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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.
LineageOS 17.1 ROM arrives on 2016 Pixels and Nexus 6
Shamu, Marlin, and Sailfish live to see another day
LineageOS is the most popular custom ROM out there, with dozens of supported devices and a few nice features over stock Android. The new Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 was just released earlier this month, and now the project is bringing back support for two classic Google phones.
The LineageOS project is busy as always, adding support for more devices and implementing new features. The last time we covered the popular custom ROM, official builds for the OnePlus 6T and 7 Pro arrived, and there have been plenty of additions (or re-additions, in some cases) since then.
LineageOS is one of the best custom ROMs around, with official support for dozens of phones and a few unique features. The last time we covered the project, it started offering builds for the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Huawei Honor 5X, and a few others. Since then, a whopping 13 phones are now receiving Pie builds, but there's some bad news for Xiaomi device owners.
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Day after day, more devices join the Pie slice of the Android version distribution pie, and today's addition is the Android One-toting Xiaomi Mi A1. Well, to be frank, we're not really sure if the update is rolling out correctly, has been pulled, or what, because reports are quite contradictory.
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- Xiaomi hasn't had the best update experience with the Mi A1. Just like with Oreo 8.0, the 8.1 OTA rollout was halted and has now officially resumed. This time, it comes with the July security patch and it's rolling out to both devices that were still on 8.0 or those that already got the 8.1 OTA in June. Thanks, SS, Gurkanwal Singh, and u/Blastoooise!
We're big fans of the Android One-powered Xiaomi Mi A1 here at AP. Its combination of a handsome design, top-of-the-line software, great performance, and solid battery life makes it one of the best budget phones out there (even if it's not officially sold in the US). The phone received Android 8.0 Oreo just before 2018 kicked off, but it's taken until now for 8.1 Oreo to roll out. Unfortunately, it comes with two pretty major bugs.
Xiaomi promises to change its ways and release kernel source code within 3 months of device launches
Chinese OEM Xiaomi has a poor reputation when it comes to OS updates and the timely release of kernel source code. It took a Twitter backlash and criticism from several tech blogs to get the company to finally release the Nougat source code for the Android One-toting Mi A1. A similarly lengthy wait had to be endured before the Oreo code was provided last month. Xiaomi has now stated its intention (again) to release kernel source code within three months of a device's launch.
Xiaomi promised that the Mi A1 would receive Oreo by the end of 2017, and the company hit a buzzer-beater by rolling out Android 8.0 to the Android One device on December 30th. But the kernel source code was nowhere to be found, a violation of the GNU General Public License, version 2 (GPLv2), and an affront to the development and enthusiast community. It's about two-and-a-half months late, but Xiaomi has finally released the Android 8.0 Oreo source code for the Mi A1.
Earlier in January, the online chatter about Xiaomi's delay/unwillingness to release kernel source codes for its Mi A1 phone reached a peak. Given how popular this little gem of a phone has become (read my take or Corbin's review) and all that it could do for a measly $220 price tag, as well as the fact that it runs Android One, Google's own official software for third-parties, it was quite unbecoming of Xiaomi to not release the source or take such a long time to do so.
Chances are that you've read about our second take on the excellent Mi A1 posted earlier today. It might not be officially sold here in the US, but it can still be had for not a lot of money, so long as you don't care much about LTE. never-msrp, a popular seller on eBay, is offering the Mi A1 in gold for just $224.99.
A couple of months ago, my brother in law came to me with a question: he needed an affordable $200-300 Android smartphone that he could purchase from the UAE or Lebanon and that would do the basics right. My ready-made answer in the category in the past few years has been Samsung's A/C/J series. You get nice hardware, decent software with less bloat nowadays, excellent after-sale support no matter which mom-and-pop repair store you stop at, easy accessory purchase, and it's super fast to sell it on when the time comes to part with your phone. But that's only because Samsung's presence in Lebanon is huge, LG's midrange devices are too costly for the features, Moto and HTC essentially don't exist, Nokia/HMD hadn't begun selling phones again yet, and Huawei started breaking into the market about a year or so ago. Even so, EMUI's zealous background process killing remains a cause of concern in our WhatsApp-or-nothing society so I generally stay away from it in my recommendations.
Xiaomi's mixed record for releasing kernel sources continues, as the company has still not posted sources for the Mi A1. While Xiaomi has previously stated their internal goal for releasing kernels is "within three months," according to XDA-Developers, the Mi A1 is well past this mark, as it was released last September. With the apparent end of the Nexus device program, the Mi A1 would be a prime candidate for custom ROM development, in place of the 2+ year old Nexus 5X.
The Mi A1 was the first Android One device from Xiaomi, meaning it ran completely stock Android. It turned out to be an excellent phone, and Xiaomi promised it would receive Oreo before the end of 2017. It looks like the company just barely delivered on that promise, because Android 8.0 is now rolling out to the device.
The Xiaomi Mi A1 is undoubtedly one of the best budget phones you can buy right now, as long as you live somewhere where it is sold. It's Xiaomi's first Android One device, meaning it runs completely stock Android with no modifications. Xiaomi promised that it would receive Oreo by the end of 2017, and while the final update still isn't ready, some owners have been invited to a private beta test.
Xiaomi phones usually have great hardware, but less than impressive software. That's why we were excited to see and review the Mi A1, the company's first Android One device. Given the phone's branding, Oreo was expected to arrive sooner than it would to MIUI-running devices. Lo and behold, it has - at least in the form of a beta.
It's that time of year again. Knowing our audience, chances are that you're looking for some sort of gadget to purchase for yourself or someone else. Whether the smartphone being replaced is too old, too bootloopy, or just doesn't have all the features you want, we've got you covered with our choices for the best smartphones you can buy.
Team Win Recovery Project, or TWRP for short, is just about the only custom recovery worth using in 2017. It does everything most people need, works on a massive number of devices, and can be themed. The last time we covered TWRP, it added support for the Pixel 2 and a few other phones. Now the recovery is officially available for some of ASUS' new phones, and Xiaomi's first Android One device.
Xiaomi phones always have the same problem. While the company's devices have generally great specifications and design for the price, the software experience is usually not very good. If you've read one of our Xiaomi device reviews, or used one of the company's phones yourself, you probably know what I'm talking about.