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LineageOS 17.1 adds support for OnePlus Nord, 2013 Nexus 7, and more
The Android 10-based custom ROM rolls out to more devices
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM around, and for good reason. It has extended the life of many phones and tablets that would have otherwise been abandoned, and even for phones still receiving software updates from the original manufacturer, Lineage can sometimes work better than the stock software. Since our last roundup, LineageOS 17.1 has arrived on eight more devices, including the OnePlus Nord and 2013 Google Nexus 7.
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Android 10 beta testing for ASUS’ last two flagships — the ZenFone 6 and the ZenFone 5Z — is already underway since August, though only for a small, closed group. The early ZenUI version for the 5Z reportedly came laden with a long list of bugs that essentially held off its public release for a while. ASUS appears to have addressed many of those flaws, and is now making the ZenUI 6 open beta available to a wider userbase of its 2018 flagship.
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- We can confirm that the OTA update for those in the Beta Program is now rolling out. If you don't see the update now, you should very soon. Downloads, at the time of writing, are pretty slow, though.
Following our previous expectations and just in time for developers in attendance at the ongoing I/O developer conference, Google has just pushed out downloads for Android Q Beta 3. OTAs don't seem to be pushing out via the traditional means just yet, but you can start sideloading the update on your Pixel now. Beta 3 also adds support for 15 other partner devices from 12 OEMs.
While we wait and get excited for 2019's smartphone selection, it's a great time to pick up last year's offerings for cheap. Take this deal for example, where B&H is asking $399 for Asus' excellent Zenfone 5Z. That's $100 off the MSRP.
It's been about six months since Android Pie launched, and we're still waiting on updates for quite a few phones. Some OEMs haven't even talked about which phones will get the update, but Asus has finally spilled the beans on its OTA plans. Well, some of the beans. There's a list of phones that will get Pie, but we don't have a specific timeline.
Slices of Pie are reaching more and more devices. Ever since Android's latest version was released for Google's line-up, other companies like HMD, Samsung, Sony, Xiaomi, and OnePlus have joined in on the fun. Another OEM, Asus, started its Pie rollout with the Zenfone 5 earlier this month, and is now following up with the higher-end 5Z.
When Asus announced the Zenfone 5 lineup at MWC, all eyes were fixed on the the king of the group, the 5Z. Fast forward almost six months and the phone is finally available to purchase at a mere $500 in the U.S. While the high-end Android flagship market is squarely controlled by Samsung, there's a curious middle ground between budget and top-tier devices. This "affordable flagship" space is heavily populated with offerings from OnePlus, Honor, and Xiaomi, but Asus has set its sights on a piece of that pie with the 5Z.Quite frankly, this is the Taiwanese company's best phone to date, sporting premium hardware, a solid camera, and a very iPhone X-inspired design (for better or for worse). It's fast, powerful, and a looker to boot. However, I'm sure you're waiting for the "but" and I don't want to disappoint: the Zenfone 5Z, as awesome as it is, just doesn't quite cut it. When compared to the OnePlus 6, arguably one of the best Android phones released this year (especially in terms of value), Asus' offering falls a bit short. Even though it's $30 cheaper, it has other quirks – notably its software – that bring it down.
The ZenFone 5Z is the latest flagship device from Asus, sporting a notched 18:9 screen, a Snapdragon 845 processor, and dual rear cameras. Pre-orders went live last month, and now the phone is officially on sale. Asus told us that only the 64GB storage/6GB RAM model will be sold in the United States - not the beefier models with 128/256GB storage and 8GB RAM.[EMBED_YT]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slqkNYdTznk[/EMBED_YT]The 5Z is now available from Amazon, B&H, Newegg, and the Asus online store. The price is $499.99, no matter where you buy the phone from. We'll have a review up soon, so if you're on the fence about buying it, you might want to wait for that.
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Asus announced the ZenFone 5Z all the way back in February. It's very much a 2018 Android device: it's got a Snapdragon 845, six or eight gigs of RAM, two cameras, and of course, that notch. Months later, the 5Z is now available for pre-order. You can reserve one now for the low price of $499.99.The company touts the 5Z's display notch as being "26 percent smaller" than the iPhone X's, although that's not particularly impressive. After hands-on time with it, Ryne said he felt the notch was still too large. He was impressed with the phone's feel in the hand, though.If the ZenFone 5Z sounds like your jam, you won't have to wait long for it; pre-ordered phones are expected to arrive a week from today on August 6.
Advertising can get pretty stale these days, so it's always nice to see something different. ASUS took "different" and ran with it, throwing 89 ZenFone 5s on dancer Ian Eastwood to advertise the ZenFone 5/5z. The result is... quite the spectacle.
ASUS' Android phones might slide under the radar for most, but the company's new ZenFone 5 series probably won't. The company has had some trouble historically trying to penetrate the US phone market to any great depth—perhaps a result of its crowded, sometimes confusing product portfolio—but nonetheless it persists. Some of its phones have even been pretty good. But now that the wraps have been taken off its latest line of phones, it seems like ASUS has found a successful way to attract the attention it wanted: by copying the iPhone X's notch.
Asus, as we expected, showed off the new ZenFone 5 family at MWC. Unlike years past, the Taiwanese company is keeping in step with modern smartphone trends, in some cases to the point of plain copying the iPhone X. Regardless, some of the new devices look fantastic and our initial impressions are relatively positive.