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As we just learned, the newest version of Android is called Oreo. And Google has just announced that Android 8.0 Oreo will be uploaded to the Android open Source Project today, and that updates to the newest version of the platform are currently being tested by carriers for the Google Pixel, Nexus 5X, and Nexus 6P. Google says these updates will begin rolling out in phases "soon," along with updates for the Pixel C and Nexus Player.
If you've read our Moto E4 review, you already know what to expect from Moto's budget lineup: reasonable specifications, bloat-free Android, and four-carrier compatibility in the US. All in all, it's a formula that we've found consistently puts Moto at the top of our recommendation pile in the entry-level to low-mid-range segment (including with phones like the excellent G5 Plus). Moto does inexpensive smartphones really well - aside from their lacking NFC in the US - and the E4 Plus is yet another example that sticks to a winning combination. Except, I'd argue it's even better than Moto's usual effort.You might wonder where the $179-$199 (16/32GB) E4 Plus slots into Moto's portfolio. After all, the 32GB G5 Plus is just $229, a whole $30 more than the 32GB version of the E4 Plus. Why wouldn't you pony up thirty bucks for the better chipset and higher-resolution display? Glancing at these two phones, it might be hard for many people to understand why the E4 Plus exists at all.The answer is simple: more screen and a lot more battery for less money.If you don't care so much how fast your phone is, the E4 Plus's Snapdragon 427 is more than serviceable for basic tasks like web browsing, watching Netflix, texting, and social media. Sure, browsing is very noticeably slower than on a phone like the Google Pixel, and apps do sometimes hang a bit and generally require more patience, but that's true of literally every phone in this segment, and the E4 Plus is generally well-optimized for something with this kind of processing power. The 5.5" LCD is substantially larger than both the standard E4 or G5 Plus's 5" and 5.2" displays, too, and I'm still firmly in the camp of "more screen is better."The real story with the E4 Plus, though, is the battery. Many of you have long wondered in our comments why so many cheap smartphones in countries like China and India have massive batteries relative to what we expect of most "flagship" devices here in the US. If some no-name manufacturer can slap a huge battery in a handset that costs $150, why are we making do with a fraction of that on phones costing four, five, or six times as much? And where are these affordable mega-battery phones to be found in America? The answer, my friends, is the Moto E4 Plus.With a 5000mAh battery coupled to the power-sipping Snapdragon 427, this phone goes, and goes... and goes, and then goes some more.
While there's normally nothing interesting at all about something as mundane as a debug menu, when we noticed the contents of one that it appears someone accidentally pushed live on the Google Store, we had to share. The Smith Debug Modal doesn't really do anything all that interesting for those of us outside the Googleplex, unfortunately, but it does contain a couple of gems.
When OnePlus announced the OnePlus 5, the newest handset from a company that has become synonymous with value for money among smartphone enthusiasts, there was some real sticker shock. The phone starts at $479, making it $30 more expensive than the OnePlus 3T, and $80 more expensive than the base OnePlus 3. The OnePlus 3 was, in turn, $70 more expensive than the OnePlus 2, which was $30 more expensive than the original OnePlus One.
Around a year and a half ago, I asked you how much your smartphone cost. Today, I'm asking again, and very I'm curious to see how much the results will have shifted over time.