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Lineage OS the premiere custom Android ROM, and one of the best things about it is that it's constantly expanding. Over the last few weeks the distributed team has added no less than sixteen new phones and tablets from a handful of vendors.
LineageOS 17.1 arrives on the ROG Phone 2, Sony Xperia XZ2, and other phones
Everyone gets Android 10!
Slowly but surely, the LineageOS custom ROM is bringing unofficial Android 10 to a wealth of phones and tablets. LineageOS 17.1 (based on Android 10) recently arrived on the OnePlus One, and now the ROM is available on several other phones, both new and old.
Sony is having a hard time in the smartphone business amidst declining sales and shrinking market share, but its users are likely more distressed right now. Many existing Sony users found that the recent Android 10 update broke their 2018 flagships almost universally, with no official communication from the company. In what appears to be a widespread issue, the affected Xperia XZ3 and XZ2 owners rallied on community platforms like Reddit complaining about a long list of bugs, including terrible RAM management, high battery consumption, app fails, and a generally sluggish UI.
Sony promised to update quite a few of its Xperia devices to Android 10 "early 2020 onwards," and as it turns out, the company is staying true to its word. The Xperia XZ3, XZ2, XZ2 Premium, and XZ2 Compact are currently receiving the latest Android version.
Sony details Android 10 update timeline for its Xperia phones
More devices are to pick up Android 10, but some older devices will hit the dust.
December
If you've wanted a small phone, you'll find precious few in the marketplace. In the past year, we've had the new Palm Phone — framed as a companion device meant to stay out of the way of your life — and the Sony Xperia XZ2 Compact, which had a 5-inch display and all the trimmings of a 2018 flagship smartphone. If you're looking for an upgrade from your much older, tiny device, the good news is that the XZ2 Compact has taken another price drop.The device features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with expansion available through a microSD card up to 400GB, a 2,870mAh battery, a 19MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie shooter, plus IP65/68 rating for protection against dust infiltration and water immersion. It's a chunky unit at 12.7mm in thickness, though the other dimensions are smaller.The Xperia XZ2 Compact started out life at $650 — a premium for the spec sheet considering that Xiaomi's Pocophone F1, released the same year, was priced way lower — and then gradually stepped down: $570 at one point, $500 later on, then $450.
It's OK to admit it — you messed up. You thought we were still in the middle of November or something, and that you had weeks left to do your holiday shopping. Well, after you consult with your neurologist about these concerning lost-time events, you can still scramble to pick up a few last-minute holiday deals, with plenty of offers still available on our favorite mobile tech.
If you want a small flagship-level Android phone, your options are limited — namely, the Google Pixel 3, Galaxy S9, or Xperia XZ2 Compact. Sony's XZ2 Compact has now gone on sale, dropping to just $450 at B&H Photo. That's a $200 discount from the original price.
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Google has rolled out Android Pie to Pixel devices, and Essential managed to get an update out on the same day. A few OEMs like Moto and HTC have offered some insight on what they're updating. Today, you can add Sony to the list. It says updates are coming to devices in XZ2, XZ1, and XA2 families. Some of them might be here sooner than you expect.
Unlike many OEMs, Sony is actually pretty good at launching its phones with the latest build of Android. The Xperia XZ1 was the first phone to ship with Android 8.0 Oreo, and the XZ3 was the first to ship with Android 9 Pie. The XZ2 wasn't as unique as its siblings in that regard, but it is among the first to receive the Android 9 Pie update.
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- Just days after updating its ARCore support list with this batch, Google's added one more to the club: the affordable new Pocophone F1. We've appended it to the list above.
ARCore's list of supported devices was just updated earlier this month, but with the introductions of so many new Android devices, a second revision for the month of August was required. Samsung's latest and greatest, the Galaxy Note9 and Galaxy Tab S4, are present, as are all three members of the Xperia XZ2 line and the Nokia 6.1 Plus.
With this year's IFA expo now squarely behind us, it's finally time for a return to some modicum of normalcy. As we shake off the jet lag and catch up with everything else that's been going on, we're taking a look back at some of the best tech deals to surface over the course of the last week. And whether you're in the market for a new phone, some old home-entertainment hardware, or just a few accessories, we've got you covered.
The Sony Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact were released in the United States back in April. The Xperia XZ3 series is expected to come out soon, and as such, steeper discounts on the original models have started. Now you can get the XZ2 Compact for $499.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, or $470 at B&H.The XZ2 Compact has a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of storage with microSD support, and a 5-inch 2160x1808 IPS LCD screen. The rear camera is 19MP, with HDR recording and 960FPS slow-motion support, and the front camera is 5MP.The phone ships with Android 8.1 Oreo, and it should receive Android 9 Pie soon. You can buy the phone from the source links below. Amazon and Best Buy have all colors for $499.99, while B&H has all colors for $469.99 (but stock is limited on some).Source: Amazon, Best Buy, B&H
Sony seems to finally be making somewhat of an effort stateside, having put the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact up for pre-order here around three months ago. Now that it's ditched the side-mounted fingerprint sensor design, there are even functional fingerprint sensors here in the US! B&H is currently offering the XZ2 for 9.99 and the XZ2 Compact for 9.99, equating to a $150 and $80 discount, respectively.
It has been a big week for deals here at Android Police, and better still, a whole bunch of them are still going strong, as their savings continue to be available for shoppers looking to take advantage. Whether you're shopping for a new phone, some smart-home accessories, or just looking for a new source of entertainment, these deals have got you covered.
Android Enterprise Recommended program adds new models from Huawei, Motorola, BlackBerry, and others
Back in February, Google announced the Android Enterprise Recommended program, which defines which phones are ideal for business use. Devices in the program have to follow a set of guidelines from Google, such as rolling out security updates within 90 days of release. The company announced today that a handful of more devices have been added to the program, including the Moto G6, Huawei P20/P20 Pro, and Sony Xperia XZ2.
The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact were announced less than two months ago, but they're already seeing some nice discounts. The larger XZ2 is down to $699.99, $100 off its MSRP, and the XZ2 Compact has dropped to $599.99 ($50 off). Amazon, B&H, and Best Buy are all offering these discounts.The Xperia XZ2 sports a 5.7" 1080p display, a Snapdragon 845, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with microSD expansion, a 19MP Motion Eye camera with 960fps slow-motion, a 5MP front-facing camera, and a 3,180mAh battery. The XZ2 Compact swaps the display out for a 5.0" 720p unit and the battery for a 2,870mAh cell. Both come with IP65/68 water resistance, wireless charging, and a fingerprint sensor (finally).You can grab an XZ2 or XZ2 Compact at the links below:
Just a few weeks after launching its Android P testing program for Xperia XZ2 devices, Sony has made the second beta available to download. It's available over-the-air for those already running Android P Beta 1, and it comes with a whole bunch of big fixes.
Google originally debuted Lens in Google Photos for select devices, but it didn't get much use there. Now, it's appearing in Google Assistant on most phones, and a few devices are slated to get Lens integration in the camera app. Sony has followed through, adding Google Lens to the camera app on its Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact phones.
Sony revealed the Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact at Mobile World Congress earlier this year. Both phones look radically different than every other Sony device released in the past few years, with smaller bezels and 18:9 screens. Verizon has now certified the XZ2 Compact, allowing it to be used on the company's network.