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Right-to-repair laws are now in effect in Europe to the dismay of manufacturers
Spare parts for self-made repairs will be available to consumers
In the US, right-to-repair legislation has appeared on some state ballots, aiming to give consumers more authority over how they maintain their products. Rather than having to exclusively contact manufacturers for device repairs, these laws can open up the door to more options — consumers can contact third-party repair services, for example, to have their technology fixed. In some instances, this can also result in cost savings for consumers, but manufacturers have become wary of the impact on their business. Falling in line with some US states that have adopted such measures, the European Parliament has now ruled in favor of similar regulations.
Oppo will return to key markets following Nokia patent dispute
The company had exited some European countries, but a deal with Telefonica has it poised for a return
Oppo, the China-based electronics manufacturer, has not received a warm welcome in Europe in recent years. Back in 2022, the company faced a sales ban in Germany after a court ruled that it had illegally used Nokia’s patented technology. Since then, Oppo sister brand OnePlus and fellow BBK Electronics sub-brand Vivo have received the green light to return to Germany. Now, Oppo is making progress of its own, and its immediate effects will be seen in Europe.
Google Maps will soon be able to optimize routes for EVs, hybrids, and even diesel vehicles
Eco-friendly routing options are also expanding to Europe
When you're in a rush, Google Maps can be a lifesaver with the way it suggests the fastest route to your destination. But sometimes the fastest way there is less than ideal for the environment — and for people who don’t mind taking a slightly slower or longer path (to both save the ozone layer and maybe even cut down on fuel costs) there's the option to prioritize eco-friendly routes. Now Google is expanding that effort across Europe, and also giving you the option to factor in how your vehicle is powered.
Google may be breaking the law when it convinces you to sign up for an account
It's hard to say 'no' to Google
In many sectors, Google has grown its way into becoming one of the biggest targets for European scrutiny. From antitrust allegations galore to concerns over privacy, the company has had to navigate through billions of euros in fines and plenty of new regulations in the wake of its own transgressions. And you can expect more legal challenges to come as consumer protection agencies across Europe are taking such steps against the tech giant for steering consumers into accepting corporate surveillance.
Challenges lie ahead for smartphone makers in Europe, but it's not regulation this time
Smartphones sales are down significantly compared to the beginning of 2021
The EU is one of the biggest smartphone markets in the world, and it’s one that enjoys loads of requirements from regulators. The EU has only recently enacted a ruling forcing all manufacturers to use USB-C on their handsets, and it’s one of the few markets in the world that still require physical compliance marks on phones. Now, another problem is brewing for smartphone manufacturers: According to Counterpoint, sales are down 12% lower in Q1 2022 in Europe compared to the same timeframe in 2021, and it doesn’t look like this trend will reverse soon.
Loot boxes and game publishers could soon be in for more scrutiny from EU
AKA, why Diablo Immortal didn't make it to Belgium and the Netherlands
Diablo Immortal's global release this week brought up mixed reviews from critics. Our Matt Sholtz was particularly incensed about how Activision Blizzard dressed up its arcane loot box system and mentioned that the company wouldn't be releasing the game in Belgium and the Netherlands because of it. Now, we're hearing about efforts to bring the legal axe down on loot boxes across Europe.
Nokia sales seemingly dry up across Europe in wake of German patent dispute
Including its home market of Finland
If you live in Europe, and you've tried to buy a Nokia phone recently, you might have run into a few problems finding one for sale. Granted, Europe is one of the main markets for Nokia devices, but it's not like demand for these HMD-made phones grew exponentially overnight. Instead, we appear to be seeing fallout stemming from a legal battle in Germany that ultimately forced the company to pull its phones from the nation.
The Realme 9 Pro has a clever solution for when you can't decide what color phone to get
Ever heard of a 5-second tan?
Glass-based industrial design on smartphones may have just peaked. We've seen experiments in substrates, opacity, and reflections from the likes of Honor and HTC for years, but if the Realme 9 Pro does what Oppo's India-based brand (that's not just for India) says it does, we're in for a fun time with upcoming photo ops.
Acer's out with a fresh batch of pumpkin spice-less Chromebooks this fall
'Spice-less' as in they're quite vanilla
Hot off the heels of its "Big Chungus" Chromebook update, Acer is pushing out more books of Chrome for the fall season... well, at least in Europe — North America will be lucky to see some of these in time for Christmas.
Who even uses Bing? Google, apparently — when it needs to weasel out of massive fines
Drops a nice stat, but it may be irrelevant
Google's claiming pure superiority over other search engines as the reason why it should not pay $5 billion to the European Union. The company is in the middle of appealing the commission's record fine from 2018 when it was deternined that the online search giant was able to ensure the dominance of its services over competing ones through the popularity of Android devices.
The EU is is set to mandate USB-C on all smartphones and Apple is predictably pouting
It's not giving up on Lightning cables without a fight
In January 2020, members of the European Parliament voted to establish a universal charging connection for smartphones sold in the EU. Since then, we've been waiting for this effort to be passed into law, and as of this morning, it's one step closer. The European Commission has now put forward legislation that would establish USB-C as a common charger for mobile devices, finally requiring a universal standard no matter the smartphone.
Android Automotive comes to a new all-electric crossover
Renault's new Mégane E-Tech is the first Android Automotive car to skip Intel hardware
Android Automotive might just be the most exciting thing going in the world of Android. Not to be confused with the older Android Auto, Automotive is a ground-up open source operating system for managing a car's entire interaction with the driver. We've seen a lot of commitments from manufacturers like Chevy and Ford, but so far few production vehicles are ready to roll with Android Automotive. French manufacturer Renault might just get the next one out: its new all-electric Mégane E-Tech crossover.
Germany wants to extend your smartphone's lifespan with seven years of security patches
One less reason to replace your phone, but it could just be politics at play
When it comes to smartphones, we all wish updates arrived faster and for more extended periods of time. As performance continues to improve with each passing year, upgrading to a new phone every two or three years can start to feel like an unnecessary expense. It's also an environmental concern, as many try to reduce waste created from constantly replacing gadgets. To that end, the German government has proposed a new policy that would extend the lifespan — and repairability — of your device for years to come.
Asus stuffs Galaxy S21 power into the body of a Pixel 4a, calls it Zenfone 8
Prior Zenfones' flip camera stays on in separate model
Taiwan-based manufacturer Asus is well-known for its PCs and, these days, its ROG Phones for gamers. But it's always had a stake in mobile tilted towards a wider audience, too. That stake gets a major update today with two new entries: the small and powerful Zenfone 8 and the highly-engineered Zenfone 8 Flip.
Google Play Pass more than doubles the number of countries it's available in
No need to pay for in-app transactions with a ton of apps
Google's Play Pass program, where customers trade a monthly or annual subscription fee for all-you-can-eat downloads, premium features, and in-app perks for certain apps, has expanded to 48 new countries.
Google is facing even more flack for FLoC from the EU
Regulators are unsure what to make of Google's proposed third-party cookie replacement
Google knows that third-party cookies tracking users around the web are on the way out, as even the company itself is planning on phasing out support for them in its own Chrome browser. But the online ad business is only as lucrative as it is due to extensive tracking practices, so Google is looking for an alternative to cookies. Enter FLoC, or Federated Learning of Cohorts. The technology is supposed to make tracking less privacy-invasive by assigning people to random groups with similar interests, instead of following every individual around. But many other companies think that FLoC will still be pretty invasive, and now, even some European regulators are chiming in, voicing their concerns.
The OnePlus Store app is now available on the Play Store in more places (APK Download)
Just in time to buy a OnePlus 9
Read update
After introducing its brand-new store app to the US and Canada shortly before launching the OnePlus 9 series, OnePlus has expanded the application to Europe, as it announced in a blog post. After a short exclusive beta phase that forced you to download the app manually from the manufacturer's website, it's now available in the Play Store for European, too.
Despite all of the criticism OnePlus is receiving for its update policy, its latest phones, and the OnePlus Watch, the company seems to be in a great state. It just reported one of the strongest quarters in Europe ever, with a 388% growth in sales and 286% in revenue compared to Q1 2020, with the UK being in the top three of the best performing markets.
Samsung may soon release a more affordable version of the popular Galaxy S20 FE
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+
The Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was one of the best phones of 2020, and it came very close to being the Android Police 2020 Readers' Choice Smartphone of the Year. While the US market only received the 5G variant of the phone, consumers in the UK, Germany, and India, among others, had the chance to pick up a 4G variant powered by the Exynos 990. In what seems to be a way of acknowledging the drawbacks of its in-house processor (and/or the dropping costs of last-gen silicon), the company is all set to unveil a 4G variant of the phone that's powered by the Snapdragon 865+.According to WinFuture, the phone will be available in a bunch of European countries and replace the prevailing Exynos variant. In fact, the phone (SM-G780G) has already been listed on the Swedish website. Apart from the fact that it won't support 5G networks, it is identical to its 5G counterpart. You'll get a 6.5-inch 120Hz OLED display, three 12MP cameras on the back, a 4,500mAh battery, IP68 certification, and support for wireless charging.If you're a sucker for details, you might be aware that OEM buyers of the Snapdragon 865 chip need to mandatorily purchase the discrete 5G X55 modem. So, how is Samsung shipping a 4G variant of a phone that uses the same chip?Even though modems support a wide variety of network frequencies, smartphone companies need to certify their devices to work on them. There's money involved in the process, and this is why it's common to see smartphone companies certify only those bands which are relevant in a particular market. For instance, the OnePlus 9 in India — where 5G networks don't exist yet — only supports two 5G bands, whereas the US variant supports a lot more. It's safe to assume that Samsung is resorting to a similar practice in this case.There's no word on when the Galaxy S20 FE 4G will be officially announced, but it shouldn't be too long now. It's expected to be available in four colors and have a sticker price of €750.
TCL's presence in the mobile world may be understated compared to the Samsungs or Xiaomis, but having only put out phones under its own name for the past couple of years, the company has definitely has its foot on the gas pedal. Today, three new phones are joining the TCL 20 series, bringing this year's catalogue up to five devices.