Motorola Unveils the new Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus

If you felt that this year did not have as many phone releases as a smartphone enthusiast could want, Motorola has got you covered. The Lenovo subsidiary has taken it upon itself to ensure there is at least one product in every imaginable budget, with a myriad of feature combinations and even build quality. The new Moto G^5S and Moto G^5S Plus thus build up on the Moto G⁵ and Moto G⁵ Plus.

The Moto G5S upgrades on the previous device by opting for a metallic unibody design as opposed to the metallic back cover on the Moto G5. The side effect of this change is likely the non-removable battery, as Motorola no longer mentions a removable battery as a feature on the new device. To offset this side effect, the battery has been increased to 3000 mAh capacity as opposed to the 2800 mAh battery on the G5. But to offset this offset, the display is also bigger at 5.2″ FHD compared to the 5″ FHD display.

The SoC option on the device remains the same as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 continues to power the G5 line. Motorola’s press release remains silent on the RAM and storage capabilities of the device, so we can assume it to be similar to the previous ‘generation’, namely 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. This set of specification can change depending on regional availability.

Other upgrades on the Moto G5S include gesture recognition support on the fingerprint sensor, as well as upgrades on the cameras. The front camera is now a 5MP sensor with a “wide-angle” lens and LED flash, while the rear camera is now a 16MP shooter with PDAF.

Moto G5S Plus

Like the Moto G5S, the Moto G5S Plus also comes with a metallic unibody construction. The display size has been upped to 5.5″ FHD from the 5.2″ FHD on the Moto G5 Plus. But for some reason, Motorola has decided to stick with the 3,000 mAh battery as on the previous device. The spec sheet for the device also tells us about the absence of NFC.

The SoC remains the same with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. The phone will come in RAM and memory combinations of 3GB + 32GB and 4GB + 64GB, but again, this is likely to be affected by regional availability as with past Moto G phones. Thankfully, the phone does come with microSD card support upto 128GB.

The Moto G5S Plus also now supports gesture recognition on the fingerprint sensor. The rear camera sees the biggest upgrade as the G5S Plus sports a dual rear camera setup comprising of two 13MP cameras with f/2.0 aperture. Motorola does not specifically detail on how the setup works in tandem, but does mention depth-of-field effects such as selective focus and bokeh as well as selective black and white mode. The front camera is also upgraded to an 8MP sensor with a “wide-angle” lens, f/2.0 aperture and LED flash.

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Availability and Pricing

The new Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus will be available starting this month across the world, although the US will have to wait until fall for the phones to land.

The Moto G5S starts at €249 (~$294), while the Moto G5S Plus starts at €299 (~$353).

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What are your thoughts on the Moto G5S and Moto G5S Plus? Were these “Special Edition” devices really warranted at this stage in Motorola’s release cycle? Let us know in the comments below!

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Motorola Promises Three Generations of Moto Mods Support on the Moto Z Lineup

One of the frequently asked questions when it comes to modularity implementations is just how long the OEMs are committed to their vision and feature. LG’s attempt at modularity was a self-confessed disaster on the LG G5 and despite their promises, the OEM failed to provide the ecosystem support needed for a fledgling idea to flourish. But then, Motorola introduced Moto Mods.

Lenovo, through Motorola, seems more intent on making it work. Motorola’s vision of modularity involves case-like extensions that snap on to the back of their flagship lineups and extend functionality beyond what the phone could perform on its own. But then again, Motorola’s commitment to the ecosystem would dictate how much and for how long customer interest would remain present towards Moto Mods.

As reported by TechRadar, Motorola spokesperson have commented that Motorola is looking to provide three generations of Moto Mods support, allowing next generation Moto Z devices to support past Moto Mods.

Motorola has confirmed three generations of support for Moto Mods, so the next gen devices will support current mods.

TechRadar reports that this means when the next of the Moto Z flagship will be released, it will work with with last years mods like the Hasselblad camera mod and JBL Soundboost.

It is important to remember that promising something does not mean that it is guaranteed to take effect. LG proposed something similar with the LG G5 and LG Friends, promising modular designs with their future smartphones. But as we all know by now, the LG G6 completely ditched modularity, opting to become a complete smartphone by itself. Motorola is promising past Mod support on future Moto Z devices, but we would still advise taking this with a pinch of salt. Because at the end of the day, the corporate balance sheet holds stronger preference over mere promises. Luckily, they’ve kept their promise so far.

What are your thoughts on Motorola’s promise of three generation of Mod support? Do you believe such a promise is feasible for Lenovo? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: TechRadar

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Daydream Support is Rolling Out to the Galaxy S8/S8+

We have a lot of different companies trying to solidify their foundation in the VR industry. From standalone units meant for the PC with products from Oculus and HTC, all the way down to cardboard viewers from some who are just wanting to use the platform for marketing. A lot of these platforms are trying to isolate themselves from the competition in hopes of obtaining more marketshare for themselves, but Google is taking a different approach with Daydream.

Much like how they handled Google Cardboard, Google wants to bring in as many devices to Daydream as possible. Granted, this can be described as their own platform similarly to how Samsung has theirs with the Gear VR, but Google is actively working with other OEMs to add support for Daydream. There are a number of hardware and optimization targets these OEMs have to hit in order for their device to be eligible, but the Daydream View is capable of working with devices from other OEMs whereas the Gear VR is not.

Adoption rate of Daydream’s platform has been much slower than Google Cardboard because of these requirements, but Google expects 11 devices to support it by the end of this year. So far, only a handful of devices on the market have support for Daydream. This includes the Pixel, Pixel XL, Moto Z, Mate 9 Pro, Porsche Design Mate 9, Axon 7, and the Zenfone AR from ASUS, but more are coming. Google has even just announced the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are getting the update right now.

Support for this is being added thanks to a new OTA update so it could take a bit of time before your device receives it. Those who purchased the Galaxy S8 or S8+ from a carrier will need to wait for an approved OTA update before they receive it. Reports from the community say Daydream applications and games will not work in the Gear VR though, so customers will need to purchase a Daydream View in order to enjoy the content.

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Source: @googlevr

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OxygenOS v4.5.7 for the OnePlus 5 Adds EIS for 4K Video, July Security Patches and More

The latest flagship smartphone from OnePlus has received a handful of software updates since it has been released. The latest and most vital update fixed the 911 emergency calling issue that some people were experiencing and now the company is rolling out a new one. While this new OTA update for the OnePlus 5 does include some bug fixes and stability improvements, it also adds a couple of new features and makes the device more secure.

When reviews of the OnePlus 5 were published, a lot of attention was put on the camera of the device. Mainly because OnePlus themselves hyped up how much they were working on improving its performance. There are definitely some improvements over the OnePlus 3/3T and its other smartphones on the market, it just didn’t live up to the hype for some people in the community. One big criticism was how its EIS feature didn’t work when recording 4K videos.

With OxygenOS version 4.5.7 for the OnePlus 5, EIS should now work when recording 4K videos. We’ll have to wait until the OTA update hits our devices so we can try it out, but this is something that many people have been waiting for. This new OTA update also introduces the new OnePlus Slate font as well. Not only that, but it the OTA update includes Android’s July security patches, and also updates your device to the latest GMS package.

Then we get to optimizations and bug fixes and are told standby battery life should be improved and WiFi connectivity should be as well. A bug was fixed that caused occasional sound leaks in the speakers when using earphones and another that fixed missing sound channels when recording videos. Lastly, OxygenOS version 4.5.7 for the OnePlus 5 also fixed a camera shutter sound bug in silent mode for Indian region. You can find the full changelog down below.

OxygenOS v4.5.7 Changelog

OnePlus 5 OxygenOS v4.5.7

New additions:

• Introducing the all new OnePlus Slate font
• Added EIS for 4k video recording

Updates:

• Updated Android security patch level to 1st July 2017
• Updated to latest GMS package

Optimizations:

• Wi-Fi connectivity improvements
• Standby battery enhancements

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed occasional sound leaks in the speakers when using earphones
• Fixed camera shutter sound bug in silent mode for Indian region
• Fixed missing sound channels when recording videos

Source: OnePlus

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Win a OnePlus 5 (8GB RAM Model)

We’ve got an 8GB RAM Midnight Black OnePlus 5 to giveaway. That’s the top-end model with 128GB of storage for all of your file-saving needs. Just use the below contest widget to enter, or check out our OnePlus 5 forums to see what people are saying about the device. We’re giving away the A5000 model, in case you’re wondering.

Win a OnePlus 5!

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Renders Seemingly Reveal Black and Gold Variants of the Galaxy Note 8

The upcoming release of the Galaxy Note 8 is going to be huge for the South Korean tech giant. With all of the trouble they had to go through recalling the Note 7 last year, this will be the time for them to make it up to their customers. They did release the Galaxy Note FE in an attempt to keep fans of the Galaxy Note series happy and it still has its fans within the community. But the upcoming Galaxy Note 8 release will be a way for Samsung to truly make it up to them.

It’s rare for Samsung to drastically redesign their new Galaxy Note smartphone when compared to the Galaxy S device that was released earlier in the year. They have been shown to be different in the past but since Samsung started buckling down with the Galaxy S6, they’ve essentially stuck with the same design. Sure, there are some subtle changes here and there, and of course the device is bigger so it can incorporate the S Pen, but we shouldn’t expect something new this year.

Some newly leaked renders from Evan Blass throughout the night shows this as well. He first revealed what was said to be the front of the Midnight Black variant of the Galaxy Note 8 and we saw a lot of the design choices Samsung had went with in the Galaxy S8, albeit squaring the corners like Note devices usually do. So the S8 will come with that unique aspect ratio since the top and bottom bezels have been made smaller. This also shows that they’re sticking with software navigation buttons as well (which has been a widely praised move so far).

A previous leak did suggest the Galaxy Note 8 would come with two cameras on the back of the device and Mr. Blass’ new renders do back up that claim. Other than that, the larger display and the S Pen though, we’re seeing a lot of similarities with the Galaxy Note 8 as we did with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ from earlier this year. Still, we’re looking forward to August 23rd when Samsung official unveiled the device since they almost always have other tricks up their sleeve (be it software features or accessories).

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Source: @evleaks

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Hide Quick Settings Tiles on the Lock Screen Automatically [App]

Google introduced Quick Settings tiles to Android with Android 5.0 Lollipop (though it should be noted that this feature was available on Samsung phones before it made its way to AOSP). With Quick Settings, users can access many useful system toggles such as a WiFi, Bluetooth, Location, GPS, or Sound toggle without having to navigate through the Settings app. And with the Quick Settings Tiles API introduced in Android 7.0 Nougat, developers can even add their own custom tiles. When creating a new tile, developers can specify whether or not the tile can be toggled directly from the lock screen, but many default tiles do not implement this feature. If you are looking for a way to disable or hide quick settings tiles on the lock screen, I’ve made a simple, free app that you can use to do just that.

Some devices from manufacturers such as Samsung or Huawei prevent the user from toggling certain tiles while on the lock screen. For instance, Huawei devices running EMUI prevent the user from toggling location while on the lock screen unless they unlock the phone. But if the user has an airplane mode or WiFi tile, those can still be toggled which renders the location tile protection useless.

Although Google has implemented Factory Reset Protection (FRP) to prevent thieves from running off with your device then factory resetting it, allowing users to toggle any quick setting is seen by many to be a potential security issue. Whether or not hiding quick settings tiles from the lock screen will really help with device security is a debate for another time, but clearly there’s a reason why certain OEMs lock certain tiles from being accessed without being unlocked. And since this seems to be a popular request, I decided it would be worth making a simple app to handle this task.

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Hide Quick Settings Tiles on the Lock Screen

I made a super simple app using Tasker and its Tasker App Factory plugin to hide quick settings tiles from the lock screen. It’s by no means a pretty app, but it gets the job done. The app simply lists the currently available Quick Settings tiles that are in your status bar and lets you select the ones you want to hide from the lock screen.

The list of quick settings tiles are taken from the Settings.Secure preference sysui_qs_tiles. As such, the application needs to be granted the WRITE_SECURE_SETTINGS permission (either from a rooted shell within a terminal app such as Material Terminal by XDA Junior Member yarolegovich or through an ADB shell). With the permission granted, the app can write to sysui_qs_tiles, which immediately changes the list of available quick settings.

Unfortunately, I haven’t figured out an easy way to convert the quick setting tile values taken from the sysui_qs_tiles preference into the same text shown in the status bar. In my testing, though, this shouldn’t really be an issue because the strings that are shown are pretty easy to correlate with what tile it represents. Plus, the app displays the strings in the same order that they’re shown in the status bar, so there’s really no reason you won’t be able to find what tile you’re looking to hide.

In any case, once you’ve picked the tiles you want to disable on the lock screen and enable the display monitor service, the app will detect when the screen has been turned on and is actively on the lock screen. When on the lock screen, the app will modify the settings value that holds the current quick settings tiles and remove the tiles that you want hidden from the lock screen. Then when the user unlocks the phone, the app will restore the quick settings tiles that it saved when you turned the screen off.

I’ve been using this for over a week now and have not had any issues, but in case somehow the app screws up there’s a “save” and “restore” button that allows you to save the current list of quick settings tiles in your status bar and later restore them. The app hides and restore any quick setting tile that you choose, even custom third-party ones – though it may take a few seconds for the third-party tiles from apps such as AutoNotification to re-initialize.

I hope this quick application that I whipped up serves you well. I am by no means a developer given that I didn’t touch a single line of code when making this app with Tasker, but I would rather release this app for people to hide quick settings tiles instead of having people continue to wait for someone else to maybe come along with an app of their own.

Auto-Hide Quick Settings Tiles (Free, XDA Labs) →

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