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Android Police is searching for two new contributors to add to our growing roster. One of these contributors should be based in the United States, the other in Europe or the UK. (As to the latter, ideally, we are looking for a UK contributor.)
MWC 2017 is over, and now we all know what was unveiled. Sony, Motorola, LG, Nokia, BlackBerry Huawei, and others all unveiled new smartphones ranging from the most basic to flagship-level, and this weekend's poll will have you pick among some of the most prominent contenders for a winner.
While Google and Samsung have long sought to talk up their various partnerships over the years, there is little doubt for me that 2017 will be the year in which the two giants go after one another more aggressively than ever before in their history. Samsung actively presents a threat to Android's diversity, and Google must step in to stem the bleeding of an increasingly unprofitable device ecosystem. Samsung's challenges in wearables, television, and smart home also are a major cause for concern to Google as Samsung increasingly leverages its smartphone dominance.
The Moto G5 Plus renews Motorola's commitment to providing a premium smartphone experience at a fraction of the cost of more expensive flagship phones. Starting at just $229 here in the US for the 2GB/32GB, you get a super-efficient Snapdragon 625 processor, 5.2" 1080p LCD, micro SD slot, Turbo charging, fingerprint scanner, and Android 7.0 with Motorola's very light skin.
I have a Huawei P10 here to check out at MWC, and checking it out I have been: the newest flagship from the world's 3rd-largest smartphone vendor is here, and it's actually pretty nice.
The Huawei Watch, released in 2015, was arguably the best Android Wear device on balance until very recently. Accordingly, its sequel has been much-awaited by fans hoping that the device would be modernized with new features like NFC and Android Wear 2.0 while maintaining the simple elegance that made it such an aesthetically versatile smart timepiece. In fact, I think most Huawei watch fans would actually just be OK with using the same watch body from 2015, albeit with a newer chipset and Android Pay support, and maybe some new finish options or additional buttons.
To put it gently, the G5 was a controversial smartphone. Many took issue with LG's modular approach, which came at the expense of ruggedization, battery capacity, and, well, expense. But even disregarding its most-cited flaw, the G5 simply wasn't a smartphone that was appreciably better at just being a smartphone than much of its competition - and that's certainly part of what sank it. I won't belabor the point, but after using the G6 for some time (albeit in preproduction guise), I think LG really has taken criticism of the G5 seriously. (Perhaps a little too seriously in some ways.)
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LG announced the G6 in Barcelona at MWC 2017 today, confirming the heavily leaked handset's existence. Specifications are largely as expected, but LG has not announced specific pricing or availability information today. (For the US, you can probably expect that news to come via individual carriers, not LG.) The phone will come in three colors - white, silver, and black.
As found in an alleged system dump from the unannounced Galaxy Tab S3 by one of our tipsters, three images depict what is almost certainly a clipart mockup of Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone and some of its features. It is unclear why the images of the phone exist in Samsung's tablet, but it may have something to do with functions whereby the two devices sync data or otherwise work together. But in these images, clearly shown is the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner, as well as Samsung's much-awaited switch to onscreen navigation keys.
One month ago, an arrest warrant was issued for Lee Jae-yong, the de facto chairman of the entire Samsung conglomerate. The warrant later was nullified when challenged in court by Samsung, but a new warrant issued today has stuck: Mr. Lee was arrested in Seoul and charged with bribery. The entire scandal revolves around an ongoing political crisis involving the country's president. Lee is accused of paying bribes to organizations run by President Park's personal advisor, Choi Soon-sil, in exchange for political favors. But the details of the larger scandal are rather tedious, so I'll leave the BBC's excellent summary for you to peruse here.
