New Nokia 9 PureView leak confirms in-display fingerprint scanner, specifications revealed

The upcoming Nokia 9 PureView has been leaked again and it is said to include an in-display fingerprint sensor, a Snapdragon 845, and a 5-lens rear camera array housed in a chassis with bezels reminiscent of the LG G6 or Pixel 2 XL. A press render was leaked by well-known tipster @evleaks and the specs along with a marketing video come courtesy of MySmartPrice. This is our second look at renders and the third time we’ve seen the camera setup.

Nokia 9 PureView "Beholder." HNY pic.twitter.com/x4Kh3anP46

— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 31, 2018

In addition to bringing a 2018 processor and 2017 bezels into the 2019 market (the device is expected to launch before the end of January), the phone is expected to pack 6GB RAM and a 5.99-inch 18:9 2K display with HDR10 compliance. While MySmartPrice didn’t specify the exact pixel resolution, a 2K display with an 18:9 ratio should translate to 2880×1440 pixels. For the curious, HDR10 refers to a video standard (HDR stands for “High Dynamic Range“) that features a wide color gamut (it shows a broader range of colors than non-HDR displays). According to the leaks, there will be no notch, so the overall look of the front facade is somewhat similar to the Nokia 8 Sirocco, but with rounded corners.

The in-display fingerprint sensor is teased in the leaked marketing video shown below, but it is unclear whether it will be an optical sensor like the OnePlus 6T or an ultrasonic one as expected in the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S10.

The penta-lens camera array may look ridiculous to many, but it is expected to capture 10 times as much light as an “ordinary” phone camera sensor and users should be able to use Google Photos to make depth-of-field adjustments after taking a shot. Like most cameras on Nokia phones, the Nokia 9 PureView will feature Zeiss-branded optics.

The Nokia 9 PureView will run the Android One flavor of Android Pie, which means the phone should receive at least two years’ worth of timely updates along with the usual security updates.

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Source: MySmartPrice

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Before you get hammered this New Year’s, get AlcDroid to track how much you’re drinking

New Year’s Eve is a time that’s often associated with joy, happiness, love, and…booze. After all, we’re celebrating that the year is coming to an end and another one is beginning. But one thing that you’ll probably want to avoid is getting chemically inconvenienced and embarrassing yourself in front of your friends, acquaintances, and pretty much everyone. If you’re planning on drinking this New Year’s Eve, but don’t want to get wasted, then AlcDroid is the perfect tool for you.

This app allows you to keep tabs on what you’re drinking and how much you’ve been drinking. By taking your height, weight, age, and how much alcohol you’re drinking, it calculates your blood alcohol levels and allows you to cut back if you need to.

It’s the perfect tool for controlling yourself during New Year’s Eve and it’s available in our forums. Check it out now!

AlcDroid Alcohol Calculator (Free, Google Play) →

Check out AlcDroid now!

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XDA’s Top Smartphones of 2018

The year is coming to a close and soon we’ll be heralding the arrival of 2019. With new smartphone trends already on the horizon, it’s about time that we reflect upon the year gone by. We’ve seen the advent of many new technologies, while we’ve also said goodbye to some older ones. Our phones have gotten faster and smarter, and there’s no sign of that growth slowing down any time soon.

But there are so many smartphones released every year. If you’re looking for a new smartphone in the coming weeks, then how can you possibly decide what to get? There are so many to choose from, and all of them have their own quirks and downfalls. Here at XDA, we took some time to reflect on the past year and asked all of our writers to choose what their favorite smartphones of the year were. While you may have a rough idea of what you think is the best phone of the year in each category, our writers may surprise you.

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Mishaal Rahman

Best Flagship Device for Value: OnePlus 6T

I believe the OnePlus 6T is the best device in this category. It’s an excellent performer, has great battery life, maximizes the screen real estate as much as possible with the least obnoxious notch design, and its software is the most familiar for someone who has been a Nexus/stock Android fanboy for years. There are a few devices on the market that are better than the 6T in certain aspects, especially in regards to the camera, but I don’t think there are any devices that are better in every way. Thus, why spend hundreds of dollars extra to get a phone that is only marginally better than the OnePlus 6T?

OnePlus 6T XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Huawei Mate 20 X

The Huawei Mate 20 X is my personal favorite this year. It has the nearly bezel-less waterdrop notch design of the Huawei Mate 20 combined with the Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s camera setup. It also has the latest Kirin 980, making it one of the very few huge flagship smartphones. I love big phones, and the Mate 20 X is the best big Android smartphone on the market. It makes the Galaxy Note 9 look tiny in comparison. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the Mate 20 Pro like 40W fast charging, wireless charging, or 3D face unlock, but its large 7.2” display just can’t be beaten. It’s the first smartphone I actually feel comfortable watching TV shows and movies on.

Huawei Mate 20 X XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1

Xiaomi has long been the king of mid-range smartphones, but the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1 gave the Redmi Note 5 Pro a run for its money. Asus opted for near stock Android on the ZenFone Max Pro M1 and stuck a huge 5,000mAh battery in it. It’s not the best at taking pictures or making videos (EIS is disabled by default), but Google Camera ports can help elevate its mediocre camera to an acceptable one. It’s a damn shame that the best mid-range devices never come to America, where the only decent mid-ranger that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg is the Nokia 7.1.

ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 XDA Forums

Best Overall Low-end Device: Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite

The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is an incredible device in the low-end tier. If you end up buying a budget device, you often sacrifice long-term software support. That’s not true of the Mi A2 Lite, though. It’s an Android One device meaning it runs basically stock Android and has 2 years of guaranteed software updates and monthly Android security patches. Although the Snapdragon 625 is fairly old by this point, there’s a reason it’s so highly utilized by Xiaomi—it’s no slouch. The Mi A2 Lite has a respectable 4,000mAh battery that helps the phone easily last through an entire day.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite XDA Forums

Best Design: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

This is a close race between the Honor Magic 2 and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3. Both smartphones have an almost entirely bezel-less front thanks to the slider mechanism, but the Honor Magic 2 has a neat gradient color finish while the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has Xiaomi’s signature ceramic body finish. The Jade Green Mi Mix 3 has the best overall design in my view, but the Honor Magic 2 in Gradient Blue is really close behind.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 XDA Forums

Best New Software Feature: Night Sight

Although they weren’t the first to the scene with a night mode camera feature, Google was the first to nail it with Night Sight on the Pixel 3. OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Huawei/Honor all have their own night mode features, although Huawei’s is the closest to Google’s in terms of quality. Night Sight is this year’s must-have feature, and that’s evident by the fact that so many modders are rushing to port the latest Google Camera app to their own devices. Google has proven that a smartphone with a single rear camera can take photos that are just-as-good, if not better, than smartphones with dual, triple, or even quad rear cameras.

Best New Hardware Feature: Slider Cameras

I’m excited to see which design trend will dominate 2019. 2018 is clearly the year of the notch, but as the year ends, we’re seeing two new trends emerge: slider camera phones and display holes. The former is championed by the Vivo NEX, Honor Magic 2, and the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, while the latter is championed by the Samsung Galaxy A8s, Huawei Nova 4, and Honor View 20. I am a huge fan of the slider design, and I see further refinements of it as the way forward. It’s a mild inconvenience to deal with if you take selfies frequently or rely on face unlock, but the flip side is that the manufacturer can pack all kinds of sensors behind the display rather than sacrificing display real estate via a larger display cutout.

Most Improved: Huawei

Without a doubt, Huawei has improved the most in 2018. When you compare year-on-year improvements that other manufacturers have made to their smartphones, you’ll mostly find that they’ve made incremental improvements to performance, battery life, and the camera quality. But Huawei has made several radical changes to their smartphone lineup in just a single year. Compare the Huawei Mate 10 Pro to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro, for instance. The Mate 20 Pro adds an in-display fingerprint scanner, 3D facial recognition, faster 40W wired charging, wireless charging, reverse wireless charging, substantial camera improvements with the addition of a 40MP main sensor as part of a triple rear camera setup, wireless desktop mode, and obviously all the standard incremental improvements like a better SoC, larger battery, etc. For most devices, the next generation model is hardly worth the upgrade. The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is an exception because it’s substantially better than the Huawei Mate 10 Pro from last year.

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Joe Fedewa

Best Flagship Device for Value: OnePlus 6

OnePlus makes just enough compromises to offer a device with some high-end flagship specs at a mid-range price. I actually prefer the OnePlus 6 over the OnePlus 6T. The rear fingerprint scanner is better and it has a headphone jack. If performance and price are the most important things to you, the OnePlus 6 is a no-brainer.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Pixel 3

I’m not going to try to convince you the Pixel 3 has more features than you might find on a Samsung flagship, but for the features I care about, the Pixel 3 is the best. I want a great camera, a phone that’s not too big, frequent and fast updates, and the best Google experience. For that, the Google Pixel 3 is the perfect flagship phone for me.

Google Pixel 3 XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Nokia 8.1

Software and updates can sometimes be an issue with mid-range devices, so starting with Android Pie is a good thing. The Nokia 8.1 will also receive steady updates from HMD Global as part of the Android One program. The design of the device is really nice for a mid-range device as well, with relatively slim bezels and high-quality build materials. You even get dual cameras on the rear.

Nokia 8.1 XDA Forums

Best Overall Low-end Device: Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite

You’ve probably figured out that software is a big deal to me, so Android One is a must-have at this range. Low-end devices are low-powered, so you don’t want the software to bog it down. The Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite is a very nice device with dual cameras, a big battery, and a good display. The device was released over the Summer with Android Oreo, but Xiaomi has already rolled out the Android Pie update.

Xiaomi Mi A2 Lite XDA Forums

Best Design: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

When I think about phones from 2018 that looked futuristic and cool, the Mi Mix 3 is what pops in my head. The front is almost all display and the sliding mechanism for the camera is a great idea, not to mention fun to fidget with.

Best New Software Feature: Night Sight

Night Sight is the first camera “mode” that I’ve consistently used. A lot of camera modes are gimmicky and don’t have many use cases, but Night Sight is genuinely mind-blowing. I love it.

Best New Hardware Feature: Display holes for front camera

I might be in the minority on this one, but I think the display holes (a.k.a. hole punch) look pretty cool. I certainly prefer the look of the display holes over the dreaded notch. You still can’t use the screen space that is blocked by the display hole, but I just think it looks better.

Most Improved: Essential

The Essential Phone recieved a ton of updates over the past year. It’s always a trendy pick for “best cheap Android phone” since it goes on sale so often, and that’s thanks in large part to Essential’s support. I don’t know if there will be an Essential Phone 2, but Essential has done a lot to become a fan-favorite OEM.

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Max Weinbach

Best Flagship Device for Value: OnePlus 6

The best flagship device for the value is going to have to be the OnePlus 6. The only reason why it would even be considered the best is the price and hardware. The camera is not good, the device feels cheap, haptics are bad, speakers aren’t good, and the display isn’t great. However, it does have the Snapdragon 845 and large battery for a low price for the hardware. It even has a headphone jack.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The best flagship device for the features is the Mate 20 Pro. The phone has a triple camera system, the latest version of Android, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, true face ID hardware, and the fastest Android SoC on the market. It has the same features every other phone has plus more. I think it is by far the best device with the best features.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Samsung Galaxy A8s

The Samsung Galaxy A8s is the best mid-range device by far. It’s one of the first devices using the new punch hole display format and it has the Snapdragon 710. The Galaxy A8s is running Android 8.1 and is planned to receive One UI very soon. It also has a triple camera system with some of the best mid-range cameras.

Best Overall Low-end Device: Huawei P20 Lite

The best low-end device is the Huawei P20 Lite. This device is running EMUI 8 and has some of the best features on the low-end scale. It is a fast and very good device for the price you will be spending. If the mid-range and flagships are out of your price range, this is the best phone to get.

Huawei P20 Lite XDA Forums

Best Design: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The design awards have usually gone to Samsung and I think this year is no exception. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is a nice and large device in one of the nicest blue colors I have ever seen. The curves are perfect in this iteration of what really started with the Galaxy S6 Edge. It’s almost perfectly symmetrical and just feels great to hold.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 XDA Forums

Best New Software Feature: Call Screening

The best software feature, by far, is Call Screening from the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. This is the best feature because it’s actually useful. Most other phones get these random AI features that are honestly useless. Call Screening is something that works on both friends and spammers. It is great for trolling and for actual use.

Best New Hardware Feature: Face ID

The best new hardware feature, specifically to Android phones, is the face ID sensor in the Mate 20 Pro. This technology is currently in the latest iPhones and iPad Pros, but hasn’t really made it to Android devices yet. Huawei managed to get it working and it works great. It is fast and convenient with the benefit of being secure.

Most Improved: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

The Mi Mix 3 is the most improved device over the Mi Mix 2. In a year they were able to bump the specs, design, cameras, and software up a notch without adding a notch. They used a sliding phone mechanism and a ceramic back without increasing the price.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 XDA Forums

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Eric Hulse

Best Flagship Device for Value: OnePlus 6

Yes, the OnePlus 6, not the 6T. The midrange category has crept up in price over the years, but when a Note starts at $1,000 dollars, $529 is “midrange.” As far as the OnePlus offerings this year, they’re great devices. Both phones run one of our favorite types of Android with OxygenOS. Both have tons of RAM and a Snapdragon 845. The 6T this year brings a slightly bigger battery, a less reliable fingerprint reader in the display, and the removal of the headphone jack. For me, between the 6 and the 6T, having used both, the 6 is a better buy.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

This one is easy for me. Honestly, this phone has absolutely everything. The Note is the pinnacle of Samsung’s smartphone work. If you buy the very expensive Note 9 you’ll want for nothing – SD Card, tons of RAM, huge storage, a Snapdragon 845, S-Pen, water resistance, stereo speakers, wireless charging, great camera, a headphone jack, and more. The display is great, the build quality is top notch, and while the software was already great (from a former TouchWiz hater), OneUI is awesome. This phone is as close to worth $1,000 as possible. Buy one.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Nokia 7.1

I don’t have a ton of experience with budget phones. The easy choice is the Motorola G series, but this year I’m more inclined to recommend the Nokia 7.1. It’s an interesting looking device and Nokia has been doing some really interesting things with Android and updates. The Nokia 7.1 is loaded with Android One and some great build quality.

Nokia 7.1 XDA Forums

Best Overall Low-end Device: Motorola One

It’s an unlocked device with a big, modern-looking display. It’s also got an SD Slot and is Dual SIM. It’s an Android One devices, so we’re looking at fast updates and clean Android. It also comes equipped with “turbocharging,” a decent sized battery, and a headphone jack.

Best Design: Huawei Mate 20 Pro

I can’t say enough about how gorgeous this phone is. The Twilight finish is stunning and unique, and the green and blue options with the textured glass are also great. The camera array on the back looks distinct. It’s not my favorite phone, but I do think it’s a looker.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro XDA Forums

Best New Software Feature: Call Screening

One of my favorite, perhaps lesser known, features is call screening from Google. In an age of robocalls from spammers, it’s great to be able to screen the robots with a robot. The feature just works, and it feels futuristic when you use it.

Best New Hardware Feature: Google Pixel 3 Camera

This one is a bit of a mix of hardware and software to be honest, but I’m just constantly and forever pleased with the results of this camera. It’s an absolute reliable joy to use. This is to say nothing of Night Sight, which is mostly a software feature.

Most Improved: Razer Phone 2

Razer took their first phone and improved absolutely everything about it without changing the core identity of the device. We kept the gorgeous high refresh rate display and added: wireless charging, water resistance, a chroma logo, improved cameras, a Snapdragon 845, higher brightness, and a big cooling chamber. The phone is pretty great at a pretty great price.

Razer Phone 2 XDA Forums

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Doug Lynch

Best Flagship Device for Value: Xiaomi Pocophone F1

The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 is one of the shock releases of the year, featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset at an incredibly low price. It has a poor build quality for starters, but the company had to cut corners to get its price as low as possible.

Xiaomi Pocophone F1 XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Samsung Galaxy S9 features a superior display to most smartphones, an S-Pen with even more features over this device’s predecessor, and all of the Samsung Experience and OneUI features. It’s a no-brainer – the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is the best flagship of the year for me.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Honor 8X

Maybe a controversial pick, the Honor 8X features 2018’s trendy notch with thin bezels and good build quality. It’s a great device for the money and looks beautiful.

Honor 8X XDA Forums

Best Overall Low-end Device: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

Even with its confusing naming scheme, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus in China) is a great device at an even better price. The official upgrade support and community developer support can’t be beaten by pretty much any other phone out there.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 XDA Forums

Best Design: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has a hefty feel, slim bezels, and the best design I’ve seen so far for hiding the front-facing camera.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 XDA Forums

Best New Software Feature: Google Playground/Night Sight

This is a tie for me between Google Playground and Night Sight. While Google Playground is fun to play with, it can, more often that not, be a gimmick feature. Night Sight is functional, which is why I’ve also chosen that.

Best New Hardware Feature: In-display fingerprint sensor

I’ve always preferred the sensor on the back, but being a minimalist has led me to appreciate the sensor being hidden underneath the display.

Most Improved: ASUS ROG Phone

I don’t think it will sell well but the amount of accessories they are launching with it shows that they are making a true effort.

ASUS ROG Phone XDA Forums

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Adam Conway

Best Flagship Device for Value: OnePlus 6

Having used both the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T, the OnePlus 6 takes the cake for me as the best flagship of 2018 for value. A fast fingerprint sensor and a headphone jack are what pushes this one over the edge for me. The OnePlus 6T features a slightly larger battery, but the larger battery does not justify those trade-offs for me. Having used both devices, I can confidently say that I prefer the OnePlus 6 over the OnePlus 6T for value for money, especially given that it’s slightly cheaper as well.

OnePlus 6 XDA Forums

Best Flagship Device for Features: Samsung Galaxy Note 9

I think choosing the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 here is a no-brainer. It has everything, and by everything, I mean literally everything. A fast fingerprint sensor, a stylus, a great camera, a large battery, and even a headphone jack. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is probably the phone of the year for me.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 XDA Forums

Best Overall Mid-range Device: Xiaomi Mi A2

I’m a huge fan of Xiaomi, and the Xiaomi Mi A2 is one of the company’s best devices released this year. With an incredible camera for the price, the only thing this device lacks is a headphone jack. If you can get over that, then this is a solid pick. If a headphone jack is a must, then I’d recommend the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro instead.

Xiaomi Mi A2 XDA Forums

Best Overall Low-end Device: Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is a beautiful device powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625, and it’s a great smartphone for the money. If you’re on a budget, you can’t go wrong with this one.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 XDA Forums

Best Design: Xiaomi Mi Mix 3

I have the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S, and I thought that was beautiful. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 is the best-looking smartphone of 2018 for me, with its magnetic sliding camera being the best-looking solution for foregoing the notch yet.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 XDA Forums

Best New Software Feature: Night Sight

This isn’t a hard choice for me at all. Night Sight is an amazing feature. It’s one of the most surprising features of 2018, and one of the most powerful as well. I’ve even gotten a lot of use out of it, something that I never expected.

Best New Hardware Feature: In-display fingerprint sensor

While I personally dislike the OnePlus 6T’s in-display fingerprint sensor, I like the idea and think it’s very cool. I can see manufacturers improving on it further, and already in smartphones like the Huawei Mate 20 Pro are we seeing it get faster, more accurate, and just overall better.

Most Improved: Razer Phone 2

My experience with the Razer Phone 2 is above and beyond what the Razer Phone once was. It looks nice, it’s fast, it’s just an overall great experience with the 120Hz display as well.

Razer Phone 2 XDA Forums

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Everyone has different criteria for what makes a phone the “best.” We made our picks and now we want to hear yours! Share your top smartphones of 2018 in the comments below!

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Huawei launches the P Smart 2019 in the UK

Huawei is one of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world, and they’re going into 2019 fully ready to take the throne. We initially learned from our sources that the Huawei P Smart 2019 was coming to Europe as a successor to the mid-range P Smart that launched at the start of last year, but there was no information as to when. Shortly after, we learned that the device had launched in Ukraine at a starting price of around €205. Finally, the company has now announced its launch in the UK, and it will be available for purchase from most retailers on January 10th at a starting price of £149.

Specs	Huawei P Smart (2019)
Display	6.21-inch LCD FHD+ at 2340 x 1080 pixels
Chipset	HiSilicon Kirin 710
RAM	3GB
Storage	64GB
Rear Cameras	13MP + 2MP
Front Camera	8MP
Battery	3,400mAh
Software	Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9
Misc	Dual SIM, MicroSD slot, micro USB port
Dimensions and Weight	73.4 x 155.2 x 7.95mm and 160g

The Huawei P Smart 2019 is the first of the company’s mid-range devices to feature a waterdrop notch and comes with a Kirin 710 system-on-chip. The Kirin 710 – on paper – is most equivalent to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 or Snapdragon 660. It’s not going to be a performance beast, but it’s certainly not bad for the price. It launches with EMUI 9 as well, based on Android Pie. That means you’ll get all of the latest Android Pie features.

Huawei is also touting the AI camera abilities of the Huawei P Smart 2019 edition, saying that the camera will actively identify up to 500 different scenes and adapt its processing to suit. While AI cameras do certainly sound gimmicky, they appear to be working. The Huawei P20 Pro has one of the best smartphone cameras around today. AI even helps with image stabilization, so that you can take photos in the dark that aren’t blurry. It all looks great on paper, but time will tell if it will actually work in practice.

The Huawei P smart 2019 will be available to buy in the UK on 10 January 2019 from retailers including Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone, A1, Amazon, AO.com, Argos, Clove, Fonehouse, JLP, Jersey Telecom, SDG, Sky Mobile, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Mobile; from EE on 11 January; and O2 and Three mid-January.

Note: Huawei has stopped providing official bootloader unlock codes for its devices. Therefore, the bootloader of the Huawei P Smart 2019 cannot be unlocked, which means that users cannot flash Magisk/TWRP/AOSP-based custom ROMs.

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Source: Huawei Source 2: Huawei

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LG’s Android Pie update roadmap includes the G7 for Q1 2019

Even the fiercest LG brand loyalists can’t deny that software updates are not the company’s forte. We’ve watched as the company has struggled to deliver major Android software updates (outside of Korea) for many of their devices in a timely manner. LG’s UX software is heavily customized Android, which doesn’t help in rolling out updates quickly to any device. So far, the only LG phone to receive an official stable update based on Android Pie is the G7 One which is an Android One device (thus it doesn’t run LG UX). The LG G7 ThinQ has received Android Pie betas in select markets, though. If you’re looking forward to running Android Pie on your G7 ThinQ, then you’re in luck as LG has officially released their Q1 2019 update roadmap.

If you have an LG G7 ThinQ, then your device is expected to receive an official update to Android Pie in the first quarter of 2019 (most likely starting in Korea). The bad news? If you don’t have an LG G7 ThinQ, then you’re in for a long wait if you’re expecting a platform update. Both the LG V40 ThinQ and last year’s LG G6 are expected to get minor bug fixing updates within this timeframe, but Android Pie will have to wait.

This is not to say that neither device will receive the update (although it wouldn’t be surprising). LG could totally be planning on rolling it out during the second or third quarters of 2019. It sucks, but then again, LG hasn’t always been the best in terms of software updates. Considering that Android Q developer previews are expected to be released by the end of Q1 2019/beginning of Q2 2019, a flagship phone receiving an update this late is odd, to say the least.

There’s no word on Q1 2019 updates for any other LG device, and other flagship devices like the LG V30 are not mentioned in this roadmap. So it would be wise to not get your hopes up for an update in the near future.

Source: LG (Korean)

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Enpass 6 update brings a new design, multiple vaults, and other features to the popular password manager app

I think it’s a no-brainer that all of us should take our digital security very seriously. Just think about the chaos that would be unleashed if someone gained access to just your Google account. That’s why I try to make all my passwords as secure as possible. Enpass, my favorite password manager, has helped me with that since 2015. The company recently released Enpass 6—the biggest update in the history of the password manager service. Version 6 brings a radical new design, new major features, and improved security. Let’s dive into the details.

New interface

Enpass 6 includes a completely revamped interface. It is still keeping the blue and white color scheme, but the blues are now darker. The new version also includes a dark theme. Overall, UI is much more intuitive and user-friendly than in the earlier versions. The redesign spreads across all the platforms Enpass supports, that is Android and iOS on the mobile and Mac, Windows, and Linux on the desktop.

Multiple Vaults

While passwords are meant to be treated such as underwear and should never be shared with anyone else, there are some cases when you have to share your authentication method with your co-worker or family member. That’s where Vaults come in. In Enpass 6, you can make multiple Vaults for work, family, friends, and any other categories. Keep in mind that Vaults should be used purely for sharing with trusted contacts. One should not use it for categorizing passwords. If you want to do that, you can use tags and categories.

New security features

Security is a key point of Enpass (and any password manager, really). In Enpass 6, the team has introduced PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA512 encryption layout to ensure better protection of your passwords. To give an extra piece of mind, Enpass is now audited by the third-party security company VerSprite. You can see their Security Assesment report here. Item sharing with the Pre-Defined-Key is also available for a more comfortable and secure sharing of sensitive information.

More…

Enpass 6 also includes various features like Windows Hello support on the desktop, categorized trash and archive tabs, KeyFile support for unlocking the app, improved migrating capabilities, and more. You can check all of them in the blog post from Enpass. Keep in mind that the latest version of the password manager has been in beta testing since June. The team has taken the time to perfect every feature of the service.

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This is basically everything new in Enpass 6. The application is mostly free and can be used while offline, but you can also opt in for the premium service which is currently on sale. You can make a one-time payment of $5.99 instead of the traditional $11.99 cost. Most of the features described above are also available on the free version of Enpass. You can download the Enpass app on your Android device from the Google Play Store listing linked below.

Enpass Password Manager (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Essential Phone will no longer be sold by the company

As the year comes to a close, so does the Essential Phone. After it was discovered that the Essential Phone had gone out of stock at most retail locations, the company has confirmed they won’t be adding any new inventory. They will continue to work on their next mobile product while continuing to sell accessories and provide updates to the PH-1.

We are sold out of Essential Phone on essential[dot]com and won’t be adding any new inventory. We are now hard at work on our next mobile product and will continue to sell accessories and provide speedy software updates and customer support to our existing community.

This news likely doesn’t come as a shock to many people. The Essential Phone was launched all the way back in 2017, though it has continued to receive very steady support. The device has gone on sale with deep discounts many times throughout the year. There were also rumors of the company being in trouble and shelving the Essential Phone 2.

Essential Phone XDA Forum

The good news is the company is indeed working on a new mobile product. Earlier this Fall, there was a report about Essential working on an AI phone and they recently acquired the company behind Newton Mail. It’s likely that this is the product they are currently working on. Essential has become a fan favorite in the Android community for their great support, so we’re excited to see what the company comes up with next.

In the meantime, let’s pay our respects to the Essential PH-1.

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Source 1: Droid-Life Source 2: 9to5Google

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Messages’ Spam Protection feature is rolling out for some users

We’ve known for a while now that Messages (a.k.a. Android Messages) will be getting an “automatic spam detection” feature. This was originally discovered in July with version 3.4 along with the Dark Theme and solidified when a support page for the feature went up with version 3.6 just a couple of months ago. “Spam Protection” is finally rolling out for some users now.

Previously, it was only possible to manually report and block spammers after you receive a message. Spam Protection, on the other hand, requires less input from the user. When enabled, some information about the received message will be sent to Google. Your personal information, such as phone number, is stripped from the message and not sent to Google. They will then use this information to detect spam in the future. You can still report spam manually.

Spam Protection appears to be rolling out via a server-side switch in a limited capacity. Users who have the feature were greeted with the above prompt when opening the app. Google is making sure people know that none of the content from their messages will be sent. The Spam Protection options can be found in the Advanced section of the settings. Let us know if you have this feature! Will you be allowing Google to protect you from spam?

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Source: Android Police

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LineageOS 15.1 now available for the Honor 5X and 8 Sony Xperia devices

LineageOS is the go-to custom ROM when it comes to modifying your smartphone. It’s based on AOSP and has everything you could ever want by the way of features. If you want to see all of the features you can get from LineageOS 15.1 you can, but it’s a very long list. Some highlights are custom accent colors, a lock screen music visualizer, extreme power saver mode, screen-off gestures, and more. LineageOS 15.1 is based on Android Oreo and is still making its way to smartphones even now. The Honor 5X and 8 different Sony Xperia devices are next up to receive an official build of LineageOS 15.1, and you can download and install it on your smartphone today!

Phone	Download LineageOS 15.1
Honor 5X (kiwi)	Download
Sony Xperia SP (huashan)	Download
Sony Xperia TX (hayabusa)	Download
Sony Xperia T (mint)	Download
Sony Xperia V (tsubasa)	Download
Sony Xperia ZR (dogo)	Download
Sony Xperia ZL (odin)	Download
Sony Xperia Tablet Z LTE/Wi-Fi (pollux/pollux_windy)	Download (pollux)/Download (pollux_windy)
Sony Xperia Z (yuga)	Download

The process for each of the phones above will be different to each other, so every device name is hyperlinked to their respective XDA forum. There you should find instructions on how to unlock your smartphone and install a custom ROM. It’s most impressive that these particular Sony devices now support LineageOS 15.1 officially, given that they all launched in or around 2013. The Honor 5X is a little newer but received an unofficial build of LineageOS 15.1 back in September of this year. Now those who were on that build can update to an officially supported version!

A custom ROM is a great way to breathe new life into an Android smartphone, especially ones as old as the Sony Xperia smartphones listed above. Often it is the case that a custom ROM runs better than the stock ROM on your phone can, so it’s at the very least worth giving a try. Let us know what you think down below if you give any of them a try!

Note: Huawei has stopped providing official bootloader unlock codes for its devices. Therefore, the bootloader of the Honor 5X can no longer be unlocked officially, which means that new users cannot flash Magisk, TWRP, or custom ROMs.

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Are You Near Los Angeles? Check Out the Honor View20 on January 12

The Honor View20 is launching in China today (Dec. 26th), but people that live around the Los Angeles area have a chance to get an early look at the phone in the states. If you’re interested in checking out the latest smartphone, this event is definitely for you.

Activity Information

• Time: 14:00-16:00, Saturday, 12 January 2019
• Location: Glendale CA, Los Angeles
• What: All the participants will have the opportunity to try out the latest Honor smartphones: Honor View20, Honor 8X, etc. Food will be provided, Honor exclusive gifts and chance to talk with our special host “TK Bay”.

*The detailed address will be sent once you are selected.

How to Enter

Interested in winning a spot at the event? leave a comment in the thread below and let us know why you’re interested. If you’re good at reviewing phones, photography, videos or anything creative along those lines, leave a link to some of your work.

A winner will be chosen on January 2nd and a winner will be announced on January 4th. Best of luck!

Thread Link

We thank Honor for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

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Top New Indie Apps of 2018 on the XDA Forums

XDA is all about the developer community. From the very beginning, we’ve supported custom development on mobile devices in pretty much every way possible, and our attitude going into 2019 is completely unchanged. Every year, a huge amount of applications are released on our Apps & Games forums, and we love to share our favorites with you. Android developers have a lot more freedom than just the Google Play store to make system-level modifications, which is a huge part of what XDA is about. We have a compiled a list of some of our favorite applications available on our forums. The list is in no particular order, and you can head on over to our forums to find more!

Visit the XDA Android Apps & Games forum

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Top Indie apps of 2018 on XDA

Reachability Cursor

 

Reachability Cursor is one of my favorite apps released on our forums this year. The video above shows how it works. It adds a cursor that can be used to reach the top of the screen, sort of like extending your finger. This is a must-have for anyone with a large smartphone display, as it makes reaching the far corners on your display much, much easier while operating your device one-handed. It works particularly well on really tall smartphones like the OnePlus 6. You can check out the thread by XDA Junior Member NiftyUI below.

Reachability Cursor: one-handed mode mouse pointer (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out Reachability Cursor on our forums

Borderlight Wallpaper

Originally an app for the OnePlus 6, Borderlight Wallpaper is an AMOLED live wallpaper that illuminates the edges of your display. Thanks to popular demand, XDA Member dax105 released a version which supports nearly all devices. Users can configure it themselves and share their presets for others who have the same device. it’s a really cool concept, and you can download it and give it a try in the thread below. We’ve chosen Borderlight Wallpaper as it’s just a great wallpaper to make your phone stand out from the crowd. Its battery impact is minimal, so your phone can look cool without it costing you precious battery life.

Check out Borderlight Wallpaper on our forums

DeSplash

DeSplash is great for those of you who love to customize their device’s home screen. Made by XDA Senior Member p32929, DeSplash can download a new wallpaper every time you unlock your device. It pulls them all from Unsplash.com, a website filled to the brim with free photos taken by professional photographers across the world. DeSplash is free as well, with a few advertisements dotted throughout the app instead. The full list of features is below.

• 100000+ high-res photos
• Material design
• New wallpapers, every time you lock your phone
• Auto set a new wallpaper
• Various Picture Categories
• Various Picture Orientation
• Various Picture Quality

If you’re ever stuck looking for wallpapers, it’s difficult not to find something you like with DeSplash. There are literally thousands of wallpapers easily accessible, so you owe it to yourself to give it a try!

Desplash (beta) (Free, Google Play) →

Check out DeSplash on our forums

Remote Fingerprint Unlock

Have you ever wanted to unlock your PC using your fingerprint? You can generally buy a device that’ll do that, but wouldn’t it be great to be able to do it straight from your phone? XDA Member Andrew-X with Remote Fingerprint Unlock figured out a way to do exactly that, and it’s an incredibly simple process to get it set up on your computer. Any PC from Windows Vista and up can use it, so it’s not as if it’s only restricted to the latest versions of Windows either. You can check out the full list of features below.

• Support for remotely unlocking both local and online Microsoft accounts via fingerprint scanner
• Set up 1 PC with 1 account for remote unlocking
• Wi-Fi Tethering support

The pro features ($1.99 in-app purchase) include:

• No advertisements
• Adding multiple Windows PCs
• Adding multiple accounts per Windows PC
• Support Wake-on-LAN

You can take a look at the installation instructions in the thread!

Remote Fingerprint Unlock (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out Remote Fingerprint Unlock on our forums

Shameless Plug: Navigation Gestures

Our very own navigation gestures just had to get a mention in here somewhere. Personally, I have no affiliation with its development yet I’ve enjoyed it greatly on my OnePlus 6. It can add gestures like the iPhone X, OnePlus 6, or your own customizable gestures too. It’s a nice app to have on your device and it can even disable the navigation keys so you can control your phone completely by gestures. I loved it just for maximizing screen real estate, especially when your phone can look so much better without any buttons visible whatsoever. All of the free and premium features are below. I know of absolutely no gestures application that is as complete as our own Navigation Gestures. Built-in system gestures never have as much customization either.

• Free
  • Home
  • Back
  • Recent apps
  • Toggle split-screen*(requires Android Nougat+)
  • Open previous app (requires Android Nougat+)
  • Open Assistant
  • Hide pill

• Premium
  • Pull down the notification shade
  • Pull down quick setting tiles
  • Open power menu
  • Skip to previous media track*
  • Skip to next media track*
  • Play/pause current media track*
  • Switch keyboard dialog
  • Launch app**
  • Lock screen***
  • Screenshot****

* Media actions are not guaranteed to work with every app. Media actions use standard Android APIs to work with most apps.

** If you notice that an app is “slow” to launch after using the pill to trigger the home button, that’s because of an obscure change made all the way back in Android 4.4 KitKat. Unless you have this Xposed Module*or a custom ROM installed with the patch, there’s no way around it.

***Lock Screen is compatible with the vast majority of devices. How it works is like this: makes screen brightness and display timeout minimum and then displays a fullscreen black activity until the phone actually enters sleep mode from the timeout (~5 seconds.) There are other ways to lock the screen but we decided against them, at least for this release.

****Screenshot action uses the MediaProjection API, which is normally used to record the screen. Here, we just record the screen for a single frame. This is the only way pre-Android P for it to work. Screenshots are saved to /Pictures/NavigationGestures

Navigation Gestures - Swipe Gesture Controls! (Free, Google Play) →

Navigation Gestures Premium Add-On ($1.49, Google Play) →

Check out Navigation Gestures on our forums

Pluvius [Root]

Pluvius is a great theming application by XDA Recognised Developer MrBIMC, and it themes your entire device based on the current wallpaper you have enabled. There’s a 14-day trial, after which you must purchase the $2 in-app purchase to continue using it. It pairs up nicely with an app such as DeSplash mentioned above. It requires root access to work, but after that, it works on any Android 8.0 Oreo, Android 8.1 Oreo, or Android Pie device. You can see how nifty Pluvius can make your entire UI look in the screenshots above. It’s hugely customizable, and you change just how exactly Pluvius reacts to a new wallpaper, no matter the color.

Pluvius (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out Pluvius on our forums

Hyperion Launcher

From the makers of Substratum, Hyperion Launcher is a highly customizable launcher for any Android smartphone. It has a lot of features that allow you to customize it to be practically anything that you want. The Plus version unlocks even more features, but the base launcher is entirely free. There’s not a whole lot to say here – it’s a great launcher with a lot of customization, so if you’re looking for something different then you may want to give Hyperion Launcher a try. You can control many different aspects of the interface, add gestures, and even change the animations to your liking.

hyperion launcher (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out Hyperion Launcher on our forums

Google Pixel Launcher Mods [Root]

An app which requires root, it can modify the Google Pixel Launcher (and other Launcher3 based launchers) to include support for a lot more options than usual. The full list of what it can add is below. The app is made by XDA Recognised Developer and Recognised Contributor Quinny899!

• Change icons (Changing Individual icons as well as applying full Icon Packs supported, and applying from file too!)
• Change Labels
• Hide clock on the home screen (requires accessibility service)
• Double tap to sleep (via a widget, read the instructions in the “Tweaks” section of the app)
• Automatic dark theme for SystemUI and launcher during Night Light/Battery Saver (requires Android P)
• Modify widget sizes (down to 1×1 if you wish)

Pixel Launcher Mods (Free, XDA Labs) →

Check out Pixel Launcher Mods on our forums

Niagara Launcher

If Hyperion Launcher isn’t your cup of tea, why not give Niagara Launcher by XDA Junior Member 8bitpit a try? It’s an extremely minimalistic launcher that integrates with your notifications. There are a few extra features too, but nothing daunting like the sheer volume of changes you can make when it comes to the likes of Hyperion or Nova Launcher. A notification summary can be read right from your homepage, so you don’t need to pull down your status bar to have an idea of what’s waiting for you. I have never seen a launcher as good as Niagara Launcher while also retaining such minimalism. Some of its key features are below.

• List based for easy access and a minimal look
• You can open Apps in a quick way due to the always accessible scrollbar
• Enhanced notification “dots”: Read summaries right on your home screen and swipe right to open them for every detail.
• App shortcuts (Introduced in Android 7.1 – some of them are backwards compatible)
• Media Player integration (notification access needed)
• Hide Apps to remove bloatware/preinstalled apps
• Icon Pack support

Niagara Launcher fresh & clean (Free, Google Play) →

Check out Niagara Launcher on our forums

Migrate

If you find yourself switching ROMs a lot, then you might want to take a look at Migrate by XDA Senior Member SayantanRC. It basically aims to be a more automated Titanium Backup by helping you to migrate all of your data over to a new custom ROM. It creates a flashable zip file which has a helper app. You flash that zip file, boot up, and grant root access to the helper app. It will then restore all of your data including call log, SMS, default keyboard, saved permissions, and more. There’s a huge amount that it can do, and you should check it out if you love to try out custom ROMs on our forums.

Migrate - custom ROM migration tool (Free, Google Play) →

Check out Migrate on our forums

Edge Screen

Have you seen the Edge feature on Samsung smartphones? It lets you do a number of different cool things with your phone, including enabling a little app drawer that you can easily access from anywhere at any time. There are also quick settings, you can view your calendar, you can record and screenshot your display, and more. It might be worth giving a try if you’d like to get a taste of the Samsung experience on your smartphone, thanks to XDA Senior Member alticode! Here are all 9 panels that you can enable.

• Apps edge: access your favorite app quickly, easily.
• Contact edge: access your frequency people in your contact list. Call, text or email to them in one tone.
• Quick Setting edge: allow use control some quick setting such as turn on/off flashlight, wifi, Bluetooth, data, airplane mode, volume up/down…
• Virtual keys Edge: replace your hard keys by virtual keys. Forget your home key, back key, power key or recent apps, screen capture, screen recorder.
• Calendar Edge: create, manage your event, meeting or appointments.
• Music Edge: listen to music at any time with a powerful music player.
• File explorer Edge: Manage your files with cut, copy, rename, and share, delete operations.
• Call log Edge: Manage call history
• Calculator Edge: A simple calculator – make your work faster

Edge Action: Edge Screen, Sidebar Launcher (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out Edge Screen on our forums

AAGateway for Android Auto

Do you use Android Auto? A lot of people do, but it has limitations. Older cars with Android Auto required a wired connection to your car at all times, and only newer ones are starting to come out that can use Bluetooth. If you have one of these older cars, XDA Recognised Developer Emil Borconi has a solution for you. It requires a bit of work to get working, but you can actually connect your phone wirelessly to your car with the use of another phone or a TV stick. You can check out the thread below for more information!

AAGateWay (Free, XDA Labs) →

Check out AAGateway on our forums

Widget Drawer

Widgets have been somewhat of a dying category on Android for the past few years. They can be useful for being able to catch information at a glance on your home screen, but for the most part, it’s just easier to open the app in question instead. But what if you could access widgets from anywhere? Widget Drawer by XDA Recognised Developer Zacharee1 lets you add as many widgets as you want to a drawer that can slide in from the left or right. It’s a unique way to access widgets on your phone and is a suitable comprise ever since widgets were removed from the lock screen.

Widget Drawer — Use your widgets almost anywhere ($0.99, Google Play) →

Check out Widget Drawer on our forums

MidnightCore [Root]

MidnightCore by XDA Senior Member OldMid is a Magisk module which combines three different modifications on our forums – MidnightFonts, MidnightMedia, and MidnightMisc. It’s an all-in-one suite for customizing your phone, with custom fonts, boot animations, UI sounds, lock sounds, and more. This is technically a root tool rather than an app, but it’s so versatile that I felt it deserved a mention anyway.

Check out MidnightCore on our forums

1 Lyrics

An app which has seen a lot of growth over the past few months, 1 Lyrics by XDA Senior Member dharmapoudel shows you lyrics to the song that you’re currently playing. Its beauty lies in the fact that it supports practically any music streaming service out there, as it reads the song playing directly from your notifications. Its key features are below.

• Supports all players: Spotify, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Samsung Music Player, and all your other favorite streaming services and music players
  
• Easy Access: Tap on the real-time notification to show (hide) the lyrics on the lyrics panel
  
• Learn the English Language: by singing along with the song, language other than English are also supported
  
• Material design: sleek new material designed interface with smooth animations
• Select dark or black themes if that’s what you prefer
  
• Tons of customization: Customize every detail of the app
  
• Minimal memory footprint: the app is around 2 MB
  
• Battery efficient: the app does nothing in the background (no ads, no tracking), so battery consumption is well below 1% (based on my device)

1lyrics (Free, XDA Labs) →

1lyrics (Free⁺, Google Play) →

Check out 1 Lyrics on our forums

Overdrop

Overdrop by XDA Senior Member brekane is the best weather app out there that you’re probably not using. It’s stylish, it’s functional, and it’s highly customizable. There’s a huge amount of features which is what makes it truly unique, including a complete AMOLED black mode. The background changes based on the weather, and it’s entirely animated. The features on offer are below.

• Minimal and modern design
• Weather notification with hourly forecast
• Dark sky weather provider
• 24h weather forecast
• 7 day forecast
• Expandable forecast, where you can find details about the entire week
• Detailed info about the current pressure, cloud cover, humidity, UV index and much more
• Notch optimized
• City manager, where you can easily manage your locations
• Android P weather widgets
• At a Glance widget
• Clock widgets, date widgets, and battery widgets

Overdrop - Animated Weather & Widgets (Free, Google Play) →

Check out Overdrop on our forums

Honorable mention: Google Camera ports

While the Google Camera application isn’t exactly an indie development, the many ports are certainly a contribution from the community. The official app is made for the Google Pixel, yet thanks to the countless hours of work put in by developers on our forums, you can use it on many other smartphones. You can check out our forums below for all the best Google Camera ports and mods.

Join the Google Camera Mods forum

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