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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.
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LineageOS is the most-used custom Android ROM around, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for others. Paranoid Android was a popular choice back in the KitKat days, and while the ROM returned in full force with Nougat builds in 2017, there hasn't been much news since. Now the project is back (again), touting Android 10 builds for nine phones so far.
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
Today is another day for phone deals. Right now, you can pick up a Sony Xperia XZ2 from either Amazon or Best for $449.99, a savings of $50. That's a really decent price for a Snapdragon 845 device.Besides last year's top-end SoC, the XZ2 features 64GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, a microSD slot, a 19MP rear camera that can capture slow-mo video at 960fps, and a 5.7" 18:9 1080p HDR display.Only the Liquid Black model is on sale for the $449.99, but the pink version is a tad more on Amazon at $467.58, if you'd rather have a more interesting color option. Best Buy, meanwhile, is offering the silver for $474.99, if you'd rather have a phone that isn't black or pink. Sadly, the green isn't on sale at either retailer.Buy: Amazon, Best Buy
We've seen some great sales on Sony phones lately, but if you missed out on those, here's another opportunity. Four of Sony's 2018 phones are currently discounted, including the XA2 ($100 off), XA2 Ultra ($150 off), XZ2 ($200 off), and XZ3 ($100 off).The Xperia XA2, a budget phone that Sony launched earlier this year, is $199.99 right now ($100 off). It has a Snapdragon 630 processor, 3GB RAM, 32GB of storage (with microSD card support), a 5.2-inch 1080p screen, and a headphone jack. The rear camera is 23MP, and the front camera is 8MP. All told, $200 is a decent price for what you get, especially since the phone will receive Android 9 Pie.Next is the XA2 Ultra, which is $249.99 ($150 off). It's almost identical to the normal XA2, with the same Snapdragon 630 processor and camera setup, but the RAM is upgraded to 4GB and the screen is slightly larger (6"). The XA2 Ultra is also expected to receive Pie at some point.The flagship XZ2 is also on sale for $499.99, a $200 reduction from the original price. It has a Snapdragon 845 processor, a 5.7-inch 18:9 1080p display, 4GB RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, and no headphone jack. The rear camera can capture 4K video or slow-motion 960FPS video, and the front camera is 5MP. Android 9 Pie has already rolled out to the XZ2.Finally, the Xperia XZ3 is discounted to $799.99 ($100 off). The XZ3 has a Snapdragon 845 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a 6-inch 1440p display, no headphone jack, and Android 9 Pie out of the box. The rear camera is 19MP, with the same 4K or 960FPS slow-motion capabilities as the XZ2, and the front camera is a wide-angle 13MP lens. You can find our full review here.
Pricing aside, Sony phones are generally well-liked. That means that an event such as Black Friday could be the perfect time to pick one up. Currently, we're seeing some decent sales on the last-gen Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XA2 Ultra, with a $50 discount on the Xperia XZ3 as well, from multiple retailers.Most retailers on this list are running the same sales, but for whatever reason, B&H is tacking on additional $70 and $60 clip coupons to the XZ2 and XA2 Ultra, respectively. Here's the list, with the best deals highlighted:
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- Sony has now updated its blog post to add the Xperia XZ2 Compact, so good news for anyone hoping support for that would also come.
For developers wishing to tinker with Sony phones, the Open Devices program is a welcome official point of entry. The Japanese company adds most of its high-profile Android handsets to the list of supported devices after a little while, and the Xperia XZ2 and XZ3 are the latest to join the ranks.
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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.
The Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact were released earlier this year, and both are a significant design departure from Sony's previous devices. They have 18:9 displays, rear fingerprint sensors (that are actually enabled in the North America!), and glossy glass backs. Now you can get the XZ2 for $649.99 on B&H - a $150 discount from the MSRP, and about $50 lower than current prices at other retailers.
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.
Every month or so, an update to ARCore rolls out to add the augmented reality framework to a whole new set of phones, tablets... and now Chromebooks? Yes, the first Chrome OS device has been found among the list of profiles included in the ARCore APK, and that is the recently released Acer Chromebook Tab 10. Also joining the list are the codenames associated with the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, blueline and crosshatch, which are due out this Fall.
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.