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Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
This phone is the first to ship with Android 11 — but it isn't a Pixel
Vivo beats Google to the punch with the launch of the V20
Google is poised to launch new Pixel phones running Android 11 later today, but they won't be the first devices to launch with the new OS on board. Vivo's new V20 lineup has started rolling out in select regions starting with Asia. The headlining V20 phone boasts an advanced selfie camera, a sleek design, and comes with Android 11 out of the box.
LineageOS ROM releases first builds based on Android 10 (Update: Builds are back)
LineageOS 17.1 is here
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM in existence, and the project prides itself on bringing newer versions of Android to unsupported devices. However, Lineage has been a bit slow to roll out a version based on Android 10 — the Pie-based ROM was already available by this time last year. Thankfully, the next major version of LineageOS seems to be just around the corner.
The LG V20, the company's last flagship with a removable battery, is three years old now, but the Korean manufacturer hasn't forgotten about it. LG V20s in Korea are currently being updated to Android Pie, with US carrier units hopefully following along shortly, if the past is any indication. LG also announced that its spring flagship phone, the G8 ThinQ, will be updated to Android 10 in the fourth quarter.
LineageOS is one of the most popular custom ROMs available, with somewhere around two million active installations. It typically takes a while for the project to update to newer versions of Android, since development is largely done by maintainers in their spare time. Six months after the public release of Android 9 Pie, it looks like LineageOS is about ready to make the jump — but not before dropping older devices.
Last year, LG promised future software updates for its phones would come faster, thanks to its 'Software Upgrade Center'. Unfortunately, that hasn't quite worked out. Almost all of LG's phones are still waiting on an update to Android 9 Pie, which was released in August of last year. The company just announced its timeline for rolling out Pie in its home country of South Korea, and some models won't get it until the end of 2019.
Coming off the back of a dark year for smartphone design, the View20 is a reason to be optimistic. Notched phones have never been aesthetically pleasing nor functionally ideal, but thankfully that design trend is on its way out. We’ve seen a number of novel attempts to produce bezel-free phones, including sliders and motorized pop-ups, but a few of the big players have decided there's another way.
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- Following today's launch event in China, more details about the phone are available from Honor's Chinese website. It's available in three configurations — 6GB RAM with 128GB of storage, 8GB RAM with 128GB storage, and 8GB RAM with 256GB storage (the MOSCHINO Joint Edition).
Late last month we saw the first glimpse of a real phone with a "hole-punch' front camera (i.e. a camera cutout entirely surrounded by screen) in the form of the Huawei Nova 4, and now we're learning that sub-brand Honor is about to release the View20. As well as the new screen design, it's one of the first smartphones to include a 48-megapixel rear camera.
Slowly but surely, LG is upgrading each variant of the V20 to Android 8.0 Oreo. All of the US carrier versions have already received the update, including the models for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Now Oreo is rolling out to the international unlocked (H990DS) and Hong Kong (H990N) variants.
Lagging behind the other carrier versions (by months, in some cases), T-Mobile is finally pushing out the Android 8.0 Oreo update for the LG V20. Better late than never, I guess?
While many of us are using Android 9 Pie or at least looking forward to an update in the not too distant future, some LG V20 owners have been simply hoping for an Oreo update. Both AT&T and Sprint have already gotten the job done. Today, Verizon customers with LG's last removable battery flagship are getting the much-anticipated OTA.
The LG V20 is nearly two years old now, but the Korean company hasn't forgotten about it. After the G6, it was next in line to get its Oreo update, and true to form, the Sprint version received its OTA at the end of July. Now, it's the AT&T variant's turn to get its own taste of Oreo.
2016's LG V20 was basically the last flagship to ship with a removable battery, so it's no surprise that plenty of people are still using it. Its Android 8.0 Oreo update started rolling out in South Korea last week, and it's now hitting the Sprint model here in the States.
LG announced the creation of a new division recently that is intended to improve its sluggish smartphone updates. The so-called "Software Upgrade Center" is now set to make its first contribution to LG's smartphones. The company has announced Oreo updates for the G6 will begin on Monday. Don't get too excited, though. It'll take time for all variants to get the update.
According to a settlement website set up by the law firm Girard Gibbs, members of a lawsuit against LG for G4, V10, V20, Nexus 5X, and G5 bootloop problems have received a settlement offer. The suit went to arbitration last summer.
Many of us love the simplicity of the Google Camera app that comes pre-installed on Pixel phones, but it's the HDR+ capabilities that really set it apart. Thankfully the Android community is full of willing modders, and an unofficial port has been available for some time now. It hasn't played nice with phones that have dual rear lenses, as no Google device has such a setup. A new update looks to have added support for some LG devices with two cameras.
The V20 is no longer the most current V-series phone from LG, but it's still a great phone. And the fact that the V30 is out only means that there are more discounts for the older model. Case in point: an eBay seller is offering up unlocked AT&T V20s up for just $289.99 with a $50 discount.
You'll be able to pick up an LG V30 later this month, but it's guaranteed to cost a whole lot more than the V20 that's on sale at Walmart right now. This phone is unlocked and discounted to $302.52, which is the lowest we've seen for this model.
The LG V30 may have been announced, but it still isn't for sale in the US. Until then, last year's V20 reigns as the newest LG V-series phone you can purchase stateside. And now, you can get an AT&T/unlocked model for just $329.99 on NeweggFlash through seller Breed.
T-Mobile is no stranger to "buy one, get one" promotions. In fact, the Bellevue-based company has even run one that included the LG G6 and V20 before. This latest one, then, will probably be pretty familiar to those of you who've seen a T-Mobile BOGO in action before.