors and projectors. Many people described this technology as HDMI over WiFi, and we saw a number of products using it as a selling point. As of April this year, the WiFi Alliance said there were over 5,000 devices that support this Miracast technology standard.

While there were a lot of reasons to get behind such a standard, it did have some pitfalls. For instance, the Miracast standard has "optional components" like Wireless Multimedia Extensions (WME) which is also known as WiFi Multimedia (WMM). This does improve the user experience when the component is used, but not all devices have it and that can lead to some issues when a user expects something that isn't here. The certification for Miracast also does not require a device meet certain latency requirements, so again, this can lead to some issues when a consumer expects their device to perform a certain way.

Nevertheless, Miracast is very convenient and MediaTek wanted to improve upon it. MediaTek describes it as the "first chipset-enabled streaming technology on the market that enables users to enjoy the stunning clarity of 4K video content generated by their smartphones and stream it wirelessly to a 4K-ready television or set-top box." But there are already other products on the market that do this (like the Chromecast Ultra for instance).

Competition is always good though, and it's nice to see MediaTek building upon an open standard and adding 4K support on top of the Miracast standard. MediaTek says this new chipset will be included in MediaTek Helio series smartphones, but doesn't go into detail as to which ones we can expect at this time. The company is also encouraging 3rd-party vendors to integrate this technology in their smartphones, TVs, set-top boxes and more.

Source: PR Newswire



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2gcLaCK
via IFTTT

Google Publishes November’s Cast SDK Release Notes

Along with the change log for the latest Google Play Services update, Google has also published the changes that went into the new Google Cast SDK update. The new update requires Google Repository revision 39, which is for version 10.0.x of Google Play Services. This brings some improvements to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scans, adds several improvements and bug fixes with the latest update to Firebase, and also brings back Nearby Notifications.

The November 21st update to the Google Cast SDK comes with support for the 4K video format. There's a new method in MediaStatus that gets the current instance of VideoInfo (a new class). The 4K video format is indicated by constants HDR_TYPE_*. There's another new method that exposes CastState, and that holds the current session state so the SDK knows if devices are available and whether or not a session has been established.

It also adds new @drawable button attributes so developers can customize button styles. It includes a fix for a bug that caused the image aspect ratio to be displayed incorrectly. There's a new method that exposes MediaRouteSelector that will describe the routing of media channels and streams. This will be used from the current sender device to the receiving screens, speakers, etc. Sender apps will be able to discover and use these routes, but most developers can ignore this since version 3 of the framework SDK does this automatically.

There are two new classes that have been added for ad breaks. They are AdBreakclipInfo and AdBreakStatus, and they'll hold static information like the clip's ID, content URL, mime type, total duration, playback position, and click-through URL. This update includes the ability for the sender device to turn off Remote Control Notifications as well (a new feature that was recently added. Lastly, all methods within CastContext that your app calls must be called from the main thread. If an application fails to do this, then an Exception will be thrown.

Source: Google Developers



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2ge7EH5
via IFTTT

Google Play Services and Firebase to Drop Support for Gingerbread in Early 2017

This week, Google announced some future plans that they have for both Google Play Services, as well as Firebase for Android. Google Play Services version 10.0.x is what is currently available and this will continue to support Gingerbread devices. Things will be changing with the upcoming 10.2.x release though, and Google says this will be made to the public sometime "in early 2017." We don't know exactly when, but it will likely happen within the first quarter of next year.

Since Gingerbread is a 6-year-old platform, Google feels they will be able to provide a more robust collection of tools for Android developers once they no longer have to support the platform. The latest Android distribution numbers, which were released in November, say that only 1.3% of active devices (connecting to the Play Store) are using the Gingerbread OS. So we've already seen developers drop support for this version anyway.

Google reminds developers that they will still be able to use Google Play Services and Firebase as they are today. It's just that new features that get added will not be able to be able to work on these devices since they can't update to version 10.2.x. So developers have the option of publishing an application that targets API level 14 (which is what Google recommends), or you can build multiple APKs that specifically support an API level less than 14. You should be able to do this with build variants within Gradle.

Google has also published the official change log for Google Play Services version 10.0. Along with a warning that Gingerbread support is being dropped soon, this update includes some changes to the Cast API, some improvements to Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scans, the reintroduction of Nearby Notifications and some improvements and bug fixes from the latest update of Firebase.

Source: Android Developers Blog



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fnyN9A
via IFTTT

Projekt ScriBt Eases Android ROM Building by Providing an Interactive Interface

Projekt ScriBt is a Bash Shell Script for Linux systems that helps users in the process of building an Android ROM from source. The script issues prompts that guide a new developer in learning how to build a ROM from source.



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fNRsMk
via IFTTT

Monday, November 21, 2016

OnePlus 3T XDA Review: What Has Changed, and by How Much

The OnePlus 3T quickly became a controversial release for OnePlus — while the company has managed to make a great smartphone even better, many wish they knew ahead of time that the best was yet to come, especially those who bought the OnePlus 3 very recently.

Most importantly, perhaps, is the fact that OnePlus 3 sales are being discontinued, meaning the OnePlus 3T will be the company's flagship moving forward. While OnePlus assured us the OnePlus 3 will still get software updates right alongside the OnePlus 3T (after they synchronize the schedule), it's this new set of hardware and these improved specifications that OnePlus customers will receive moving forward. So the question in everyone's mind (and especially OnePlus 3 owners) is whether the OnePlus 3T offers a substantially better experience than what the previous variant offers. Not everything is new, but the changes that it brings do impact key areas of the user experience — the cameras, the processor, storage and battery capacity. Do these elements manage to shine through, and is the OnePlus 3T a replacement worth the controversy? After about ten days with the phone, I can report back on some of the key differences and the conclusions I've arrived to.

Before we get started, note that this review will not be as lengthy nor as extensive as our usual XDA reviews. This is simply because other than the specified changes we'll cover below, the phone is basically the same as the OnePlus 3. Those who do want more specific on factors like audio and the display can head over to our original OnePlus 3 review. As always, let's get the specification sheet out of the way first (changes will be highlighted):

Device Name: OnePlus 3 Release Date/Price Available Now, U$D 439 | U$D 479 for 64GB | 128GB
Android Version 6.0.1 (OxygenOS ROM) Display 5.5 inch 1080p AMOLED (401 ppi)
Chipset Snapdragon 821, Quad Core 2x 2.35GHz 2x 1.6GHz, Adreno 530 GPU Battery 3,400mAh, Dash Charge (5V 4A)
RAM 6GB LPDDR4 Sensors Fingerprint, Hail, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Proximity, Ambient Light, Electronic Compass
Storage 64GB | 128GB UFS 2.0 Connectivity USB 2.0 Type C, Dual nano-SIM slot, 3.5mm audio jack
Dimensions 152.7 x 74.7 x 7.35 cm (~73% screen-to-body) Rear Camera 16MP Sony IMX 298 Sensor, 1.12μm, OIS, EIS 2.0, PDAF, f/2.0, RAW support, 4K 30FPS / 720p 120FPS video, Sapphire Glass
Weight 158g Front Camera 16MP Samsung 3P8SP, 1.0μm, EIS, Fixed Focus, f/2.0, 1080p 30FPS video

Design & Build Quality

The design of the OnePlus 3T is the same as that of the OnePlus 3 down to dimensions and weight, despite the slight changes in internal hardware. The OnePlus 3T will be available in two colors, Gunmetal Grey for the 64GB and 128GB variants, and Soft Gold will also become available for the 64GB variant later on. We got to use the 128GB Gunmetal variant, which sells for $479. OnePlus says that part of the reason for this new color is to differentiate the new OnePlus 3T from the OnePlus 3 which came in Soft Gold and Graphite variants, especially as the Graphite color option is being discontinued with the OnePlus 3. However, it does make me wonder why this would be a reason for the change if there will be a shared color option between the OnePlus 3 and the 3T anyway.

img_20161120_143137 img_20161120_143237

Leaving that aside, the OnePlus 3T's Gunmetal color is actually a welcome change. I originally had the OnePlus 3 Graphite, but then ended up getting a Soft Gold OnePlus which I thought looked better. The Gunmetal OnePlus 3T has actually become my favorite of the three, and it's a hard preference to describe to those not looking at it in person. Indeed, promotional material doesn't show the difference between this color and the previous Graphite OnePlus 3 very clearly, and other OnePlus 3 owners I've met in person had trouble recognizing I was using the new phone (under embargo, this isn't quite a bad thing).

img_20161120_143037 img_20161120_143017

The Gunmetal back looks like what you'd expect — essentially a darker Graphite color option, and not quite black (which seems to be a new trend among OEMs). The edges, too, are slightly different and the chamfers shine as brightly as they did one the OnePlus 3 all over the edges and ports, but they stand out a bit more in my opinion because of the overall-darker tone of this new device. Another accent that I've noticed is different is the ring around the camera, which is still shiny but not quite the silver chrome look of the OnePlus 3; it's a tad darker which helps it match the overall aesthetic of the device. Also, do keep in mind that all OnePlus 3 cases will work with this phone as they share the same dimensions, and I've had no issues with fitting the phone in my old cases (but as users of the official cases would know, getting the phone out is a different story). As a final note, frequent readers of my reviews know loose buttons are my pet peeve — but this unit has, hands down, the sturdiest buttons I've tested. Sadly, the vibration motor is still weak and puny.


Software Design & UX

Perhaps the saddest part about booting up the OnePlus 3T was finding that it doesn't run the "Stock-like" kind of OxygenOS that the OnePlus 3 shipped with and currently supports as official, stable firmware. With the OnePlus 3T, the software in the community builds becomes the main ROM for the device moving forward, with all its new features and the new aesthetics as well. OnePlus has undoubtedly received a lot of feedback regarding the community builds (they have a dedicated app for that) and they've been incorporating the changes and fixes that the community requests; if you don't like the fact that OnePlus is straying from the more Stock Android approach to the UI, do send feedback their way and make yourself heard.

OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3

Above and below you will find galleries comparing the user interface of the OnePlus 3 (non-community software) and the OnePlus 3T. As you can see, there are many changes to the UI in terms of color palette and iconography (luckily, not all of it), both of which deviate in great part from the Stock Android design language. This isn't terrible in itself as the user interface does end up looking decent in its own right, and at the very least it's one of the better OEM skins out there. Some changes, such as the Android N-inspired notification pulldown, are actually quite well-realized and functionally useful. However, there are many aesthetic and functional inconsistencies, some of which carry on from the community builds; I've passed them along to OnePlus and they assured me the phone would receive a firmware update in the following days that will improve the ROM in general for those receiving the device.

OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3

Some of these inconsistencies are: the brightness slider has the "material green" color even when UI accents don't (default theme) and the option isn't offered; on left-most screens, stock wallpapers  incorporate the infamous "gaussian blur" many OEMs (particularly from Asia) are incorporating, and this is sadly tied to the wallpaper (like a live wallpaper) across other launchers as well; the reboot menu is always slow no matter your animation settings and does not adjust to landscape orientations. These are some of the more glaring inconsistencies, and I've forwarded them along so they will likely get addressed in the future.

OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3

screenshot_20161116-183830What about features? Those not used to the community builds will find many of these features to be new, but OnePlus 3 owners who ventured into that beta software will find a lot to be the same. In fact, the OnePlus 3T ships with Oxygen 3.5.1, and although the community builds have gone past 3.5.5, the device comes with features from the latter builds. In the UI, these features include the aforementioned custom notification menu and status bar (system UI tuner is also present, for those that like that) and a recent apps "clear all" mode option (either close apps or also clear background processes and cache).

Then there are new gestures such as "flip to mute" (flip device to stop mute an incoming call), "three-finger screenshot" (swipe with free fingers for a screenie), and the ability to block unwanted contacts. Also, expanded screenshot functionality will come in a future update according to OnePlus, and options such as screen calibration and the dark theme remain almost as good as always (the accent options aren't particularly appealing, if you ask me).

Another feature that came to the community builds and that I've greatly enjoyed is the ability to lock apps behind a PIN or fingerprint scan; this isn't anything new in Android, but it's very well implemented and the screen is aesthetically attractive too. Overall, OxygenOS expands on the feature set of the OnePlus 3's versions but also makes some radical changes to the user interface; I personally got used to the new UI and eventually came to accept it, but part of me still wishes it looked more similar to what the OnePlus 3 offered at launch. That being said, OnePlus' software has been iterating rapidly so perhaps Nougat will bring a UI refresh.


Performance

The OnePlus 3 was one of the best smartphones when it came to real-world performance, and it still happens to be one of the fastest and most consistent Snapdragon 820 devices we've tested. To recap some of the devices achievements off our review, it not only scored higher than other Snapdragon 820 devices in synthetic benchmarks, but it also had very impressive thermals and showed no signs of throttling; even under very intense endurance tests, including over 30 minutes (and up to an hour) of continuous GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 loops, the device throttled less than competing Snapdragon 820 devices. If you'd like to read more about that, head over to the performance section of our OnePlus 3 review, or the dedicated thermals & throttling analysis we did for the device as well.

geekbench4 3dmark

The OnePlus 3T's only real change in terms of horsepower comes from the Snapdragon 821 processor bump. Ultimately, that's only the increment you are looking at: the CPU's performance cluster goes from 2.15GHz to 2.35GHz, but the power-efficient cluster stays at 1.6GHz (which is not the maximum for this set, as it can go up to 2GHz like Qualcomm originally listed, but that's not a bad thing) and the GPU does see a bump in frequency as well. Because this isn't quite the configuration advertised by Qualcomm, their listed performance percentage improvements are not going to show in synthetic benchmarks. This much is true, and the OnePlus 3T does bring improvements to synthetic benchmarks scores, but these are very slight — less than 10% in most cases. Above you can find a list of benchmarks comparing both devices. All in all, and as far as Snapdragon-featuring devices go, the OnePlus 3T is the best  performer in synthetic benchmarks that we've tested, and that makes it slightly more future-proof in the end.

OP3T OP3

When it comes to throttling and thermals, the OnePlus 3T has quite a legacy to live up to. And unsurprisingly it does endure just fine, as we've run our 3DMark and GFXBench endurance tests under controlled conditions on both devices at the same time and found that, overall, temperature remained nearly identical with a fluctuating difference of about ±0.5°C, and overall throttling was also similar and below 5% on both devices. The OnePlus 3T did ultimately sustain a higher score in these tests, as expected, meaning that the extra bump in graphics performance doesn't vanish the moment you stress the processor. In fact, they typically throttle at about the same point, and even when throttled the OnePlus 3T performs better than the OnePlus 3 at its peak. In real-world, day-to-day usage I haven't felt the OnePlus 3T get even close to toasty. As for gaming performance over time, the OnePlus 3T expectedly maxes out games with 30FPS caps and sustains that framerate as well as the OnePlus 3 did — in today's Android gaming scene, there's no reason for you to need that extra bit of graphics performance anyway, as the OnePlus 3 has plenty of GPU prowess left unused.

What about real-world performance? Perhaps the most shocking part of reviewing the OnePlus 3T is that this area is more of a mixed bag. Let's start with the good part, though: OnePlus claimed that the OnePlus 3T would be faster at launching applications, something I was very skeptical of at first given the phones ultimately pack the same storage solution, and that the boost in CPU and GPU performance would most certainly contribute very, very little to app opening speeds. Surprisingly enough, OnePlus wasn't lying about the performance boost to opening apps and despite the similar hardware, the OnePlus 3T can be up to 20% faster at opening certain apps.

oneplus3tappopen oneplus3appopen

To put this to the test, I measured app opening speeds of Chrome, Hangouts, the Play Store and Gmail using Discomark on both devices, after a factory reset, on the same network and at the same time. You can find the results above in a boxplot to see the variance as well. Opening games like Asphalt 8 is also noticeably faster on the OnePlus 3T, and these changes are reportedly coming from an improved filesystem OnePlus implemented on this device. These are essentially changes to software algorithms and it's not unlike what Huawei and Honor employ on their devices, which also show extremely good app opening speeds.

I reached out to OnePlus and asked if these filesystem changes would eventually arrive to the OnePlus 3's main firmware, but the representative was not confident enough at this time to say if they would. However, I was made aware that the improved filesystem is actually present in the community ROM. Ultimately, this improvement builds upon what already was one of the fastest devices of the year anyway, and I'm sure many people wouldn't perceive the speed improvement in day-to-day operation… but the optimization is there and it's measurable; if you are a gamer, it's even more noticeable too.

OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3 OP3T OP3

While app opening speeds have been great, I haven't been too impressed with actual real-world fluidity and smoothness on this device (particularly when halving animation speed) after experiencing the OnePlus 3. While the original OnePlus 3 on the original OxygenOS felt surprisingly fluid from the start, the OnePlus 3T hasn't felt quite as smooth for me. It's not laggy by any means, but it's also not hard to find microstutters when swiping through long lists and they are even found across certain UI elements like the notification panel, although these are small and infrequent. Furthermore, comparing (using GPU Profiling) the OnePlus 3T side-by-side to the OnePlus 3 running the official, Stock-like Oxygen firmware reveals very similar performance patterns as the location of the bars are typically the same for the same actions, but the the spikes and stutters are usually slightly worse on the OnePlus 3T.  I do attribute this to the stark changes in software OnePlus has been making, but also due to the fact that this is a new device and it's running pre-release software. As I said earlier, OnePlus says they'll release an OTA shortly after the device goes on sale so that users will have a "release build" available right after they unbox their phone. For now, the OnePlus 3T is perfectly usable, but it feels slightly less-optimized than the OnePlus 3 was at launch.


Camera

While OnePlus was vague about the changes to the camera user experience in press releases, I was able to confirm that the back camera of the OnePlus 3T is the same as the OnePlus 3's in both hardware and software for pictures. The OnePlus 3T does pack EIS 2.0 for shooting video, and you can find a comparison below, but as far as actual pictures go the OnePlus 3 is the same as this new device. You can find a comparison of the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T, with the former running the latest community build for the latest camera software, below this paragraph — as you can see, there really isn't any stark difference in the image processing, and the resulting images look very similar (any variations could be attributed to the slight different in positioning and focus point). The only advantage the rear camera has on the OnePlus 3T outside of video is the "sapphire glass" lens, a welcome addition given many people had complained the basic glass on the OnePlus 3's rear camera was easily scratchable.

OnePlus 3T OnePlus 3

The new EIS 2.0 for the back camera's video is not something you can toggle (always on by default), and I'd say it's noticeable even in the viewfinder similar to that of the Pixel XL — in fact, OnePlus confirmed to me that it is a gyro-based solution similar to what Google implemented. That being said, it is nowhere near as extreme as the Pixel XL's, and also not as effective. This is both a good and a bad thing, because while it's not as impressive it's also more fluid than what the OnePlus 3 offered, and overall subtle enough that there is no real need for a toggle anyway (although, an option would be nice anyway). You can find comparisons between the OP3T and OP3 as well as the OP3T and Pixel XL below, note the 1080p 60FPS shooting mode on the OnePlus 3T in particular and how it's different from the Pixel XL's results. Finally, I was told by OnePlus that the updated EIS would find its way to the OnePlus 3 in the future, although no specific timeline was given.

Not unlike other EIS solutions, it can cause some slight distortions on the sides of the video as well. Overall, though, the feature is a net positive and it improves the video experience over that of the OnePlus 3, which to be fair has improved quite a bit anyway since we originally reviewed it. I also notice that video on the OnePlus 3T seems to handle exposure changes and saturation slightly differently, but these modifications in particular are likely coming in a future update for the OnePlus 3.

OnePlus 3T OnePlus 3
img_20161111_095247

Selfie Sample

The biggest change in the OnePlus 3's camera experience is found in the front camera, which upgrades to a Samsung 3P8SP sensor with a resolution of 16MP instead of 8MP. I've seen incorrect opinions floating around stating that just because this is a Samsung sensor (and specifically not a Sony sensor like the previous one), and because of the aperture being the same and the pixel size being smaller, it'd perform worse in low-light. I'm happy to report that that's not the case, as seen in both the staged tests below as well as regular selfies.

Ultimately, the camera is both sharper and better in medium to low light, colors are better in my opinion as well, and the resolution bump makes it even more of a thorough upgrade over the previous camera. I am not sure just how much of the improvement come from the sensor and how much comes from the software tweaks and optimizations that come alongside it, but overall I've been satisfied with the front camera more than I was on the OnePlus 3. I am not a selfie guy, though, and I presume that most of our readers aren't either.


Battery & Battery Life

This is perhaps the most controversial aspect of the OnePlus 3T release, because battery life is always something people almost-universally want more of. Last time we were only able to confirm the voltage change (from 4.35V to 4.4V) on the OnePlus 3T's battery, and that the battery remained the same size. People quickly jumped to inductive reasoning and made a few dangerous inferences (please don't tweak your battery's voltage), but now we can clear up some misconceptions. OnePlus has confirmed to me that the battery chemistry and electrolyte solution is indeed different, so this is not the exact same battery despite being the same size. Moreover, peak energy capacity (not considering nominal voltage) is now 14.96Wh (people wrongly assumed it had remained constant, in part because I couldn't disclose changes to battery chemistry and energy density) and, as listed in the spec sheet, this is a 3,400mAh battery. So, with that out of the way, we are working with a battery that's ~13% bigger in terms of mAh, the metric we are all most familiar with (for better or worse).

pcmark

PCMark Work Battery Life OnePlus 3T (Oxygen 3.5.1) OnePlus 3 (Oxygen 3.2.7)
Min. Brightness 9 h 02 m 7 h 21 m

What does this mean for endurance with the OnePlus 3T? Above you will find the scores of PCMark Work Battery Life 2.0 benchmark running on both devices, after a factory reset with disabled background services and at minimum brightness. Just like expected, the OnePlus 3T drains at a similar rate but lasts longer due to the added capacity, and perhaps the slight boost in efficiency due to the SoC change (but I doubt this makes a difference in most use cases). In fact, the boost of 13% battery puts the OnePlus 3T's time score per mAh very close to that of the 3,4500mAh Pixel XL, as seen in our review. In any case, the battery increase is indeed there and it's palpable when looking for it through benchmarks, but it also makes a difference in real-world usage as we'll see below. As for Dash Charge, I was able to confirm that the charging rate and the breakpoints remain the same; it's the same algorithm, basically, but it does take slightly longer to charge given the battery has a larger capacity. That said, each percentage point represents more battery life time anyway.

oneplus3t oneplus3 op3tcurrent op3current

I was actually pretty impressed with the regular OnePlus 3's longevity, and in our review I noted that it wasn't hard for me to hit 5 to 6 hours of screen-on-time on a relatively normal day with above-average WiFi usage. With the OnePlus 3T, I see up to 7 hours of screen-on-time on WiFi, and about 5 to 6 with medium-to-heavy usage with periods of LTE. On very heavy usage days, such as the kind of days I went through this week at the Snapdragon Summit, I still got a surprising amount of use out of this phone — taking notes on docs, while recording the talks and managing the team through Hangouts and Slack all on LTE still allowed for 4 hours of usage, even if I had to charge earlier than I expected.

Light Usage Light Usage Medium Usage Medium Usage Heavy Usage Heavy Usage

Overall, I have had better battery life than on the OnePlus 3 and even than on the Pixel XL (despite the difference in PCMark scores, which doesn't take into account radio drain, digitizer usage, nor the particular quirks of real apps and actual usage).


Storage

Finally, we arrive to storage — a rather simple thing to describe, really, as both employ UFS 2.0 storage but the difference lies in maximum capacity. There is a 64GB variant selling for $440, but the real story here is the new $480 OnePlus 3T with 128GB of storage. I personally find that much storage to be overkill for my usage, but given that the lack of microSD support was a qualm many had with the original OnePlus 3, I am sure some people will welcome it. Also keep in mind that because the software component of various levels take up a chunk of space, the usable storage is a bit higher than double on the OnePlus 3T. The OnePlus 3T has 113.22GB of total storage, while the OnePlus 3 has a total storage of 52.67GB.


You don't get to choose, sadly

With the OnePlus 3 being discontinued, the OnePlus 3T is what people looking into purchasing a OnePlus device have as their only option for the foreseeable future, unless they want to go for a third-party reseller or opt for a new device. We are aware that many people are upset at this release, and truth be told we have a lot of OnePlus 3 owners in our staff that had negative feelings towards the decision. If you are interested in knowing why OnePlus created the OnePlus 3T, you can check out our article on the matter. Before I present my closing comments, I want to reiterate I only covered the differences between the OnePlus 3T and its predecessor because re-reviewing the entire device would be a waste, and for a comprehensive look at other aspects you can check out our in-depth review. Finally, I am also aware that this review is perhaps best understood by someone that has had experience with the OnePlus 3 before, and I admit it's in great part aimed at OnePlus 3 owners here on XDA but also on other communities like OnePlus' official forums and reddit. Nevertheless, I hope all readers got some good information out of it.

If I had to summarize the OnePlus 3T in one statement, it'd be that OnePlus managed to make a great thing even better. Either directly or indirectly, the improvements that the company applied to the 3T are also things that many people complained about with the first release. For example, the extra storage should please those discontent with the lack of microSD, the sapphire camera glass will ease the concerns of those critical of the camera-bump by reducing the glass' fragility, the front camera is a welcome improvement and the faster processor and bigger battery are both aspects that people looking for OnePlus phones universally appreciate. In terms of hardware, the OnePlus 3T is one of the best devices of 2016 regardless of the price, but it's an even sweeter deal given it's still nearly half the price of the Pixel XL with the same storage configuration (after taxes, to be fair)

At the same time, the OnePlus 3T solidified OxygenOS' trajectory which strayed from the Stock-like approach that captured our attention so many months ago (well, perhaps not so many). I personally hope that Nougat brings the more-Stock approach once more, or at least an option to make Oxygen look like Stock Nougat which is pretty in itself and doesn't need any adulteration. But that's my opinion, and you are free to disagree: OxygenOS on the OnePlus 3T is perfectly serviceable and its features remain thoughtful and well-executed. Real-world performance is good although not as impressive of a package as the OnePlus 3 was at the time, although this could easily be addressed with a software update, and the hardware in there is more than capable of handling anything out today from applications to 3D games.

I might be partially breaking our long-standing review tradition of not telling customers what to buy, but if you were to ask me whether you should upgrade from a OnePlus 3, I would say no — well, not unless you have a ton of disposable income laying around. The OnePlus 3T doesn't make the OnePlus 3 any worse, but it does put it a step down from "the best" out there, at least certainly the best from OnePlus. I do think it would have been a good move to keep the OnePlus 3 around, although I understand that handling two different demand channels with two different sets of orders for manufacturing components would likely be troublesome (the company has enough trouble meeting demand as it is). There is something psychologically appealing about a $400 price-point, and the $440 OnePlus 3T deviates a bit from that even if you could argue its bang-per-buck is slightly larger. But for $440 and $480, the OnePlus 3T is an excellent device that thoroughly improves upon many aspects of its short-lived predecessor. 

A final point of concern is that the developer community will be divided by this release. Prominent and respected developers like flar2 and Sultanxda had stated that they won't support the OnePlus 3T, and their reasons are valid as well — it's a lot of trouble for an unexpected move by OnePlus. Do know that XDA administrators will work with OnePlus and the community to make sure the fissure is as small as it can be, and help in any way we can. We will likely be talking more about this in the coming weeks and months.


What do you think of the OnePlus 3T? Will you be getting one? Let us know your opinion below!

Check Out XDA's OnePlus 3T Forum >>

Check Out XDA's OnePlus 3 Forum >>



from xda-developers http://ift.tt/2fVkTto
via IFTTT