Android 12’s audio-coupled haptic effect is even cooler than it sounds

If you follow our blog, then I don’t think I need to tell you that Google released the first Android 12 builds last week (seriously, we’ve posted a ton about it). While we’ve mostly focused on revealing unreleased features, today we’re stepping back and testing one of the new OS’s officially-announced features. One of the coolest-sounding features in Android 12 is the audio-coupled haptic effect, a feature that effectively promises to vibrate your phone in accordance with the ongoing audio session. Google says it’ll let developers create more immersive game and audio experiences, and after seeing it in action, we have to agree.

Developer kdrag0n, who recently gave us our first look at Android 12’s wallpaper-based theming system, wanted to try out the new audio-coupled haptic effect feature, so he whipped up a quick app to see which Pixel phones support the feature. According to the documentation for the HapticGenerator API, “HG is an audio post-processor which generates haptic data based on the audio channels. The generated haptic data is sent along with audio data down to the audio HAL, which will require the device to support audio-coupled-haptic playback.” Unfortunately, it looks like neither of Google’s latest Pixel phones — namely, the Pixel 4a 5G or Pixel 5 — support HapticGenerator. Google’s 2018 Pixel 3 doesn’t seem to support it either (admittedly, we only tested the XL model), but fortunately, Google’s 2019 Pixel 4 does.

Google’s Pixel 4 supports Android 12’s audio-coupled haptic effect feature. Image credits: XDA Senior Member cstark27

After confirming the Pixel 4 supports it, kdrag0n whipped up another app using the HapticGenerator API. This app generates vibrations based on whatever music is playing on the device, and the result is better than we expected. Here are two videos, both recorded by XDA Senior Member cstark27, which showcase the audio-coupled haptic effect in action:

Daft Punk: One More Time

Daft Punk: Solar Sailer (Remixed by Pretty Lights)

Google has toyed with audio-coupled haptics in the past, but Android 12’s new feature is far more versatile than anything we’ve previously seen from the company. With the Pixel 3, Google prepared custom vibration patterns to match each stock ringtone, but it obviously isn’t possible for them to create custom vibrations for each and every sound coming out of the speakers.

This is why I think Android 12’s new audio-coupled haptics might be one of the OS’s coolest features and why it’s unfortunate that Google’s latest Pixel phones seem to lack support for it. Haptic feedback, when done right, can really elevate the smartphone experience. While I can’t see many people using this for music playback (how many people hold their phone in their hand while playing music?), I can see how it’ll make gaming that much more immersive on mobile.

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Nreal is bringing its augmented reality smart glasses to Europe and the U.S.

Things are about to get Nreal. The company behind the ready-to-wear Mixed Reality (MR) glasses have announced plans to expand to Europe and the U.S. in Q2 2021.

According to Nreal, the Nreal Light’s popularity in Korea, mixed with a growing appetite for augmented reality experiences, inspired the company to expand across the globe.

“Amid a ‘new norm’ combined with the growing appetite for a new, Mixed Reality platform, customers have found solace in reviving their pre-pandemic theater-going and face-to-face meetings through Nreal Light,” the company said.

Nreal Enterprise Edition

Nreal previously launched its augmented reality glasses in Korea, where customers could get them bundled with the Galaxy Note 20 and LG Velvet. Apparently, those in Korea who own the Nreal Light average about 49 minutes per day using the Mixed Reality glasses.

“Mixed Reality is emerging as a transformative technology that is already seeing high rates of engagement perspective and incrementally changing how we interact with our mobile devices, from watching films on a digital IMAX-size screen, or collaborating with colleagues from one’s bedroom,” said Chi Xu, CEO and Founder at Nreal.

In addition to bringing the Nreal Light to Europe and the U.S., the company has also announced a redesigned enterprise edition designed for industries like manufacturing, retail, tourism, education, and more. The Nreal Enterprise Edition features a wrap-around halo design and supports eye-tracking and gesture recognition technology. The company said the Nreal Enterprise Edition will launch sometime in 2021.

Finally, Nreal said it plans to launch new Mixed Reality apps, including a weather app, basketball game, MMORPG, and sports app. Nreal is also partnering with third-party hardware developers to build devices that are compatible with Nrea Light. One of the first products is called the FinchRing, which is a Mixed Reality controller.

Once we have an exact release date and pricing, we’ll be sure to let you know.

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Best Android Phones under $300: Motorola, Samsung, OnePlus, TCL, & more

A smartphone is just about a necessity in this day and age, and fortunately, smartphone brands have gotten so good at making phones that even consumers no longer have to pay an arm and a leg to get a functional smartphone. We here at XDA developers get our hands on a lot of phones, and here’s our list for the best Android phones under $300.

Navigate this guide:

• Best phone for power users: Moto G Power
• Best bang-for-your-buck phone: OnePlus Nord N10
• Best phone for those who want their screens big and bright: TCL 10L
• Best for Samsung phones on a budget: Samsung Galaxy A51
• Best phone for stylus lovers: LG Stylo 5
• Best phone for Nokia enthusiasts: Nokia 5.3
• Best phone for those open to importing: Poco X3 NFC

Best phone for power users: Moto G Power

 

Motorola is responsible for some of the best entry-level phones in the US and its Moto G Power is a great option for those who don’t want to spend more than $300. You get a 6.4-inch display, a solid 16MP camera, Snapdragon 665, a near-stock version of Android, plus a 5,000 mAh battery.

You’re missing NFC, the 8MP ultra-wide camera is just okay, and the 4GB of RAM is a bit low, but thankfully the software is lean and clean, so the phone remains super fast. If you’re a heavy user and battery endurance is of high importance, then this is your phone.

Moto G Power

Clean Android software with arguably the best Always-On display on the market, plus a 5,000 mAh battery that will almost certainly not run out before your day ends.

View at Amazon

Best bang-for-your-buck phone: OnePlus Nord N10

The OnePlus Nord N10 is reportedly selling quite well in the US, and it’s not hard to see why: at just $299, the Nord N10 offers a 90Hz, 1080p display, a solid 64MP camera, the usual clean and responsive OnePlus software, and 5G connectivity courtesy of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 690.

You do lose out on some OnePlus trademarks such as the alert slider and OLED display, and the 8MP ultra-wide angle camera is a bit soft on details, but at this price point it’s hard to complain too much. The 4,300 mAh battery is enough to give this device all day battery life too.

OnePlus Nord N10

The OnePlus Nord N10 is no flagship killer, but it is a very respectable entry-level phone that still provides steady performance and a good display.

View at Amazon

 

 

Best phone for those who love a big and bright screen: TCL 10L

Television brand TCL entered the Android space with this debut handset that packs quite a punch, offering a quad-camera array, hole-punch screen design, and an impressive 6.5-inch, bright LCD screen at a very reasonable price. Like many phones on this list, you get a Snapdragon 665 processor, but the software zips around thanks to strong optimization from TCL.

The quad-camera system on the back houses a 48-megapixel primary shooter that produces good shots, but the other three lenses — an 8-megapixel ultrawide, and a pair of 2-megapixel macro and depth sensors — are just average. The Snapdragon 665 processor and a clean and light UI make for a good combo. And this is perhaps not surprising considering its roots in making television, but the TCL 10L is one of the last phones left (other than Xiaomi) to offer an IR blaster which allows it to double as a TV remote control.

TCL 10L

With a bright and vibrant LCD screen and a versatile quad camera array, this is quite the solid smartphone debut for Chinese television brand TCL.

View at Amazon

Best for Samsung fans on a budget: Samsung Galaxy A51

For fans of Samsung phones who unfortunately can’t spend more than $300, the $250 Galaxy A51 is your best bet. Featuring a 6.5-inch OLED screen with a modern hole-punch design, a solid 48MP camera, and an Exynos 9611, there’s a lot to like with this device, which was selling at $399 until a recent major price slash.

You also get Samsung’s One UI Android skin, a headphone jack, and at least three years of Android support. However, the body is very plasticky, and the screen refreshes only at 60Hz, which feels slow in 2021.

Samsung Galaxy A51

The Galaxy A51 is on major discount, making it the most affordable Samsung phone yet.

View at Samsung

 

Best phone for stylus lovers: LG Stylo 5

If you sign a lot of digital documents, or like to sketch on your smartphone, and you don’t want to pay Samsung Galaxy Note levels of money, the LG Stylo 5 is for you. It’s got a clean, no-notch design, a bright LCD display, a headphone jack, and of course, that stylus. Unfortunately, the Snapdragon 450 here is a bit long in the tooth, but it is still enough for productivity tasks. Ultimately, if you’re getting this, it’s because you want and need a stylus, and this one performs fine, with respectable software that prevents palm rejection and acceptable latency.

LG Stylo 5

Tired of poking around with your fingers? Use a stylus for finer control of your smartphone. The LG Stylo 5 is the cheapest phone with a stylus on the market right now.

View at Amazon

Best phone for Nokia enthusiasts: Nokia 5.3

The Nokia 5.3 isn’t just light in cost, but software too, with a near-stock version of Android that’s guaranteed to get updates for at least two years thanks to it being part of the Android One program. The outside of the device also stands from the sea of slab phones with a circular camera module housing a reliable 13MP camera and 5MP ultra-wide camera.

Inside, you get a Snapdragon 665 with a 4,000 mAh battery that should be enough to power the 6.5-inch screen with ease. The waterdrop notch is a bit outdated by now but we think at this price point, it’s acceptable.

Nokia 5.3

One of the original big mobile phone brands is back with a $200 smartphone. None of the specs will pop off the spec sheet but its affordable price, near-stock Android software, and a 4,000 mAh battery give it plenty of appeal.

View at Amazon

Best phone for those open to importing: Poco X3 NFC

If you are open to importing and the risks that could come with it (such as difficulty getting it fixed if it breaks), Xiaomi’s spin-off brand Poco has a jaw-droppingly good value device. We are talking about a 120Hz FHD+ display, Snapdragon 732G, 5,000 mAh battery, and a very good Sony IMX 48MP main camera. There’s even IP53 water and dust resistance and some great haptics. We’ve confirmed the Poco X3 NFC works fine on AT&T and T-Mobile, but not with Verizon. Also note that if you’re importing, you’re for sure paying a marked up price anywhere from $50 to $80 over the official retail price — but it still falls under $300.

Poco X3 NFC

The Poco X3 NFC offers truly impressive specs at this price point; too bad it doesn't sell officially in North America.

View at Amazon

Conclusion: so which one to get?

If you’re open to importing and potentially using a phone without warranty, the Poco X3 NFC offers the most bang for your dollar, however, we know most buyers will want some protection or peace of mind with their purchase. So with that in mind, we like the OnePlus Nord N10 the most here, as it’s the most polished of the bunch.

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T-Mobile’s new Magenta MAX plan offers unlimited data at unthrottled 5G speeds

T-Mobile on Monday announced a new plan called Magenta MAX that the carrier claims is built to take advantage of 5G’s capacity and speed. The new plan promises to deliver unlimited 4G and 5G speeds on your mobile device, with no throttling whatsoever.

“That means you can’t be slowed down based on how much you use,” T-Mobile said in a blog post.

Over the years, unlimited plans have come with caveats that throttle speeds when a certain cap is met or the network is congested. Magenta MAX doesn’t come with any such limitations, so you can stream as much 4K content as you want. Speaking of which, T-Mobile said it’s extending its “Netflix on Us” promotion to single-line customers.

T-Mobile said Magenta MAX takes the place of Magenta Plus, and will launch on February 24 for consumers and small businesses. The plan comes with the industry’s most generous smartphone mobile hotspot at 40GB of high-speed data included for consumers.

T-Mobile said with more people making the move to 5G, its newest plan is designed to really show what a truly powerful 5G network can do. Magenta MAX is $57 per line per month for three lines with autopay and monthly taxes and fees included. For a limited time, T-Mobile is offering the new plan for $47 per line.

The carrier is also tweaking its core Magenta plan with double the premium data from 50GB to 100GB, and more high-speed mobile hotspot data from 3GB to 5GB.

With the rollout of its 2.5GHz mid-band 5G coverage to cities all across the U.S., T-Mobile has one of the most extensive 5G networks, thanks in large part to its merger with Sprint. Today’s news shows that the company isn’t afraid to throw its weight around when it comes to 5G, with a new plan that will provide customers with a truly unlimited experience.

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ASUS is bringing the headphone jack back with the ROG Phone 5

We have an official launch date for the next gaming smartphone from ASUS, the ROG Phone 5. A bunch of features and specifications have leaked online, but now we can confirm that ASUS will be bringing back the 3.5mm audio jack on the upcoming smartphone. This is noteworthy because its predecessor (the ROG Phone 3) ditched the legacy port which meant users had to rely on a USB-C dongle (or the AeroActive Cooler attachment) to plug in wired headphones.

An early audio review by DxOMark says that the ROG Phone 5 will be coming with a 3.5mm jack with a DAC (digital-to-analog converter) by ESS. The review also confirms that the smartphone will continue to include a dual-front-facing speaker setup. The handset has been rated as one of the best when it comes to audio performance with ‘consistent results’ and ‘category-leading’ sub-scores in both Playback and Recording. According to the test scores, the ROG Phone 5 offers better audio than the Mi 10 Pro and overtakes the previous champion, the ROG Phone 3.

ASUS will be officially launching the ROG Phone 5 on March 10, at 7 PM Taiwan time. The smartphone is expected to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, up to 16GB of RAM, a similar 6,000mAh battery as its predecessor, a 6.78-inch OLED display, and a triple-camera setup at the back. The smartphone is also expected to replace the ROG logo with RGB backlighting with a dot-matrix setup as seen in some of the leaked images and the official press render shared by DxOMark. There is also a tiny secondary display on the back which could be used for showing things like alerts for games and other notifications. Overall, the design and looks of the new handset could be similar to previous-gen models including a glass body with a standard display with no notches or hole punch cutouts.

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Spotify’s new HiFi tier offers lossless music streaming

Spotify has announced it’s going HiFi. At its “Stream On” virtual event on Monday, the service announced a new lossless streaming tier that will be available in select markets later this year.

Spotify HiFi will provide subscribers with “music in CD-quality lossless audio format,” according to the company (via The Verge). Listeners will be able to access their improved digital music library through their device and Spotify Connect-enabled speakers. Currently, Spotify tops out at 320kbps audio.

The new tier will finally see the service go up against Amazon and Tidal, both of which offer lossless audio plans. Amazon offers its lossless plan for $14.99 per month (or $12.99 for Prime subscribers), while Tidal’s lossless plan is available for $19.99 per month. It’s unclear how much Spotify HiFi will cost.

The news of Spotify HiFi comes amidst a flurry of announcements during Spotify Stream On. The company also said the service will be available in more than 80 new markets over the next few days, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nigeria.

Meanwhile, Spotify announced some exclusive new content will be available through the service very soon. Batman fans will soon be able to stream Batman Unburied, the new DC Comics podcast from David S. Goyer. The service also said that the first two episodes of Renegades Podcast, which features President Barak Obama and Bruce Springsteen, are available to stream now.

Spotify also revealed that the platform is more more lucrative than ever for artists, with a number of artists having earned a significant amount of money. Spotify said it plans to share more details about royalties on Spotify soon, making it a more attractive destination for artists big and small.

Lastly, Spotify said that it’s giving all artists access to Canvas, which allows them to add a looping visual to their tracks. This provides listeners with a more visual experience, making Spotify a more immersive platform.

Once we have more details about Spotify HiFi, we’ll be sure to let you know.

Spotify: Listen to podcasts & find music you love (Free, Google Play) →

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Samsung now offers 4 years of security updates on Galaxy mobile devices

Samsung has announced it will now offer a minimum of four years of security updates on Galaxy mobile devices after their initial release. The news covers dozens of devices, including the Galaxy S10 series, Galaxy Note 10 series, and the original Galaxy Fold.

“At Samsung, our number one priority is offering the best and most secure mobile experience to our users, and we’re constantly optimizing the security of our products and services,” said Seungwon Shin, VP & Head of Security Team at Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “Mobile devices play such an important role in our lives, it’s only natural that we want to hold onto them longer. That’s why, thanks to the latest technology advancements, we’re committing to securing Galaxy devices for even longer, so that everything that should be kept protected stays protected.”

According to Samsung, the company worked closely with its OS and chipset partners, as well as carriers across the globe, to bring Galaxy owners timely updates. In fact, Samsung claims it worked with over 1,000 partners to establish security standards for all Android devices.

Samsung will provide monthly security updates to devices for the first two years, and then provide quarterly updates after that. Samsung will then provide “regular” security updates during the fourth year, which essentially means one or two updates over a 12 month period.

Updates have long been an issue in the Android ecosystem, with some devices receiving updates for two years or less. Over the years, Samsung has become a company that offers better support for its devices, including speedier and more frequent updates. Offering four years of security updates will give Galaxy owners more peace of mind and allow them to hang onto their devices for a lot longer.

Below is the list of devices that are eligible for four years of security updates:

• Galaxy Foldable devices: Fold, Fold 5G, Z Fold2, Z Fold2 5G, Z Flip, Z Flip 5G
• Galaxy S series: S10, S10+, S10e, S10 5G, S10 Lite, S20, S20 5G, S20+, S20+ 5G, S20 Ultra, S20 Ultra 5G, S20 FE, S20 FE 5G, S21 5G, S21+ 5G, S21 Ultra 5G
• Galaxy Note series: Note10, Note10 5G, Note10+, Note10+ 5G, Note10 Lite, Note20, Note20 5G, Note20 Ultra, Note20 Ultra 5G
• Galaxy A series: A10, A10e, A10s, A20, A20s, A30, A30s, A40, A50, A50s, A60, A70, A70s, A80, A90 5G, A11, A21, A21s, A31, A41, A51, A51 5G, A71, A71 5G, A02s, A12, A32 5G, A42 5G
• Galaxy M series: M10s, M20, M30, M30s, M40, M11, M12, M21, M31, M31s, M51
• Galaxy XCover series: XCover4s, XCover FieldPro, XCover Pro
• Galaxy Tab series: Tab Active Pro, Tab Active3, Tab A 8 (2019), Tab A with S Pen, Tab A 8.4 (2020), Tab A7, Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 5G, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+

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