About Karandeep Singh
Karandeep has been with Android Police as a freelance writer since 2019, covering reviews for India, buyer’s guides for the US, and handy tutorials for everyone. He cares more about the impact of technology on people’s everyday lives than the superfluous features companies keep adding each year, which is central to his reviews and product recommendations.
In his previous life, he worked with Android Headlines to cover everything Android. He also wrote and edited for a handful of publications in India during his writing journey, which started in 2014. Ever since his first Symbian phone that had the iconic Ovi store to download apps, he has stuck to Android phones and is currently using a OnePlus Open. In his free time, he’s usually busy clearing his ever-growing backlog of movies and TV shows or tracking down an eatery he hasn’t been to yet. Chats about food go to Twitter DM and everything tech to karandeep (at) androidpolice (dot) com.
Latest Articles
Renders suggest the Sony Xperia Compact series could be resurrected
Though Sony's baby phone may not be the iPhone 12 Mini alternative we long for
Why is it so hard to find a good smartphone that's not also huge? The last Compact-branded phone we got to see from Sony was about three years ago, and its more recent smallish flagship has a 6.1” screen — thus can’t really be labeled "compact." Now a recent leak suggests that Sony is actually working on a new 5.5-inch phone, marking the resurrection of the Xperia Compact lineup.
TCL plans to update its 2019 and 2020 TVs to Android 11
Don’t get too excited for Google TV, though
At the recently concluded CES 2021, TCL made a host of announcements about its upcoming 8K and mini LED TV range — one of which touched upon Google TV coming to its 2021 lineup. Now the company has a little news to share about its existing Android TV models, some of which are now confirmed to be getting an Android 11 update.
The Galaxy S21 will soon locate your parked car and even unlock it
Digital Key is coming to more Samsung flagships in August
The star of yesterday’s Samsung event was definitely the new Galaxy S21 line, but there were so many more smaller bits of news joining it. One such feature coming to the S21 and other Galaxy phones is Digital Key, which is basically Samsung’s answer to Apple's Car Keys, but with support for a wider range of devices, cars, and even houses.
Signal vs Telegram: Which is the best privacy-focused WhatsApp alternative?
There's more to it than jumping to the first thing you find
WhatsApp’s recent policy update has turned into a Pandora’s box for the app's parent firm, Facebook. The resulting exodus to rival platforms has sent shockwaves so strong that the company felt the need to run full front-page ads in several Indian dailies to make its case. While Facebook was busy doing some damage control, Telegram and Signal got to benefit from disgruntled users flocking en masse for their apps. Telegram emerged as the bigger winner of the two, having added over 25 million users in just three days (breaching the milestone of 500 million active users in the process). While Telegram's an attractive platform to be on, with all its bells and whistles, how sure can you be that it’s doing a better at protecting your privacy than WhatsApp?
OnePlus 9 Lite might only be sold in two countries
The last-gen Snapdragon 865 is said to fuel the rumored Lite model
We’ve time and again heard that OnePlus is working on a "lite" model to accompany its main flagship line. Last year's rumored 8 Lite ended up launching as the Nord, but the company hasn't given up on the idea. It seems to be trying its hand at a proper Lite phone, likely as part of its main flagship line, as a new report suggests that the OnePlus 9 Lite is indeed on the way... but only for two countries in Asia.
Samsung's wireless chargers for the Galaxy S21 lineup appear in leaked renders
Successors to the Wireless Charger Duo and Pad could be announced alongside the new phones
No Samsung launch would be complete without a slew of last-minute leaks, and tomorrow's Unpacked event isn't any different. Right ahead of the Galaxy S21’s unveiling, a couple of leaks have surfaced that show off two of its wireless charging accessories set to go official alongside the new flagship phones.
Lutron adds a weatherproof outdoor smart plug to its Caséta range
Automate your smart lights come rain or shine
Outdoor smart plugs aren’t a novel idea, but not all are designed to be placed out in the open and subjected to extreme weather conditions. While there aren’t many choices for a true outdoor plug, Lutron will soon come out with its own solution. Called the Caséta Outdoor Smart Plug, the device can withstand heat, rain, snow — you name it!
WhatsApp in damage-control mode after its Facebook-or-die ultimatum
There’s no way to opt out of these intrusive privacy policy changes
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Facebook has a long history of privacy lapses, including some more serious ones, and the mere fact that it owns some of the most widely used social media apps already concerns privacy-conscious users. While WhatsApp was still able to keep a fair distance from Facebook’s unreliable privacy practices, that fringe benefit is soon going away, as the messaging app has decided to enforce new usage terms that give its parent company more control over your WhatsApp data.
OnePlus Band unveiled with SpO2 tracking and two-week battery life
It takes heavy design and software inspiration from you-know-who
OnePlus has slowly but surely moved into the upper tier of the price spectrum with its phones. But the saturated high-end market led the company to take another look at the budget segment last year with its entry-level Nord phones and its recent venture into the cheap TWE space. Now, OnePlus is entering the burgeoning fitness tracker market with its own cheap option.
Samsung December patch now reaching Tab S6, Tab S4, and S8 Active
Our continuously updated roundup of all Samsung phones getting the December patch in the US
A bunch of Galaxy phone users got a bit of a head start on the December 2020 security patch when Samsung released the update two weeks ahead of schedule. While that update was meant for some international beta users testing out One UI 3.0, Samsung kick-started the stable rollout of the latest patch in the US at the beginning of the month. The first device to get bumped to the December 2020 level was Verizon’s Galaxy S20 FE, most recently followed by the Tab S6, Tab S4, and the S8 Active.
Galaxy S21 Ultra could let you max out display resolution and refresh rate simultaneously
How will battery life fare with both WQHD+ and 120Hz enabled?
Samsung joined the high refresh rate bandwagon last year with the Galaxy S20 line, but some users found the implementation rather limiting as going for 120Hz capped the resolution at FHD+. The Korean smartphone maker could finally do away with that restriction with the upcoming Galaxy S21 Ultra.
OnePlus Nord jumps on the Android 11 bandwagon with its first Open Beta
OxygenOS 11 brings a revamped UI to the budget OnePlus
As the OnePlus 7/7T’s Android 11 update hangs in the air, only two OnePlus phones — the 8 and 8T — have so far received their stable builds. Last week, the company confirmed that more of its older and budget offerings would soon be updated with the latest OxygenOS version, and it sure seems that it's keeping its word. It has finally released the beta version of OxygenOS 11 to the Nord, bringing everything that’s new about the software skin to the budget champ.
Asus ZenFone 6 Android 11 update released for European and global variants
Leaving those with a newer ZenFone 7 series phone in the cold, for now
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Asus was among the first brands that got a head start with their Android 11 beta trials back in September, closely following the official release for Pixels. But the company took far too long to patch everything up and ready the final builds, which it's only just doing now. Asus has just begun rolling out the Android 11 update to its older flagship ZenFone 6, with its home market of Taiwan getting it first.
Between losing the S Pen or carrying it in this terrible S21 Ultra case, the choice is clear
That’s a miniaturized Tab S6 Lite for you
It was sort of already confirmed that the upcoming Galaxy S21 Ultra would support the S Pen, but we weren’t sure of the implementation. Given that the S21 Ultra will lack a Note-like slot to house the stylus, the solution wasn’t expected to be particularly elegant. Unfortunately, that exactly turns out to be the case. A new leak shows us how Samsung wants you to safekeep the optional S Pen, reminding us of one of its recent budget tablets.
Galaxy S10 Lite Android 11 update now more broadly available in India
Samsung kickstarted the One UI 3 rollout days before Christmas
According to Samsung’s own release timeline, Android 11 was supposed to reach older Galaxy flagships only starting this month. But the company gave Galaxy S10 Lite owners an early treat as the One UI 3 build started rolling out a couple of days before Christmas in India. Now the update is reaching even more users, as Samsung appears to be moving towards a broader release.
OxygenOS 11.0.6.7 for OnePlus 8T introduces more bugs than it fixes
And there are a couple of rather peculiar solutions
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The OnePlus 8T launched running Android 11 out of the box, and to date, the 8 series is the only one rocking the latest OxygenOS build. While its predecessors anxiously await their turn, the 8T continues to march forward with a series of incremental updates released in its relatively short lifespan. Now the latest OxygenOS release is headed out, complete with a long list of network and system fixes.
Galaxy S21+ flaunts its slick flat screen in leaked hands-on photos
An S Pen + case bundle for the Ultra could also be on the way
The predictable deluge of leaks and rumors has already given us more than just a sneak peek at the Galaxy S21 line ahead of its formal unveiling, but it's not done yet. In the latest leak, an Galaxy S21+ poses for the camera, showing off its purple and gold back and the sought-after flat display with minimal bezels. Plus, a separate leak gives us an early look at some of the first-party cases for the S21 lineup.
The Galaxy Note20's One UI 3.0 update is rolling out globally
With all the Android 11 goodies and the December security patch in tow
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Samsung’s been making some good headway to keep up with its original Android 11 rollout schedule. Its current flagship lines have already received the One UI 3.0 update on AT&T and Verizon, although T-Mobile’s S20 hit a roadblock last week resulting in a halted rollout. However, T-Mobile has still seemingly gone ahead with the Note20's update as many users have already started receiving the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 experience on their 2020 Note flagships.
Someone sold a OnePlus 9 5G on eBay for $6,000
These leaked photos match what we've seen before
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We’re still a few months away from the next OnePlus flagship launch, but that certainly hasn't deterred a sea of leaks from flowing out and giving away almost everything there is to know about the OnePlus 9. Joining the leak spree, PhoneArena recently published a bunch of photos of the standard OnePlus 9, giving us a better idea of what the final design will look like.
MediaTek-powered phones outsold Qualcomm for the first time in Q3 2020
Samsung Exynos market share also shrank during the same period
For a long time, Qualcomm has shipped by far the most smartphone chips — something especially true for the premium segment. But the American semiconductor giant has started to feel the heat in the entry-level and budget space. MediaTek managed to upset the status quo by pushing Qualcomm into the second spot in the quarter ending September 2020, and now leads the overall chipset market.