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Out with the old, in with the new: LineageOS cut support for Android 9 Pie earlier this year, and to make up for the loss, the open-source project has just released version 18.1 based on Android 11. It comes with official support for about 60 phones and tablets.
TWRP support arrives for Exynos Galaxy Note9, Sony Xperia 10, and more
Several Xiaomi and Realme devices round out the list
The root/ROM fanbase has dwindled over the years, but there are still people out there dedicated to the craft. TWRP is the most popular custom recovery available by far, and since we last posted in late January, 11 more devices have been added to the roster.
Sony released the mid-range Xperia 10 and 10 Plus phones slightly over a year ago, and the devices were set to receive Android 10 sometime in "early 2020." I'm not sure if May counts as early in the year, but regardless, Sony is finally rolling out the OS update to the Xperia 10 series.
The Sony Xperia 10 Plus maybe a jack of all trades, but it’s tough to justify its original price of $430. However, its all-time low price for Cyber Monday is enticing enough to give the mid-ranger a second look. Amazon and B&H are both pulling its price down to $300, saving you a handsome $130 only for today.Its unusually tall 21:9 display has been a point of debate ever since Sony started slapping such screens onto its smartphones. Simply put, a display this tall is good for watching movies with minimal black bars, though you don’t probably need it for anything else. Aside from a 6.5-inch 1080p display, the handset packs two rear cameras offering 2x optical zoom and a 3000mAh battery. On the inside, a Snapdragon 636 processor, paired with 4GB of RAM, keeps things running.
The Sony Xperia 10 isn't a bad phone, but it was certainly difficult to recommend at its $349.99 MSRP. For Black Friday, however, Amazon and B&H have slashed the price by more than half to just $169.99, making this a pretty enticing phone for the money.Specs for this phone include a super-tall 21:9 6.0" 1080p LCD, a Snapdragon 630, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage with microSD expansion, a 13MP + 5MP rear camera combo, an 8MP front-facing camera, and a 2,870mAh battery. Other features include a 3.5mm headphone jack, a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and Android 9 Pie.
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
Just last week, two of Sony's super-tall mid-range phones — the Xperia 10 and 10 Plus — dropped to $50 below their usual prices. If you missed out on that, Sony has reduced the price of the regular Xperia 10 by another $50, bringing it down to just $250.The regular Xperia 10 has a Snapdragon 630 processor, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a 6-inch 2520x1080 IPS LCD with an aspect ratio of 21:9. There are a total of three cameras, two on the back (13MP regular, 5MP depth sensor), and one 8MP wide-angle lens on the front. NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, and a headphone jack are also present.
If you've been waiting to snag Sony's ultra-tall mid-range phone, now's your chance. The Xperia 10 and 10 Plus are both $50 off the usual prices, bringing the regular 10 down to $300 and the 10 Plus to $375.The Xperia 10 is equipped with a Snapdragon 630 processor, 3GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, a headphone jack (hooray!) and a 6-inch 2520x1080 IPS LCD with an aspect ratio of 21:9. There are a total of three cameras, two on the back (13MP regular, 5MP depth sensor), and one 8MP wide-angle lens on the front. The carrier compatibility is fairly good, as it will work with all major US networks except Sprint.
Are you on the lookout for a budget smartphone? The tall and slim Sony Xperia 10 (not to be confused with the Xperia X10 of yesteryear), with a 21:9 display and side-mounted fingerprint sensor, is currently marked down to $300 on Amazon.
The new Xperia 10 and 10 Plus might not be the most interesting phones out there, but Sony has made them a bit more appealing for certain buyers today. These phones are the latest additions to Sony's Open Devices program. So, you can unlock and flash software on your Xperia 10 and 10 Plus without any arduous workarounds.
After a period of what seemed like smartphone stagnation, we're finally seeing some weird devices again. With edge-to-edge screens, hole-punch cameras, and displays that fold in half being high-end oddities, Sony saw fit to shake up the budget formula, too, and plopped ultra-tall 21:9 displays in its Xperia 10 and 10 Plus. And while I applaud its efforts, being long doesn't save the Xperia 10 line from being terminally boring.
Sony's recently-announced Xperia 10 and 10 Plus, best known as those new mid-rangers with ridiculously tall screens, have gone up for pre-order in the United States at Amazon, B&H, and Best Buy. The Xperia 10 comes in at $349.99, and the larger Xperia 10 Plus will retail for $429.99. Both will be released on March 18th.
So much of the new stuff we're seeing in smartphones is focused on screens right now: new notch styles, embedded fingerprint scanners, and even screens that fold. Two years ago, one of the furthest-reaching changes in screen design got off the ground at MWC with the introduction of the LG G6 and its 18:9 aspect ratio panel, noticeable taller (or wider, depending on how you're holding it) than the 16:9 displays that had dominated phones to date. Now Sony's ready to introduce the next chapter in this saga, with the launch of three Xperia phones featuring 21:9 screens.
Mobile World Congress is just a few days away, and Sony will be on hand to announce four new phones. How do we know? All of them have been leaked with spec sheets and press renders. Sony's 2019 lineup will consist of the 1, 10 Plus, 10, and L3.