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After undergoing some growing pains, the Galaxy Fold was finally released in September following a five-month delay due to a game-stopping screen defect. With the launch in the rearview mirror, Samsung is allegedly preparing a second foldable phone in the first half of 2020. The newest tidbit claims that the next Samsung foldable, which we're tentatively calling the "Fold 2," will utilize a different screen cover technology called ultra-thin glass (UTG) and be released with at least three different color choices.
If you'd like to start keeping an eye out on your front porch for package deliveries and strangers in 4K clarity, day or night, both Best Buy and Amazon have the Arlo Ultra wire-free 4K camera system on sale. It normally sells for $400, but it's available today for $363 ($37 off).The Arlo Ultra camera and hub come with some nice specs and features: 180° 4K & HDR recording, color night vision with an integrated spotlight, outdoor weather resistance, rechargeable and user-replaceable batteries, and the Arlo Smart detection and notification system. When we reviewed it in June, we said it was a good security system with a bad price, but now the price isn't as much of an issue.
Samsung has big ambitions when it comes to mobile phone-based payments. After successfully launching the Samsung Pay digital wallet app in 2015 and continually improving it with new features like Samsung Pay Cash and Money Transfer, it now has its sight set on the mobile point of sale (mPOS) market with its new "Samsung Point of Sale" system — or Samsung POS, for short.
Throughout the years, the Google Assistant has continually gotten smarter and more competent. It's already regarded as the best among its AI assistant peers, and it has become more helpful by simplifying multitasking across apps and letting you manage your private activity data with just your voice. These spiffy new Assistant features, however, will initially be limited to the US and only in English; support for additional languages and countries will arrive at a later date.
Using your face to unlock your smartphone has been around a long time on Android, and it's used by many for its convenience over typing in a PIN or a password. With the right amount of lighting, it can even be almost as fast as fingerprint unlocking. Android's face unlock has suffered from some embarrassing mishaps, though, such as being fooled by a fake head or even just a regular 2D photo of your face. With the Pixel 4, Google is upping its game when it comes to face unlock security and speed. In addition to being secure enough now to process payments and log into apps, the Pixel 4 can recognize your face from any orientation, even upside down, and it does so very quickly.
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Security breaches and phishing attacks are still distressingly common these days, so many of us secure accounts through two-factor authentication (2FA) systems based on SMS or Google Prompt. That's better than nothing, but 2FA codes might not be enough for high-risk individuals. Physical 2FA devices add another layer of security, and Google made available to the general public last year its Titan Security Key Bundle. Initially released with USB-A, NFC, and Bluetooth support, the 2019 edition of Titan has now been updated to support USB-C natively.
Sling TV is an over-the-top (OTT) internet television app that streams live cable TV to an extensive list of devices. After bestowing Roku users the ability to watch free content earlier this year, Sling TV is rolling out the same feature to all Android and Amazon Fire device users starting today.
After Apple made a splash with the iPad Pro's 120Hz display in 2017, Android manufacturers started to follow suit. To date, only a handful of companies has released phones with 120Hz screen technology: Razer, Asus, and Sharp. Although nothing is official, we can tentatively induct Xiaomi into the club thanks to references to a 120Hz display setting discovered in a beta build of MIUI 11.
If you've been wanting a wire-free security system but the high cost has been holding you back, there is an excellent deal at Best Buy on the Arlo Pro 2 single-camera system. It usually sells for $250 but as one of the retailer's Deals of the Day you can pick it up for just 0 ( off).
After teasing Galaxy S10 users with an early October debut of Android 10 beta with One UI 2.0, Samsung has delayed the rollout of the much-anticipated update. According to a Samsung Members community moderator in Korea, and later confirmed by Samsung corporate, the beta is now expected to roll out in mid-October.
The LG Stylo 5, the company's newest stylus-equipped smartphone, comes in several variants: carrier-specific, unlocked, and an Amazon-exclusive version with some preloaded Amazon apps. If you've been itching to try a stylus-equipped phone at a very reasonable price point, the Amazon variant is on sale for just $220, which is $80 below the regular price.The Stylo 5 comes with modest specs — a Snapdragon 450, 3GB of RAM, a single 13MP camera on the back, a 5MP selfie shooter, and a 3,500mAh battery. The screen is a 6.2-inch 1080P LCD, and there's a capacitive stylus that docks inside the phone. The stylus is its marquee feature allowing you to scribble notes, draw on top of screenshots, scratch art, and even create your own emojis. 
We were impressed with the Stylo 5 when we reviewed it. While the stylus is not as capable as the Galaxy Note's S Pen, the Stylo 5's low price makes it an appealing alternative. If you're a stylus-loving Prime member, head over to Amazon and grab the Stylo 5 for $220 before the sale ends.Buy: Amazon
Earlier in April, the Google Assistant gained a new ability to natively control smart sprinkler and pipe leak detector products from Rachio, Rain Bird, LeakSmart, and Flo by Moen. However, until now, sprinklers didn't properly display inside the Google Home app and couldn't be controlled from it. That's been addressed now.
True-wireless earbuds are popping up everywhere these days with some of the better and high-end ones costing upwards of $300. With the sale at Amazon for the Master & Dynamic MW07 true-wireless earbuds, you can now experience what our Scott Scrivens describes as "unrivaled audio quality with tremendously beefy bass" with a premium build quality for as low as $180, its lowest price ever.The Master & Dynamic MW07 was released in 2018 and it was met with a mostly positive review from Android Police. Although the MW07 was the first product of its kind from Master and Dynamic, it did many things right: high audio quality, beefy bass, no connectivity or latency issues, and super-fast USB-C charging. Its drawbacks were the middling battery life and a high introductory price of $300.
If you're in the market for a car charger that can quickly top off up to two of your USB PD devices at the same time, consider this Aukey dual 18W charger. Right now you can pick up the adapter for just $12.64 ($10.35 off) by stacking two deals at Amazon.Aukey isn't as well-known as Anker when it comes to charging products, but its products are generally positively rated on Amazon. The Aukey car charger has two USB Type-C PD ports, each providing 18W of power. It will work with most USB-C devices such as phones, tablets, and even the Nintendo Switch console.
The Android security update situation is confusing and messy despite Google's best efforts, such as mandating companies to provide at least two years of security fixes. Samsung, the largest Android device maker in the world, has just modified the list of devices it supports with security updates, and there's been some shuffling around with a few phones getting kicked off.
Smartphone addiction, like nicotine addiction, is real and it has several negative consequences, such as adversely affecting your social life, your ability to work or study, and even messing with how your brain functions. In response, some companies have created apps to help you find a good balance, like Google's Digital Wellbeing. Starting from September 3rd, 2019, Digital Wellbeing will no longer be an optional phone feature but a requirement for all Android manufacturers to implement into their devices.
The mobile gaming industry is big and projected to generate about billion by 2021. With 2.4 billion people expected to play mobile games in 2019 alone, many companies have been releasing devices branded as "gaming" phones, such as Asus, Razer, Xiaomi, and more. Going along with this rising trend, Google has started a new program called Gaming Device Certification that will ensure future gaming phones perform smoothly, predictably, and support the latest gaming APIs.
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- Samsung Pay 3.7.60 is now out of beta, and it should be rolling out to everyone soon. There's also a new section inside the app that wasn't present before for transit payment cards.
In a perfect world, digital wallets would let you leave your wallet at home. The world isn't perfect, but Samsung Pay gets you closer than most with support for your cards in almost all stores. The latest beta version of Samsung Pay adds two additional features, making it even more capable. Samsung Pay Cash is a mobile-only prepaid card, and Money Transfer lets you send money overseas from your phone.
Last year, Bose revealed a unique new product called the "sleepbuds," a pair of white noise-generating earphones that help users to fall asleep. It was quite a divisive product when it launched, given that they paired with a phone but still couldn't even play music. In fact, most of us here at Android Police thought they were kind of ridiculous. After being on the market for only 16 months, Bose is now discontinuing the sleepbuds.
After introducing what seems like a boatload of new products at IFA 2019 last month, Garmin is introducing two more: the Legacy Saga Star Wars-themed smartwatches. Predictably, one watch represents the "Light" side and the other the "Dark" side of the Force. Although both watches belong to the same Saga series, there are some important differences.