Android 7.0 Nougat likely releasing August 22

Both LG and Canada’s Telus suggest same date for final Nougat code drop.

Nexus owners: Get ready for some Nougat. It’s looking highly likely that the next version of Android will go official next Monday, Aug. 22. That’s the date given for the Android 7.0 update on Nexus 5X and 6P by Canadian operator Telus in its latest software update schedule.

Telus was accurate with its launch date for last year’s Marshmallow update on Nexus devices.

Adding further fuel to that particular fire is LG’s limited preview program for Korean G5s, which just happens to start on the same day — Aug. 22. Like all major phone makers, LG gets the final code in advance from Google, but the firm wouldn’t be allowed start its preview ahead of the official Nougat launch day.

If everything goes as expected, we should see an announcement from Google, followed by system images next Monday morning (Pacific time), followed by the usual over-the-air push. (It’s possible, but not guaranteed, that Android Wear 2.0 will also land around the same time.)

As for new Nexus devices, we’re not expecting them until sometime after the arrival of the LG V20, which will be the first phone shipping with Nougat.

Android Nougat

Android Nougat is the 12th nicknamed version of Android and will be released to the public in the fall of 2016. Here’s everything you need to know so far!

• What’s new in Android Nougat
• Will my phone get Android Nougat?
• All Android Nougat news
• Should you use the Android N Dev Preview?
• Join the Discussion

Alcatel Idol 4S review: Getting the most from the mid-range

Alcatel delivers its best phone ever with the Idol 4S.

Quick Take

The Alcatel Idol 4S is a 5.5-inch mid-ranger from a company that’s spent the time to refine its design and hardware. You get access to a fantastic camera with manual features and Hi-Fi audio. The phone offers an excellent display, even outdoors, and provides battery life that will easily get you through the day.

Good and Bad

The Good

• Awesome camera with plenty of features
• Fantastic battery life
• Great Hi-Fi audio

The Bad

• Phone can feel slippery in your hand
• Processor heats up after extended use

About this Review

I (Jen Karner) am writing this review after using the Alcatel Idol 4S for two weeks. It’s running Android 6.0.1 with the July 1, 2016 security patch (build number 4AGB-UEB10.) It was connected to the AT&T network in Halethorpe, Md., and the great Baltimore Metropolitan area, and was connected via Bluetooth to a 2015 Honda Fit.

Alcatel Idol 4S Specs

Sleek and metal

Alcatel Idol 4S Hardware

The Alcatel Idol 4S has a sturdy metal and glass body that feels great from the moment as you pick it up. While the device fits comfortably in your hand, it tends to get slippery, (which means that investing in a decent case might be a good plan if you have a tendency to drop your phone regularly.)

The back is smooth glass, with minimal branding. The only thing that protrudes noticeably from the back is the rear camera lens. While there is a fingerprint sensor set into the back, there isn’t any indentation. Instead, you’ll be able to locate it by the metal ring that surrounds it. And it’s reasonably ergonomic too, even if you have smaller hands.

The boom button lets you trigger certain actions when within apps, or when your phone is locked.

From the front, the phone looks pretty similar to many other rounded 5.5-inch handset (particularly some of Samsung’s recent devices.) One of the biggest differences comes in the buttons layout. That’s because along with the power button on the upper left, and volume rocker on the upper right, you’ll find the “Boom” button — a circular key in the middle of the right side.

The boom button lets you trigger certain actions within apps, or when your phone is locked. This includes doing things like launching your camera when the device is locked, or triggering specific actions like a weather preview. It’s a nifty feature that enhances the experience, but isn’t entirely necessary and can be ignored if you so choose. It also really, really looks like a power button.

Alongside the standard Micro-USB and headphone jacks down below, you’ll also find a slot for your micro SD card on the upper left corner, just underneath the power button. And at both the top and bottom of your screen you will see small discrete speaker grates for the Idol 4S’s impressive audio system.

You don’t need to jack up the volume all the way to get fantastic sound when listening to music, or sharing videos with friends.

Those speakers really get the job done, too, with support for Hi-Fi audio and stereo output whether the phone is facing up or down. That’s right, they’ll fire out the back of the phone too. Aside from that you don’t need to jack up the volume all the way to get fantastic sound when listening to music, or sharing videos with friends, which is great.

The display is impressive, too, with a 2560×1140 pixel resolution that rivals some more expensive smartphones. So naturally there’s plenty of pixel density to go around, and I also found it bright enough to use in outdoor conditions — although you’ll need to watch out for increased battery drain at higher brightness levels.

As for general speed, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 652 processor works admirably, and I didn’t notice any performance issues with the Idol 4S. It didn’t matter if I’d been playing Avengers Academy for over an hour, or if I’d had to navigate my way through Baltimore City using Google Maps, this phone was always up to the task. Even when I’d been using the phone heavily for several hours, the only real issue was heat buildup — something that’s by no means unique to the Idol 4S. It never started dropping apps, acting jittery, or requiring me to put it down to give it a rest. (It did start to slow down after a while, but even this was generally when the battery was quite low.)

And storage-wise, there’s 32GB of internally, which can thankfully be augmented using a microSD card for plenty more storage to keep your games, photos and music loaded locally. Alcatel specifies that the slot can take cards up to 512GB.

All Google, all the way

Alcatel Idol 4S Software

For now, the Alcatel Idol 4S is reasonably up-to-date software-wise, running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow right out of the box with the July 2016 Android security patch. We’re on the cusp of Android Nougat, but Marshmallow still gets the job done, and Android 6.0.1 performs really well on the Idol 4S.

While it doesn’t come in bogged down in tons of bloatware, there are a fair few apps that come preloaded. Several of these revolve around VR, because the Alcatel Idol 4S comes packaged within a Google Cardboard headset. You’ll find a few games, a VR launcher and a VR store where you access new virtual experiences.

Preloaded VR content helps you make the most out of the bundled ‘Cardboard’ headset.

An added perk is the addition of the Waves Maxaudio app. This phone has Hi-Fi audio, and the app lets you manually adjust how things sound. You can tweak stereo, bass, treble, and even set specific settings for different genres of music. You also get access to an app called Fyuse, which allows you to take seriously epic movable photos (when it works correctly, anyway).

Superbly suited

Alcatel Idol 4S Camera

Cameras have become integral to the way that many of us use our phones. Whether it’s rolling through Instagram and taking selfies, or recording video of friends at parties, having a camera that works well is a necessity. Thankfully, the Alcatel Idol 4S does a great job here, with tons of software features, and cameras that do a great job capturing memorable moments.

There’s a 16MP rear facing camera, and an 8MP selfie shooter. Both function quite well, though they do have a tendency to blur if you aren’t holding your hands still. Usefully, you can actually open up your camera, even if your phone is locked pressing the Boom button on the side.

Alcatel gives you plenty of options with the camera as well. You’ve got auto, panorama, and manual modes, slow motion videos, Fyuse, and micro-video. Each one is chock full of features to let you get the best results in different situations. The Fyuse mode lets you take photos that you can actually look at from multiple angles, but it did have problems about half of the time when I tried to use it. Aside from showing people how it worked, I more or less left this function alone.

In manual mode, all of your options appear on the right side of the screen and let you adjust them on a slide bar. Panorama functions will show you a preview of your photo as you take it, and even the auto mode has basic sliders you can tweak up and at the top of your screen. So long as you can get used to having to hold very still when taking photographs, you’ll be quite happy with the results that you get.

Capacity to continue

Alcatel Idol 4S Battery

The Acatel Idol 4S is equipped with a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. In my experience, it’s capable of taking you through 12+ hours without needing a recharge, even with heavy use. When it does come time to fuel back up, you’ve got access to quick charge capabilities which means you won’t be stopping for too long.

Even when I was moving between multiple games, or out for a walk playing Pokemon Go, I could count on having hours of gameplay without having to stop and let the phone recharge. When that time finally did come, I didn’t need to plug it in for more than about 90 minutes because it supports Quick Charge 2.0.

Even using the Alcatel Idol 4S heavily, I never once managed to actually run completely out of juice.

Even using the Alcatel Idol 4S heavily, I never once managed to actually run completely out of juice. The lowest I got was about 5% and that was usually at the very end of my day, as I was headed to bed. For regular or light users you can expect to get through a solid 16 hours without issue, heavier users should expect 10-12 hours of use. That’s about standard for a phone of this size in mid-2016.

Bottom Line

Should you buy it? Yes

This brings us to the big question with the Alcatel Idol 4S, should you buy it? Between the battery, screen, and camera you’re looking at a solid phone that can easily get you through your day without ease and it doesn’t have a killer price tag attached. You can pick it up from Alcatel directly for $399, which is a pretty sweet deal.

Considering that you also get a fantastic VR headset with your phone, you can go far with this phone. It isn’t a flagship device, but Alcatel has worked their butts off to offer a fantastic device that is affordable for many people. Sitting as a mid-grade phone, you’ve got plenty of options, but the Alcatel Idol 4S is a good choice for anyone who values photo and audio quality, as well as a great overall experience.

See at Alcatel

CNN’s news drones officially launch with their own acronym

We’ve known about CNN’s drone aspirations for quite some time, but now the news network is officially launching its UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) program. The official title of the project is CNN AIR and just like CNN stands for Cable News Network, AIR is an acronym for Aerial Imagery and Reporting. As part of the UAS initiative to provide footage of news events from the sky, CNN has two full-time drone operators to capture visuals. That footage will be used by other Turner Broadcasting and Time Warner entities as well.

CNN has been working towards this launch for over two years. During that time, the news network teamed up with the FAA to research the viability of drones for news gathering as well as testing the administration’s Pathfinder program to put collision avoidance and traffic management systems through their paces. CNN says its shared data helped develop the framework for drones to be used in US airspace and it will continue “to expand the safe and legal operation of UAS in news gathering.”

The launch of CNN AIR doesn’t mean the network is using drones for the first time. CNN has already tasked UAS to gather aerial views of the flooding in Louisiana and to complement reports of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan as well as Anderson Cooper’s report on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Those reports were likely included as part of the aforementioned testing. Drones were also used for coverage of both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions in addition to debates and town halls. For an idea of what you can expect from CNN Air, check out the network’s announcement video right here.

Source: CNN (Vimeo)

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: What’s the rumoured difference?

The next Sony Xperia flagship is expected to be announced at the beginning of September at consumer electronics show IFA.

It has leaked several times over the last couple of months as both the Xperia XR and the Xperia F8331, but we are going to call it the former for the sake of this feature.

We’ve compared the rumoured specs of the Xperia XR to the Xperia Z5 in a separate feature, but here we are looking at how the Xperia XR compares to the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance, based on the speculation.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Design

The leaked images of the Xperia XR all show a device following the same OmniBalance design previous Sony smartphones feature. The new flagship is claimed to measure 146.4 x 71.9 x 8.1mm and offer a brushed metal finish.

According to the images, it looks like the fingerprint sensor will remain within the side power button, USB Type-C will be on board and there will be a new rear camera layout. We’d also hope to see IP65 and IP68 water and dust resistance.

Both the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance have a brushed metal finishes and the OmniBalance design. They also both have fingerprint sensors built in to the side power button, but only the X Performance is water and dust resistant.

The Xperia X measures 143 x 69 x 7.7mm and weighs 152g while the Xperia X Performance measures 143 x 70.5 x 8.6mm and weighs 164g. That means if the rumours are accurate, the new Xperia will be larger than both the X and X Performance, but perhaps slimmer than X Performance.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Display

The Sony Xperia XR is rumoured to be coming with a 5.1-inch display offering a Full HD resolution. If accurate, this would put the XR’s pixel density at 423ppi.

The Xperia X and X Performance both have 5-inch displays and they both have 1080p resolutions meaning their pixel densities are 441ppi. Although on paper that means they will be sharper than the XR if the rumours are true, the difference wouldn’t be noticeable to the human eye.

The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance both have a number of Sony technologies on board, including Triluminos and X-Reality. We’d expect the same from the next Xperia too though.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Camera

There haven’t been any rumours relating to the resolution of the next Xperia smartphones camera, but it has been claimed it will offer 4K video recording from both the front and rear.

As we mentioned previously, the leaked images suggest the Xperia XR will have a different camera layout on the rear, and it has been claimed it will offer a dual-LED flash.

We’d expect the same sensors as the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance though, as Sony waited a few years to upgrade to this from the 21.5-megapixel seen on the earlier Xperia Z devices.

The Xperia X and Xperia X Performance come with a 23-megapixel rear camera and a 13-megapixel front-facing camera. Both are only capable of Full HD video recording, but they come with Predictive Hybrid AF, which we’d also expect to see on the Xperia XR.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Hardware

The Sony Xperia XR is said to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor but there haven’t been any other leaks relating to the hardware.

We’d expect to see 3GB or 4GB of RAM, hopefully the latter, along with 32GB of storage and microSD support. We’d also expect a battery capacity around the 3000mAh mark.

The Xperia X features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 chip, supported by 3GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of storage, both of which have microSD expansion. There is a 2620mAh battery.

The Xperia X Performance has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, suggesting it will offer the same performance as the Xperia XR if the rumours are true. There is 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal memory with microSD and a 2700mAh battery.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Software

The Sony Xperia XR will probably launch on Android Marshmallow rather than Android Nougat and it will no doubt have Sony’s bloatware over the top.

Both the Xperia X and Xperia X Performance launched on Android Marshmallow and also feature bloatware over the top.

There will probably be a few new software features announced with the new device but we’d expect the experience between these three devices to be similar.

Sony Xperia XR vs Xperia X Performance vs Xperia X: Conclusion

According to the rumours, the Sony Xperia XR should improve on the Xperia X in terms of hardware and performance, though perhaps not on the X Performance.

The image leaks suggest we will see a slightly different design, even if still familiar, but in terms of other specs, there doesn’t seem to be much change, especially compared to the Xperia X Performance.

This is all speculation for now though so take everything with a pinch of salt. You can read our next Sony Xperia rumour round up for the latest and we will update this feature when the official specs and name are announced.

Huawei Mate 9 and its dual rear camera appear in new leaks

We’re getting a better idea of what the Huawei Mate 9 and its camera array might look like, thanks to a new set of leaks.

These leaked renders come from Baidu and appear to show a Mate 8-ish look as well as a modified dual-camera module with a different orientation than the Huawei P9. It’s unclear if the dual rear camera will sport Leica branding like the P9. There’s also some confusion regarding the resolution of the cameras. Apart from cameras, the leaked renders also depict the Mate 9 with a fingerprint scanner on its back and a metal build.

There have been a few Huawei Mate 9 rumours floating around in the last few months, including a recent leak involving a couple pics posted on Chinese forum site Weibo. Those pics were allegedly of the casing for the forthcoming flagship smartphone, and some specifications were listed alongside them. If the specs are true, the Huawei Mate 9 will have a 5.9-inch screen with a Full HD resolution.

Baidu (via GSMArena)

The Mate 9 might also feature the Kirin 960 processor, something touted since April and the launch of the P9 series. And there will be options for 4GB and 6GB of RAM, much like the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which is likely to feature the latter in China. The only other recently-leaked specification that didn’t resonate so well is that the phone will come with a 16-megapixel camera on the rear.

All previous leaks have claimed the phone will either have a 12-megapixel snapper or a mammoth 20-megapixel sensor, topping the dual cameras on the P9. There is no word of a release date, but with IFA 2016 only a few weeks away, we have a feeling it could make an appearance there.

Huawei is holding a press conference at IFA in Berlin on 1 September.

Baidu (via GSMArena)