The Galaxy S II still lives: Developer unofficially ports LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11

In the last few months, we’ve talked about various unofficial Android 11 ports for numerous devices. Some of them were expected, as they were fairly new devices with a strong development backing. However, there were quite a few surprising entries, like the port for the Raspberry Pi 4, which was never intended to run Android in the first place. Now, another legendary device, the Samsung Galaxy S II, has received a taste of Android 11 through an unofficial build of LineageOS 18.1.

Samsung Galaxy S II XDA Forums

The porting work comes courtesy of XDA Senior Members rINanDO, ChronoMonochrome, and a host of other developers. It is important to keep in mind that this build is meant for the GT-I9100 variant. Among the things that do work out of the box, you can find that your screen, Wi-Fi, camera, and audio are working just fine. The RIL is partially working, i.e. you can receive calls, but can’t make one. However, GPS, FM Radio, screencasting, and a bunch of other features don’t yet work. In other words, we would only recommend trying this if you know what you are doing and have the appropriate stock firmware to restore.

As far as installation is concerned, the ROM is compliant with Isolated Recovery (IsoRec), which means it is a straight forward flash via Odin. One thing worth noting is that you have to be mindful of the data backup part, as you will have to re-partition and subsequently wipe the internal storage of your Galaxy S II during the installation process.

Download unofficial LineageOS 18.1 based on Android 11 for the Samsung Galaxy S II

If you’ve still got your hands on a Samsung Galaxy S II and would like to play around with Android 11, or if you’re just a former owner looking to pay their respects to the venerable device, do give the port a try. When developers can do anything and everything they desire to a device, we get gems like this one.

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Discussion: Is Samsung intentionally making the Galaxy Note series irrelevant?

Samsung’s Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series are the headliners of its multi-billion-dollar smartphone business. As the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer by volume, Samsung has many hats to wear. But these two series have primarily driven smartphone innovation for nearly a decade. However, Samsung has lately diverted its attention towards nurturing its range of foldable smartphones and that has been pushing the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note series to the brink of redundancy. Latest rumors suggest the S Pen might not remain exclusive to the Galaxy Note series. So the question here is — is the Samsung Galaxy Note series bound to become irrelevant — or at least less relevant than it is now? Let’s Discuss!

The Samsung Galaxy Note series literally gets its name because of the unique value the S Pen adds to the smartphone. In addition to its note-taking abilities, the Note series has been the flag-bearer for the finest user experience, especially for the pro consumers. However, that dynamic is evidently changing and the Note series might not remain unique in the near future. Notably, the phones were also among Samsung’s initial phablets but that has gap been already been bridged by the Plus and Ultra versions of the Galaxy S Series smartphones.

Ever since Samsung announced the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, reports have indicated the Korean giant’s plans to reassess the positioning of the S Pen. Within a month of the Galaxy Note 20 series’ launch, reports emerged that Samsung would be adding stylus support to the most premium of the three Galaxy S21 devices — presumably the Galaxy S21 Ultra. There are also reports that suggest stylus support on Samsung’s next foldable flagship — likely to be called the Galaxy Z Fold 3.

Earlier this week, Samsung Electronics’ Head of Mobile Communications Bussiness, Dr. TM Roh almost confirmed these reports when they announced that Samsung would “add some of its most well-loved [Galaxy Note] features to other devices” in a fervent editorial about the future of Samsung’s mobiles division in 2021.  Dr. Roh also talks about “open standards” but we haven’t quite been able to decode that successfully just yet.

Parallel to these reports about Samsung extending stylus support for the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Z Fold lineups, rumors about the Note series getting discontinued have also floated on the internet. The speculations were based on the assumption that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 might replace the Note series in 2021. Naturally, this step would result would not only dilute the special attention that the Note series has received due to the S Pen, but could also further diminish its already declining sales.

Other reports quash the rumors about the Note lineup being discontinued. But there is no denying that the availability of S Pen on non-Note devices can be the second nail in the coffin for the Note series — the first being the emergence of foldables as practical tools for pro consumers.

One can also look back at incidents like the Galaxy Note 7 debacle, which essentially redefined the prioritization of features between the Galaxy S and the Galaxy Note series. Before the incident, the Note series either had newer or better features (or both) than the Galaxy S series. But after it, Samsung redirected its focus to innovate for the Galaxy S series and reiterate these innovations for the Note series.

With the Galaxy S21 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 3 purportedly sharing the one feature that has so far been unique to the Note series, the upcoming devices in the lineup are likely to have fewer takers.

Do you agree that Samsung is trying to make the Galaxy Note series less relevant so it can eventually be phased out in favor of newer devices? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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OmniROM, TWRP, and Google Camera ports are available for the ASUS ZenFone 7 series

ASUS launched their ZenFone 7 lineup back in August this year and the device duo have been quite well received. In a bid to make the phones more attractive to the aftermarket development community, the company promptly published the bootloader unlock tool and the kernel source code. Thanks to the OEM’s proactive support, we even saw the release of a public beta of Android 11 for the device. Third-party development for the ZenFone 7 series has been on high-gear ever since and we now have the first custom ROM, an unofficial TWRP port, and working Google Camera ports for it.

ASUS ZenFone 7/7 Pro Forums

ASUS ZenFone 7 Pro Review – A Flipping Fantastic Flagship Smartphone

Unofficial TWRP

In case you’re planning on fiddling with your ZenFone 7, you’d be glad to know that XDA Recognized Developer Captain_Throwback has already released an unofficial TWRP build for the device. You can download it from the forum thread linked below and follow the instructions in the first post to easily replace the stock recovery with TWRP on your device. Do note that you’ll first have to unlock the bootloader before you can go ahead with the installation.

Download unofficial TWRP for the ASUS ZenFone 7 series

Unofficial OmniROM

The first custom ROM is also available for the ZenFone 7 family, and it comes in the form of OmniROM. According to the developer, XDA Senior Member micky387, the ROM comes with SELinux enforced, which is a big plus in terms of security. Users interested in flashing the ROM should carefully refer to the instructions mentioned by the developer in the ROM thread.

Download unofficial OmniROM for the ASUS ZenFone 7 series

Google Camera port

If you want to get the most out of the camera, you should check out ported Google Camera APKs. There are a few options available in our forums, like the one based on version 7.3 by XDA Senior Member mickey36736 and another one based on Google Camera 8.0 by XDA Senior Member Arnova8G2. The auxiliary camera sensors reportedly work fine with these ports, which can really come in handy for utilizing the ultra-wide angle and telephoto cameras. Try them out by following the link below.

Download Google Camera ports for the ASUS ZenFone 7 series

We expect to see more development work on the ZenFone 7 lineup, e.g. official inclusion within the TWRP and the LineageOS projects, soon. For now, the doors have opened for users to try something outside of ASUS’ offerings.

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Galaxy S21 series leaks reveal European pricing, downloadable wallpapers, and full S21 Ultra specs

This week alone has seen a number of major Galaxy S21 leaks, including press renders and a hands-on video. Now we have even more content to share. Samsung just can’t seem to keep its upcoming devices under wraps.

Galaxy S21 series pricing (Europe)

First up is possible pricing for the Galaxy S21 series in Europe. The info comes courtesy of 91Mobiles.

• Samsung Galaxy S21: €849
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus: €1,049 (€1,099 for 256GB)
• Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra: €1,399

What’s notable is the starting price of the Galaxy S21 is lower than this year’s Galaxy S20. The prior (or current) model launched for €999, so Samsung appears to be making a concerted effort to make its entry flagship device more affordable.

However, the Galaxy S21 Ultra appears to be a little more expensive than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. That could be due to the improved camera module and rumored S Pen support.

Galaxy S21 Ultra specs

Speaking of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, WinFuture has what are purported to be the device’s specs. For a more comprehensive breakdown, you can follow the source link, but below is what we’re expecting from the upcoming handset.

Specification	Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
Dimensions & Weight	165.1 x 75.6 x 8.9 mm 228 grams
Display	6.8 inch Infinity-O-Edge display with Dynamic AMOLED 2X, Always On, WQHD + (3200 x 1440 pixels), 1-120 Hz, 1600 nit, 515 ppi, Gorilla Glass 7
SoC	Samsung Exynos 2100 Octacore CPU 3x 2.8 + 4x 2.4 + 1x 2.9 GHz
RAM & Storage	12 GB RAM 128/256/512 GB storage
Battery & Charging	5000 mAh, fast charging, Qi charging
Sensors	Accelerometer, ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, proximity detection, gyroscope, compass, hall sensor, brightness sensor, UWB
Rear Camera(s)	Quad camera, 108 MP (wide-angle lens, f / 1.8, 79 °, 24mm, 1 / 1.33 “, 0.8 µm, OIS) + 12 MP (ultra-wide-angle lens, f / 2.2, 120 °, 13mm, 1 / 2.55”, 1.4 µm, AF) + 10 MP (telephoto lens, f / 2.4, 35 °, 72mm, 1 / 3.24 “, 1.22 µm, OIS) + 10 MP (telephoto lens, f / 4.9, 10 °, 240mm, 1 / 3.24”, 1.22 µm, OIS), 3 and 10 times hybrid optical zoom, autofocus (PDAF, Laser AF), flash
Front Camera(s)	40 MP (f / 2.2, 80 °, 1 / 2.8 “, 0.7 µm, 25mm, AF)
Video	7680 x 4320 pixels (30 fps, 8K UHD), 3840 x 2160 pixels (30/60 fps, 4K UHD), 1920 x 1080 pixels (30/60/240 fps, FHD), 1280 x 720 pixels (960 fps, HD )
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.0, USB Type C, NFC, WiFi AX
Cellular	2G (GPRS / EDGE), 3G (UMTS), 4G (LTE), 5G
Software	Android 11 with Samsung One UI 3.1
Other Features	Waterproof to IP68, Wireless PowerShare, ANT +, DeX, child mode, data security Knox, geo-tagging, sync function, dual SIM (nano) + E-SIM, face recognition

Galaxy S21 wallpapers

Finally, even though the Galaxy S21 series isn’t even available, you can already download the static and live wallpapers. There are 16 in total— four of which are for DeX—all featuring a textured, artistic look. They’re not too overwhelming and bright and should look very nice on Samsung’s high-resolution displays.

You can download the wallpapers here.

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Xbox owners can now get a refund for Cyberpunk 2077

Microsoft has announced that it’s expanding its refund policy for Xbox players unhappy with their digital purchase of Cyberpunk 2077. You can request a refund by visiting Microsoft’s support page.

“To ensure that every player can get the experience they expect on Xbox, we will be expanding our existing refund policy to offer full refunds to anyone who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 digitally from the Microsoft Store, until further notice,” Microsoft said on Twitter.

Microsoft added, “While we know the developers at CD PROJEKT RED have worked hard to ship Cyberpunk 2077 in extremely challenging circumstances, we also realize that some players have been unhappy with the current experience on older consoles.”

Microsoft said it has so far granted refunds to the “vast majority” of customers who have requested one.

Unlike Sony, which has also guaranteed refunds for players who purchased Cyberpunk 2077 through the PlayStation Store, Microsoft isn’t removing the game from its platform. Those who want to purchase Cyberpunk 2077 for Xbox can still do so; the game is no longer available on the PlayStation Store.

It’s another twist in the tale of Cyberpunk 2077’s difficult launch. Soon after the game became available, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One owners complained the title was not up to expectations, marred by poor graphics and frustrating bugs. The game’s developer has since admitted the game wasn’t ready for those platforms, and has promised to release updates that will provide gamers with an improved experience, although it could be months before that happens.

To be fair, the game appears to run well on next generation hardware and on PC; it also runs surprisingly well on Stadia. But it’s a different story on PS4 and Xbox One, prompting Sony and Microsoft to offer full refunds for digital purchases. Considering everything that’s gone on in the last week something tells me this isn’t the end of Cyberpunk 2077’s troublesome launch.

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You won’t earn Samsung Rewards points anymore for Samsung Pay transactions

One of the best perks of Samsung Pay is its rewards program. Soon after Samsung Pay launched, the company introduced a rewards program to promote the service, offering points that could be put toward goodies, including gifts cards, cash back, and gear. The program has undergone some changes since it first launched in 2016, and now it’s undergoing its biggest change yet.

Samsung on Friday announced that beginning next year, you can no longer earn Rewards points for Samsung Pay transactions and gift card purchases. The company sent out an email explaining the changes.

As of 12/31/2020 at 11:59 PM PST, you will no longer earn Rewards points for Samsung Pay transactions and gift card purchases. This also means that Samsung Rewards Tiers no longer hold any benefits and we will be ending our Tier program for the time being. However, points can still be earned at Galaxy Store, Samsung.com, Shop app and with other Samsung services and applications.

To be clear, you can still earn rewards points by purchasing stuff from Samsung, and Samsung Pay isn’t going anywhere. But the service (and program) has seemingly become so popular that changes had to be made. While Samsung’s tier program is being put on hold, the company suggests it will return in some form in the future.

Launched in 2015, Samsung Pay is one of the best payment services on the market, because it supports both NFC payments as well as MST for magnetic stripe-only payment terminals. That makes the service much more accessible over something like Apple Pay, although more and more businesses are using NFC payment terminals.

Over the past few years, Samsung has tweaked Samsung Pay’s rewards program by cutting points earned and halving tiers. Today’s change is the biggest one yet, so you better get in some last minute holiday shopping before the new changes go into effect.

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Save $90 on the Google Pixel 4a 5G at Best Buy by activating today!

During Black Friday, Best Buy had a great deal on the Google Pixel 4a 5G, our best Android budget phone pick. That deal is unfortunately gone, but that doesn’t mean you can’t save on the smartphone at all before Christmas. Best Buy still wants you to save some money, as if you activate today, you’ll save $90 on the unlocked phone.

Why pick up the Pixel 4a 5G? It’s one of the most affordable smartphones you can get with 5G! It’s not the cheapest 5G phone, but you know what you’re getting with the Pixel line of products, and this unlocked version can go to any carrier.

Best Buy usually offers a deal if you decide to activate your phone with a carrier immediately upon purchase, but that deal is typically locked at $50. With the Google Pixel 4A 5G, though, you’ll save $90 by activating today! With the MSRP already only $500, picking this up for $410 is a great deal.

The only catch is that by activating at Best Buy today, you’ll need to go with one of their carriers for the activation. That will end up being Verizon, AT&T, or Sprint! If you really want to activate later, you still get a $40 discount on the phone, but it’s certainly not as nice of a discount. With Verizon and AT&T, you don’t need a new line or anything for the full discount, either!

Basically, if you want a Google Pixel 4a 5G before Christmas, you won’t want to sleep on this deal. This deal can be delivered to your door or picked up at the store if stock is available. If you need a gift or an upgrade, there’s no reason to wait!

Google Pixel 4a 5G

Save $90 on the Pixel 4a 5G by activating today with Best Buy! If you decide not to activate your phone right away, you can save $40.

$410 at Best Buy

If Best Buy isn’t your retailer of choice, or aren’t in a rush for an upgrade, you can check out some of the other Google Pixel 4a 5G deals available!

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