Motorola has announced its list of smartphones that will receive the Android 11 upgrade presumably starting as soon as tomorrow but, more practically, throughout 2021. There will be pitfalls along the way as we find out which devices are gasping their last breaths and the technicalities getting in the way of others.
Motorola released its flagship Edge+ phone earlier this year, but it was always a bit weird to have a plus model when a regular model didn't exist. Motorola fixed that with the cheaper Edge a few months later, which has now dropped to $399.99 at Amazon and B&H Photo. The phone was $500 for a short time last month (and again on Prime Day), but it's typically sold for $600.
Motorola released the Edge+ earlier this year as its first flagship phone in a long time, but it was always a bit weird to have a plus model when a regular model didn't exist. Motorola fixed that with the cheaper Edge a few months later, which has now returned to its original introductory price of $500 ($200 off).
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Of the available evidence, everything points to a Snapdragon 765G powering the anticipated Pixel 5, and that's caused a lot of spec-gazers to cast a doubtful eye on Google's upcoming phone. Prior to the Pixel 5, every Pixel phone used the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series chipset, the most powerful SoCs available on the open market. With the 765G, though, we don't necessarily think Google's made a bad move—we've been using phones with the new high-end-of-the-mid-range Qualcomm chip—like the OnePlus Nord—and we're impressed. And we think there's really no reason the Pixel 5 really needs to full-fat 865 as a result.
Motorola took a few years off from making flagship phones, but 2020 was supposed to be its big chance to get back into the high-end. Well, it's a lot harder to sell a $1,000 phone in the midst of a global pandemic, but maybe a somewhat cheaper phone has a shot? The new Motorola Edge is the pared-down version of the Edge+ that launched a few months ago. Unlike that phone, this one is unlocked and has a Snapdragon 765 for 5G connectivity rather than the 865.
Customizability has always been a key component of Android, with third-party developers being able to modify and create their own tweaked builds of the software. When companies release the kernel source for their devices, it makes this process much easier. Motorola may not have the best reputation when it comes to software updates, but it's usually pretty good about releasing this low-level code, and it's doing so now with the Motorola One Fusion+, Motorola Edge, and Moto G7 Power Android 10 kernel sources.
In April, Motorola brought out the Edge+, a Verizon-exclusive $1,000 phone that broke away from the Moto Z monotony with invigorated industrial design and integrated 5G connectivity. What we kinda glossed over — with fair reason given what little detail we had then — is the fact that the company also launched a mid-range 5G phone with similar looks called the Edge in Europe. Well, that device has made its way stateside, unlocked, and with a couple key spec boosts to boot.
On many Android devices, Google Search lets you view tons of 3D models like animals, pets, skeletons, cells, Neil Armstrong's spacesuit, and much more. With the tap of a button, you can move these objects into your home and see them as though they were in your camera's viewfinder. It's even possible to snap photos and take videos. The list of supported phones is ever-expanding — devices like the Sony Xperia 1 II, the Poco X2, the Xiaomi Redmi K30, and Samsung's Galaxy Tab S6 Lite made the cut we when checked in at the beginning of June, and now a few more are popping up, including the flagship Galaxy S20 series.
Motorola returned to the flagship smartphone market earlier this year with the Motorola Edge+. The company still doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to software and updates, but Motorola has just released the kernel source code for the Edge+, making it easier for third-party developers to create their own custom Android builds.
Motorola wanted to start a foray into flagship territory with its first high-end phone in years, the $1,000 Edge+, but it seems that a few customers are experiencing display issues that considerably taint its image. Many have taken to the Lenovo Forums to share pictures of their tinted screens and discolored spots that show up after prolonged usage. Thankfully, it looks like a software update comes to the rescue for a lot of customers.