Tuesday, July 31, 2018

Motorola Moto G5 gets Android 8.1 Oreo soak test in Brazil

It's raining soak tests for Lenovo's Moto G5-lineup. It began with the Moto G5S Plus receiving its Android Oreo 8.1 soak test, followed by the Moto G5 Plus. Now, the Motorola Moto G5 (device codename: cedric) is receiving the love as soak tests for Android Oreo have begun in Brazil and other regions.

As shared with us by Telegram user @alanmax_tech, the Android 8.1 update comes in at a decent 1108 MB in size and has build number 28.85-3. As seen with the previous soak tests, the update also brings along the July 2018 Android security patch.

As usual, the changelog for the update includes:

Android 8.1 Oreo: many enhancements including new multitasking features, more efficient notification controls, improved data saver and battery features, new power menu UI and Bluetooth improvements.

Users in Brazil and other eligible countries who want to participate in this soak test need to enroll their device to Motorola's Feedback Network (MFN). Soak tests are essentially closed betas, rolled out to a select number of participants who have previously volunteered for the same. These volunteers use the new update as regular users, and report back bugs through the available feedback routes. Once all critical bugs are ironed out, the stable update is pushed to all users.

With the Moto G5S Plus, Moto G5 Plus and now the Moto G5 — all going through soak testing, only the Moto G5S remains from Moto's G5 portfolio from 2017. We expect the soak test for Moto G5S to arrive soon as well. Hopefully, all the devices pass through their tests and actually receive their stable Android Oreo updates before Google gets the chance to release the next version of Android to the public.


Check out XDA's Motorola Moto G5 Forums!



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Specs for Motorola One, upcoming Android One phone with a notch, appear on TENAA

Lenovo is on track to host a major event at the Motorola headquarters in Chicago, USA on August 2, 2018. This event will mark a "big announcement", with Motorola teasing its users to "Say Hello to a whole new way to connect, stream, download, video chat, and more". While this big announcement is very likely the rumored Moto Z3 flagship, Lenovo may also announce the upcoming Motorola One and Motorola One Power.

Motorola One

The Motorola One has passed through Chinese certification authority TENAA, giving us a very good look at what to expect of this device. This device is expected to be an Android One device from Motorola, coming in with a dual rear camera setup and a glass-body as shown off in the TENAA renders.

The TENAA listing for the Motorola One (XT1943-1) indicates that the device will come with a 6.18″ notched FHD+ LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2246 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. Physical dimensions of the device are reported to be 155.8 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm, with a reported weight of 170 g. The phone is likely sporting a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, which will be paired with options of 3, 4 and 6GB RAM and 32, 64 and 128GB of internal storage. MicroSD expansion of up to 128GB is also available on the device.

On the back of the Motorola One is a dual rear camera setup comprising of a 16MP main sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. The front camera is a 12MP sensor.

The Motorola One will launch with Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. The battery capacity on this device is 2,820 mAh, which is substantially lower than the 4,850 mAh reported for the Motorola One Power.

Specifications Motorola One
Display Size and Type 6.18″ notched FHD+ LCD display
Display Resolution and Aspect Ratio  1080 x 2246 pixels; 19:9
Dimensions 155.8 x 75.9 x 8.9 mm
Weight 170 g
SoC Octa Core CPU, Clocked at maximum of 1.8GHz
(Likely the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636)
RAM 3GB/4GB/6GB
Internal Storage 32GB/64GB/128GB
MicroSD Expandability Upto 128GB
Rear Camera 16 MP + 5 MP
Front Camera 12MP
Battery Capacity 2,820 mAh
Network Frequency 900MHz, 1800MHz, 1900MHz, 800MHz, 2GHz, Band 38, Band 39, Band 40, Band 41 (2555-2575 MHZ, 2575-2635 MHZ, 2635-2655 MHZ), Band 1, Band 3, 1.9GHz, I, 2 , 5, 8
Color Availability Black, Silver, Gold

Source: TENAA



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Xiaomi may also be working on a foldable phone to compete with Samsung

Xiaomi Mi 7

Many smartphone OEMs these days are working feverishly to shrink the bezels of their smartphones as much as possible. Going as far as to using gears and mechanical parts to tuck away the camera sensor (which I think isn't as bad as others have made it out to be). However, for the last 3-4 years, these companies have also been working on a long-term project as well. These engineers feel that some type of foldable smartphone in the future and some of these companies have been pouring millions of dollars (or more) into the project. For the longest time Samsung has been very verbal about their plan for their first foldable smartphone project, but this month it looks like they will be facing some challengers. Xiaomi is one of these competitors, according to a news report from etnews just recently.

Samsung had previously announced that they would have a prototype of their vision in the 3rd quarter of 2017 with mass production actually beginning in 2018. That timeline has come and gone and whether that is the fault of management or specific employees is currently unknown. We do know that Samsung has been talking about putting an in-display fingerprint scanner in their flagships for the last couple of years and each time the feature just never made it into the final product.

So we can see how difficult it is for Samsung to hit a deadline on products and features when they announce their timelines so far ahead. It was believed that Samsung would be the first smartphone OEM to have a foldable smartphone available for customers to buy but Huawei recently announced they would end up becoming the world's first. Huawei is a big company and the report said that supply will be limited due to a lack of foldable displays.

Now, a new report from etnews says that Xiaomi (along with OPPO) is also looking into the technology and could be working on something in their lab. The report says that these companies will be will be taking a different approach to the design. For instance, Samsung and Huawei are said to be working on an in-folding method where the display folds inwards. But Xiaomi is currently testing an out-folding method that would have the two screens facing outward.

They didn't mention any specifics, but did say both Xiaomi and OPPO are planning to purchase their supply of foldable displays from unnamed Chinese panelists.


Source: etnews



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Everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is scheduled to be announced on August 9th at 11 am at the Barclays Center in New York. This is in a little less than 2 weeks from now. It's hard for Samsung to keep this all under wraps because of how high profile this device is. We have seen leaks that go from official renders to software information to hardware specifications to the launch of the phone itself. It's sometimes hard to find all of this information, so here is a roundup of everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9. We will be updating this with information as we learn it.


Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Design

The design of the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Note 8. They look almost the same. The Galaxy Note 9 is slightly smaller in the top and bottom bezel, but also slightly thicker. The phone was going to have thicker glass, but Samsung delayed the launch for 2 weeks in order to make the glass thinner and better. On the top bezel, Samsung has added a slightly larger earpiece grill compared to the Galaxy Note 8. This is to make room for the new speaker which will be similar to the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Note 9 will have the AKG Tuned stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos support. Our source who has used the Note 9 hands-on says that the design of the device matches that of the renders perfectly. The device will most likely be made out of 7000 series aluminum like the Galaxy S9 and S9+, though we can not confirm this. The Note 9 will also be IP 68 water resistant which will allow for water submersion of 1.5 meters for 30 minutes.

samsung galaxy note 9

Source: evleaks

Source: Nieuwe Mobiel

The back of the device will change just a little. Samsung is keeping the camera array horizontal instead of vertical like the Galaxy S9 and S9+. They are also putting the fingerprint scanner under the camera array instead of next to it. When the fingerprint scanner was next to the camera, it was widely known as being a horrible position and hated by many. The health sensor next to the camera flash will support heart rate, blood oxygen, and blood pressure, just like the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The fingerprint scanner takes design cues from the S9 and moves it under the camera array. There is also a difference in the camera array. The area around the cameras is the color of the phone. On previous phones, like the Note 8 and S9, the color around the camera was black.

The phone is going to come in four colors: Coral Blue, Brown, Lilac Purple, and Midnight Black. We don't have the official name for the brown color yet. The purple, brown, and black colors come with S Pens that match the color of the phone. The blue phone comes with a yellow S Pen. The color of the S Pen has nothing to do with the hardware in it. The only thing special about the yellow S Pen is the color itself.


Samsung Galaxy Note 9 S Pen

The new Galaxy Note 9 is going to come with a new S Pen. Our source was calling it a "smart S Pen." This is because the phone will connect to the S Pen with Bluetooth. The new S Pen can be used as a camera shutter button, slideshow controller, or music controller. We were able to confirm the camera control and music controls in an APK teardown of the AirCommand app from the Galaxy Tab S4. We were also able to find a feature that allows for the S Pen to be able to unlock the phone. Our source was able to go into more detail saying that it would also control slideshows. The S Pen will have integration into games like Fortnite. We don't know how, but our source said the new smart S Pen will be able to control Fortnite in some way.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Bluetooth S Pen confirmed via Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 firmware

The S Pen is supposed to last for around 200 clicks of the button with Bluetooth. It is also supposed to be able to charge in about 40 seconds. To charge the S Pen you will just insert it into the S Pen socket in the bottom of the phone. With this charging speed and amount of clicks, we can guess the battery size of the S Pen will be around 50 mAh, so it won't make much of a difference in the 4000 mAh battery inside the phone. We do not know the exact size of the S Pen battery, but it will be small.

Source: WinFuture

We were able to find a lot of the new S Pen features in the strings of the app from the Galaxy Tab S4 firmware. Here is a summary of all the new features we were able to confirm:

  • Control music with the S Pen. This will probably allow you to control music like you can with earbuds by pressing the play/pause button. The S Pen button will probably let you play and pause music while also allowing you to skip music tracks.
  • Use the S Pen as a remote camera shutter. This could be useful in situations where you want to take a picture of yourself and prop up your phone.
  • You will be able to remotely unlock your phone if the S Pen was removed from the phone and then the phone locks.
  • You will be able to press the S Pen button to do more in a range of apps. We don't know about what other integrations with apps the S Pen will have, though, as the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 hasn't launched.
  • Press and hold the Pen button to open any app or S Pen feature.
  • Set up single and double press Pen actions.

The S Pen will have all of the same features as the old S Pen. You will have the on-screen notepad on the Always On Display. The Coral Blue phone with the yellow S Pen will have yellow ink for this notepad, while the other colors should be white. Live Drawings for the Note 9 is going to be updated with new backgrounds, new ink styles, AR Emoji support, and the ability to export the drawings as an MP4 video. The new ink styles will be hearts, snow, and a color changing rainbow option.


Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Camera

The cameras on the Galaxy Note 9 will be an upgrade over those of the Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S9+. Our source, who owns a Galaxy Note 8, said that the camera on the Note 9 is noticeably better than that of the Note 8. He also said that it is better than the S9+. The camera aperture will be f/2.4 and f/1.5, just like the S9+. There are also rumors of the Note 9 camera using AI depending on the scenery with an AI filter on it.

Samsung ISOCELL Plus Technology

Samsung might be using the new ISOCELL Plus technology showcased at MWC Shanghai. This would allow for better color accuracy and light sensitivity. Pictures could be more color accurate and hold more color information. This could result in more vibrant and true to life pictures. It would also mean videos would have better color accuracy. This could help with HDR support on the camera. The better light sensitivity would also make low light photos better. This could also improve super slow-mo to allow for the ability to record the videos in more lighting conditions than we currently can. Super slow-mo is also changing just a little. It will be 960fps for 0.2 seconds when recording in the auto mode. While recording in the manual mode it will be 480fps for 0.4 seconds. These changes will not seem like much but really make a difference. The difference between 480fps and 960fps is a noticeable one. The normal slow motion will also support 240fps at 1080p.


Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Specifications

The Galaxy Note 9 is going to launch with 128GBs of storage and 6GBs of RAM for the base model. The phone will have either a Snapdragon 845 or Exynos 9810, depending on your region. The Snapdragon model will be in North America, Latin America, Japan, Hong Kong, and China. The rest of the world will get the Exynos model. That is the only part of the phone that is region dependent. The phone is going to have UFS 2.1 storage for faster transfer speeds. It is going to come with a 6.3″ WQHD+ display. The display is supposed to be about 10% brighter than that of the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The phone is going to have a 4,000 mAh battery. This is 500 mAh bigger than the S9+ and 700 mAh bigger than the Note 8. It is going to have the new smart S Pen with Bluetooth Low Energy. The S Pen should last about 200 clicks and charge in 40 seconds. The cameras are going to be upgraded from the S9+. They will most likely be the same apertures as the S9+ with f/2.4 and f/1.5 on the variable aperture lens which it will be inheriting from the S9+. The second lens will be a telephoto lens at an f/2.4.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Display Size 6.3" QHD+ (2960×1440) sAMOLED 18.5:9
Glass Type Gorilla Glass 5
Display Color Palette HDR 10
System-on-chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 845/Exynos 9810
RAM Capacity 6GB/8GB
Storage Capacity 128GB/512GB + Micro SD Card slot (up to 400GB)
Speaker System AKG Tuned stereo speakers
Headphone Jack Yes, 3.5mm
Front Camera 8MP front camera with autofocus
Rear Camera 12MP with f/1.5 and f/2.4 variable aperture + 12MP zoom lens f/2.4
Battery Capacity 4,000 mAh battery
Wireless Charging Yes, Samsung Fast Wireless Charging
Fast Charging Yes, Samsung Adaptive Fast Charging
Biometrics Iris, Facial, and fingerprint recognition
Water and Dust Resistance IP68
Software Android 8.1 Oreo with Samsung Experience 9.1
S Pen Samsung Smart Bluetooth S Pen

 


Galaxy Note 9 Software and Features

The Note 9 is going to launch with Android 8.1 and Samsung Experience 9.5. We were able to confirm this with a screenshot from the Galaxy Note 9. According to our source who used the device, there is not much new stuff in the software. It's supposed to be pretty much the same as Android 8.0 and Samsung Experience 9.0 from the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Note 9 is still going to have Dolby Atmos like the Galaxy S9 and S9+. The Note 9 isn't going to have a semi-transparent like stock Android. This is going to be the same Samsung experience that we know and love (or hate).

The new features are coming as part of the Note line of phones. With the new Bluetooth S Pen, you will be able to control music, slideshows, and the camera shutter. All of this will be possible because of the Bluetooth support in the S Pen. There will be more features than this to come with it though. We are told that there are lots of new S Pen features coming but were not given any specifics. It is supposed to have integration into Fortnite mobile, which is going to launch with the Note 9 at Samsung Unpacked.

Samsung is also launching Bixby 2.0 with the Note 9. This is going to have a slightly updated user interface. It is also going to have more features and be more accurate. Bixby 2.0 is going to support being linked to 3rd party apps. This will use the Bixby SDK and allow for Bixby to control apps just like how Bixby can control Samsung apps. Bixby 2.0 should support apps like Spotify for controlling music. This is going to really expand the number of apps supported by Bixby. Bixby 2.0 is also getting better natural language processing, noise resistance capabilities, and will get faster response times. Samsung might also be including Viv in Bixby 2.0. Viv was created by one of the founders of Siri before it was purchased by Apple. To learn more about Viv you can watch this talk given by Adam Cheyer about Viv.


Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Accessories

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is going to be launching with a new wireless charger and a bunch of cases. The wireless charger will be a dual wireless charger that will launch with the new Samsung Galaxy Watch. This new wireless charger can both fast charge the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 while also charging the Samsung Galaxy Watch. This is useful for people who have both devices and like to keep them on a dock to charge at night. This wireless charging dock is connected to a USB Type C cable, which is new for Samsung wireless chargers. The new charger is rumored to cost  €75/$75.

Samsung Wireless Charger Duo

Samsung is also launching their usual cases with the Galaxy Note 9. There will be the clear view case, LED case, and protective standing case. The clear view case allows for you to have the Always On Display show through the flipping front of the case. The LED case has a customizable LED grid on the front that you can set to different options. The last case is a military grade case with a kickstand on the back. The flip view case comes in blue, black, brown, and purple. The LED case comes in blue and gray. The protective standing case comes in gray and black.


Galaxy Note 9 Launch and Availability

The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is going to be announced at an event on August 9th at 11 am EST. You will be able to watch the live stream on YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. During the launch, they are going to show off a couple new accessories for the device. It is said Samsung will be launching an even faster fast wireless charger for the phone. The phone should be available for pre-order between August 10th and August 14th. The phone will be officially available on August 24th. If you preorder you will most likely receive the phone a couple days early.

The phone is going to launch in four colors: Lilac Purple, Brown, Coral Blue, and Midnight Black. The base storage will be 128GBs with 6GBs of RAM. There should be a 256GB storage model also with 6GBs of RAM. There are rumors of a 512GB storage model with 8GBs of RAM coming to Korea. We have also heard rumors that there will be a 512GB storage model with 8GBs of RAM coming to the United States on T-Mobile and Verizon. We are not able to confirm this, so take it with a grain of salt.

The base price of the phone should be $950/€1,029. This will get you the 128GB storage with 6GBs of RAM model. For the 512GB model with 8GBs of RAM, it will cost about €1,250. We don't have any information on United States pricing. Keep in mind these prices are rumors and are not official. The phone could cost more or less than the rumored prices.



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