Tag: Android Go

Samsung Galaxy J4 Core Running on Android Go Leaks Online

Android Go is a tailored distribution of the Android Operating system for low-end smartphones with 1 GB of RAM or less. It uses a special suite of Google apps which can work on less powerful hardware and consume less data. Android Go devices are priced very aggressively and are mainly targeted towards developing countries. Samsung is the global smartphone leader and makes smartphones in all price brackets. They launched their first Android Go smartphone, the Galaxy J2 Core back in August. Recently, another Samsung Android Go smartphone, the Galaxy J4 core has surfaced on a Brazilian website prior to its official launch.

J4 Core Specs & Features

The Samsung Galaxy J4 core is a smartphone made for the budget segment, but does not compromise on high priority features like a large screen, battery and storage expandability. The smartphone has a 6-inch HD+ display with a 1480 x 720 px resolution. It runs on an unstated quad-core processor with 1.4 GHz frequency and 1 GB of RAM. The smartphone has 16 GB of internal memory which is expandable up to 256 GB via a microSD card.

The Galaxy G4 is a dual sim smartphone with 4G capabilities. For photography, the smartphone has an 8 MP rear and a 5 MP front camera. Additionally, both front and rear cameras get a dedicated LED flash. It can shoot 1080p videos @ 30fps. The Galaxy J4 Core is powered by a 3,300 mAh battery with fast charging support. The smartphone will be available in three colours; Black, Blue & Copper, according to the listing on the site. Tt runs on Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition).

Price & Availablity

Also Read: Xiaomi Launches Wireless AirDots And New Mi Notebook Air

No information regarding the price of the Samsung Galaxy J4 Core is available as of now, but it might launch soon as almost all the details are already out.

November 8, 2018
Google Has Announced The Android 9 Pie Go Edition

It was in the year 2007 when Google officially introduced the Android ecosystem to the world. Android got its name from a Latin word “Androides”, meaning, human-like robot. The term Android also shares some resemblance with the ex-CEO and founder, Andy Rubin. Android is an operating system primarily designed for devices with touchscreen. Android has evolved not only in terms of versions but also in terms of its varieties. The latest version of the Android OS is the Android 9 Pie. The recent years gave us Android One and Android Go in addition to stock Android. Google announced Android Go as a watered-down version of Android 8 (Oreo) for low-end smartphones. It seems that now the company wants to continue the Android Go series with the Android 9 Pie Go edition.

Also Read: POCOPHONE F1 Leaked Ahead Of 22nd August India Launch

Android Go delivers the latest OS to devices with RAM as low as 512MB. Android Go is the watered-down build of the Android Oreo (8.0). This OS is built to work on low-powered devices without any jitters. With Android Go, users will find that the OS takes significantly less amount of space than even Android Nougat, which released before Oreo. The OS also offers lite versions of Google apps like YoutTube Go, Gmail Go, and Files Go. This allows it to run smoothly on smartphones with storage space as small as 8GB. The latest smartphone to launch with Android Go out of the box is the Nokia 1. In a blog post from Google, the company announced that it will also launch the Android 9 Pie Go edition as a continuation of the current series.

The Android 9 Pie Go edition would share a lot in common with the Android Go (Oreo). However, Google claims that the Pie Go edition would take up even lesser space and provide faster device boot times for smartphones. The Android 9 Pie Go edition will also cater to the low-end devices like the Android Oreo Go edition. The company promises top-of-the-line security features and an accessible dashboard for tracking and monitoring data consumption. Companies like Nokia, Micromax, and Lava are already on the list of smartphone brands to receive Android 9 Pie Go edition.

It is reassuring to see that Google wants to keep the low-end low-budget smartphones just as relevant as the flagship Android devices. With the Android 9 Pie Go edition, it will allow users on a tight budget to enjoy a fast, smooth, and the latest Android experience.

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August 16, 2018
The Difference Between Android Go, Android One, And Stock Android

It was in the year 2007 when Google officially introduced the Android ecosystem to the world. However, before the announcement, Android started as a small company by the name Android Inc., with Andy Rubin as the CEO. Android got its name from a Latin word “Androides”, meaning, human-like robot. The term Android also shares some resemblance with the ex-CEO and founder, Andy Rubin. Android is an operating system primarily designed for devices with touchscreen. Google has followed a sweet related alphabetical naming convention with each new version of Android. Starting with the first version, Android Cupcake launched in the first quarter of 2009 with Donut to follow, in the same year. Android has evolved not only in terms of versions but also in terms of its varieties. The recent years gave us Android One and Android Go in addition to stock Android.

What Is The Difference Between These Three Android Variants?

Many people think Android Go and Android One are more or less the same. While Stock Android is more or less the operating system users receive in their smartphones, out of the box. However, this is a fairly common misconception as these three could not be more different. While the likes of Android Nougat, Oreo, and the latest, Android P are OS version, the formerly mentioned are the variants. Let’s take a look at stock Android first.

Stock Android

Image: Samsung TouchWiz and Stock Android On Pixel 2

Under the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), Google provides the source code of the Android OS to various manufacturers. Google then allows these manufacturers to build around the Android OS and develop their own flavour/skin or add additional features. For instance, Samsung uses its proprietary skin called TouchWiz while Xiaomi uses the MIUI skin. However, these are not what one should refer to as the stock Android experience. A heavily skinned version such as the TouchWiz or EMUI overshadows the minimalistic functionalities of what Google tends to offer with “stock Android”. In this version, a user will only find a few Google apps, meaning, the stock Android experience is free of bloatware. By bloatware, we mean additional apps like Samsung Pay, which already have an alternative Google app available on Google Play Store. It was the Nexus line of smartphones which started the stock Android experience and later adopted by the Pixel lineup. With stock android, it also becomes easy for users to receive new security patches and major OS updates. Especially, since manufacturers do not intervene to build their own take of the OS.

Android One

Image: Mi A2 Running On Android One

Android One is yet another variant of the OS with initial intentions to be exclusive to the South Asian markets like India. Its original initiative to cater to the low-end smartphones later changed as Android One is also seen on the mid tier flagship devices like the Moto X4. In a nutshell, Android One is for those manufacturers who would rather spend time focussing on putting together a good hardware rather than working on the software, Google provides the Android One for such companies. Much like stock Android, Android One smartphones are the first to receive the latest OS updates. One of the latest smartphones running on Android One is the Xiaomi Mi A2.

Also Read: Google Pixel 3 XL Renders Reveal A Thick Chin, A Notch And Colourful Power Buttons

Android Go

Image: Nokia 1

While Android One is available for all smartphones, Google did not give up on the idea of making the OS compatible with low-end devices either. The recently announced Android Go delivers the latest OS to devices with RAM as low as 512MB. Android Go is the watered-down build of the Android Oreo (8.0). This OS is built to work on low-powered devices without any jitters. With Android Go, users will find that the OS takes significantly less amount of space than even Android Nougat, which released before Oreo. The OS also offers lite versions of Google apps like YoutTube Go, Gmail Go, and Files Go. This allows it to run smoothly on smartphones with storage space as small as 8GB. The latest smartphone to launch with Android Go out of the box is the Nokia 1.

Regardless of its variants, Android will keep on evolving to a better version of its predecessor. With that said, for users looking for a smartphone which won’t hurt the pocket but won’t also bog down in the long run then an Android One or an Android Go device is the best bet. However, instead of price, top of the line specifications and the first to receive the software updates are a user’s priorities, then smartphones like the ones from the Pixel lineup will be a viable option.

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August 8, 2018
Asus Launches Android Go Smartphone Zenfone Live L1 With An 18:9 Aspect Ratio

Asus launched an impressive budget smartphone, the Zenfone Max Pro in India in April. The company is also expected to launch the Asus Zenfone 5Z which it unveiled at MWC 2018. However, before a flagship smartphone launch, the company has unveiled its first-ever Android Go smartphone, the Zenfone Live L1. Asus has launched the new smartphone in Indonesia for a price of around IDR 1.5 million (Rs 7200 approx.).

The Asus Zenfone Live L1 is an entry-level Android Go device that has a 5.45 inch display with a 1440 x 720 px resolution.

Under the hood, the smartphone runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset paired with 1GB of RAM and 16GB onboard storage. The onboard storage can be expanded using a microSD card slot. The smartphone runs on Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition) out of the box. Asus has also launched a 2GB RAM variant of the smartphone which runs Android 8 Oreo with ZenUI 5.0 on top.

Powering the smartphone is a 3000 mAh battery which charges via a micro USB port. To the back of the smartphone is a 13MP camera with an LED flash while the front of the device houses a 5MP camera.

Must Read: OnePlus 6: Everything We Know So Far

About Android Go

At the Google I/O event in May 2017, Google promised to launch a custom version of Android tailor-made for lower-end devices. On the 5th of December, Android Go (Oreo edition) was officially launched and made available to smartphone manufacturers and developers.

The idea behind Android Go is for Google to create a version of Android OS which is designed to run better on phones with either 512MB or 1GB of RAM. In the world of OnePlus 5T with its 8GB of RAM or Galaxy Note8’s 6GB RAM, it is easy to forget that there are lower-end smartphones currently available in the market which have 1GB of RAM or less.

Must Read: Asus Zenfone Max Pro Receives Face Unlock Feature Via New Software Update

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others. Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.

For an entry-level Android Go device, the Zenfone Live L1 has impressive specifications, especially when compared to the likes of the Nokia 1, another Android Go device. However, the Zenfone Live doe snot have a fingerprint sensor which is a norm for a 2018 a smartphone. There are no details about the smartphone’s launch in India as of now.

May 4, 2018
Google Essentially Confirms The Launch Of Nokia 1

Android Oreo Go Edition is an optimised Android 8 Oreo OS for the budget smartphone with 1GB RAM or lesser. The Android Oreo Go Edition enables the smartphone to use highly optimised apps like Google Go. In fact, one can install apps like Google Go and YouTube Go on any smartphone running Android OS. HMD Global announced that the Nokia 2 would receive Android 8.1 Oreo update based on Android Go. However, the Nokia 1 is expected to be the first Android Go smartphone to be launched at MWC 2018.

Google has confirmed that the first Android Oreo Go Edition powered smartphone will be unveiled at MWC 2018, which will be priced under US$ 50. However, Google hasn’t specified any OEM name associated with the device. This announcement from Google hints that the Nokia 1 will indeed be launched at MWC 2018.

HMD Global is expected to launch the Nokia 1, Nokia 4, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 8, and Nokia 9 at MWC 2018.

Specifications:

The Nokia 1 might have a 5-inch low-resolution display, powered by an entry-level processor. The smartphone will have either 1GB or 512MB RAM with 4GB or 8GB storage with a dedicated micro SD card slot. As per the leaked render, the smartphone has a main camera and a front-facing camera, with no details on the exact specifications.

The Nokia 1 is expected to have similar specifications like the Nokia 2. However, there will be a difference in build quality.

Conclusion:

The Android Oreo Go Edition smartphone will have a greater impact in the countries like India. The Nokia 1 with latest Android 8.1 Oreo could be the right smartphone for the first time smartphone buyer.

February 23, 2018
Face Unlock Is Coming To Android Go Smartphones

In September of 2017, Apple launched the iPhone X without the beloved Touch ID. In came Apple’s spin on facial recognition, called Face ID. Even though the facial recognition technology has been present in Android smartphones for a number of years, it has gained mainstream attention ever since the launch of the iPhone X.

More smartphone makers have announced their plans to introduce facial recognition technology in upcoming smartphones. The OnePlus 5T, launched in November 2017 has one of the fastest Face Unlock right now albeit, not the most secure. MediaTek, one of the biggest smartphone chipmaker after Qualcomm has announced plans to introduce the coveted facial recognition technology in entry-level smartphones.

MediaTek claims that the facial data is stored on its chipset natively. Which means the facial data collected for authentication does not get stored in the cloud, thereby keeping it secure. The company also claims that its facial recognition system is fast and can unlock a smartphone in 0.5 seconds. It has a 30º angle unlock which makes it possible for one to unlock the smartphone while facing sideways as well.

Expected Nokia 1 Design

The MT6739 chipset has features like Dual 4G VoLTE support, 18:9 HD+ display, and 13MP+2MP dual camera setup with bokeh effect.

The chipset from MediaTek will be optimised to work with Android Go smartphones.It is already working with Reliance Jio on an Android Go device, as reported earlier. Also, this chipset will power entry-level smartphones which are expected to be priced below Rs 5,000. The first Android Go smartphone with MT6739 chipsets will be available starting March this year.

January 31, 2018
Reliance Jio Is Making An Android Go Smartphone

A few reports have claimed that Reliance Jio is making an Android Go device. It is expected to be launched in Q1 of 2018 which means it might be announced in the next couple of months. Recently, Google announced the Android Go platform for entry-level smartphones. It is a way to make capable entry-level smartphones at the price of feature phones.

Apparently, the information was provided by TL Lee, Business unit Head of Wireless Communication Product at MediaTek at a MediaTek press conference. So far, there are no details about the upcoming device. It is hard to tell whether this Android Go device is an actual project right now or just an option on the table.

JioPhone

Thankfully, there are certain aspects of the smartphone that can be incurred from the provided information. Since it will be an Android Go device, the device will have entry-level specifications. Android Go is specifically designed to work on phones that have less than 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. With such specifications, Reliance Jio could launch a smartphone at an extremely minimal price.

Currently, the telecom company has the JioPhone in the market. With an essential price Rs. 0, the feature phone was sold out within minutes of going up for preorders.

Android Go

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others. Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.

Google will also introduce a few other data saving features on Android Go. For example, in Chrome, everything will get run through a Google server that reduces file sizes before it gets delivered to the user’s phone. The new Datally app will also be pre-installed to keep a track of cellular data.

January 31, 2018
Nokia 9 And Nokia 1 Expected To Be Announced At MWC 2018

HMD Global is planning a grand outing for the upcoming Mobile World Congress scheduled to take place from 26th February. Recently, the company launched the Nokia 7 in China and there reports that the Nokia 9 and Nokia 1 will soon be launched as well.

Juho Sarvikas, the Chief Product Officer at HMD Global took to Twitter to announced that the company is planning something “awesome” for MWC 2018.

Sorry for radio silence. Been super busy planning #MWC2018 . Please expect it to be awesome ?

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) January 18, 2018

While he did not delve into details, it is possible that the company will launch its first flagship smartphone of 2018, the Nokia 9, and first-ever Android Go device, the Nokia 1. Since the company will announce the devices at MWC, it is expected that these smartphones are intended for the global market, unlike the Nokia 7, which is still a China exclusive as of now.

While there isn’t much known about the Nokia 1, a recent leak revealed two possible designs of the smartphone. Since it is an Android Go device, expect it to have entry-level specifications like 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. The Nokia 2 was powered by the Snapdragon 212 chipset, and it’ll be interesting to see which chipset will be used inside the Nokia 1. Nokia has so far stuck to Snapdragon chipsets for its Android smartphones hence, a MediaTek chip unlikely.

There were renders of the Nokia 9 that were leaked in late-December and revealed a modern design with thin bezels. For all the bells and whistles in the Nokia 8, the smartphone did not look like a 2017 flagship smartphone especially with the likes of OnePlus 5T and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 priced similarly in India.

The Nokia 9, however, seems likely to have an 18:9 aspect ratio and minimal bezels around the display. While there are phones with a better screen-to-body ratio, the trimmed bezels will be a welcome change for all the Nokia loyalists waiting to upgrade to the Nokia 9.

The other noticeable aspect of the phone here is the front-facing dual-camera setup. Front-facing dual cameras will be the next big industry trend and it has already started with the Samsung Galaxy A8+, Honor 9 Lite and even the HTC U11 EYEs.

According to a recent FCC filing, the Nokia 9 will have a 5.5-inch OLED display.

Under the hood, the Nokia 9 will have the Snapdragon 835 chipset and 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage.

Powering the device will be a 3250 mAh battery with 18W fast charging. The device will run Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box with very little customisations.

The listing reveals a 12 MP + 13 MP dual-camera setup at the back and a 5MP front-facing camera which could be the resolution of one of the front-facing cameras.

The Nokia 9 could be the successor to the Nokia 8, however, the presence of the Snapdragon 835 chipset is a bit disappointing. Especially since Samsung, Sony and possibly Xiaomi are planning to launch flagship devices with the Snapdragon 845 chip inside.

January 19, 2018
This Could Be The First Smartphone To Run Android Go

HMD Global recently launched the Nokia 2 in India at a price of Rs. 6999 in India. At the same time, Xiaomi launched the Redmi 5A with better specifications and similar price. HMD Global subsequently announced that the Nokia 2 will support Android Go Edition based on Android 8.1 Oreo and now it appears that the company might be launching its first-ever Android phone that will run Android Go version of Android OS.

Leaked images of what might be the Nokia 1 have surfaced on Baidu, a Chinese website. Interestingly, two different designs are revealed of the same phone which means that HMD Global might still be exploring options. But, with a launch expected at MWC, one of these could well be the final design of the smartphone.

All of these are speculations so far, but, there have been multiple reports claiming that HMD Global is working on an Android Go-powered smartphone since it is one of the first smartphone makers to adopt the new software system developed by Google.

Google recently announced Android 8.1 Oreo-based Android Go edition. The idea behind Android Go is to create a version of Android software which is designed to run better on phones with either 512MB or 1GB of RAM.

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others.

HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas recently took to Twitter to announce that the Nokia 2 will directly receive Android 8.1 Oreo update thanks to its Android Go integration.

Hi! It will receive Android Oreo. 1GB RAM devices will be supported on 8.1 release where many of the Android Go memory management improvements will be integrated. Nokia 2 performance will only get better over time!

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) December 28, 2017

India could be one of the first few countries where the Nokia 1 will be launched, thanks to its crowded entry-level smartphone market and a huge feature phone user-base which will be able to move to a good smartphone without shelling out a lot of money.

January 10, 2018
MediaTek And Qualcomm Announce Support For Android Go Oreo Edition

Google recently announced the Android Go Oreo edition. A new variant of Android 8.1 Oreo OS optimised for smartphones with 1GB of RAM or less. Two of the most prominent chipmakers in the smartphone industry, MediaTek and Qualcomm have now voiced their support for Android Go.

MediaTek, in a statement, said that it will be an SoC partner for bringing Android Go Oreo edition to smartphone makers and will offer support on Android devices with 512MB to 1GB of RAM.

MediaTek Inc. today announced that it is a System-on-Chip (SoC) partner for providing Google’s Android™ Oreo (Go edition) software to smartphone makers, and after a deep collaboration with Google, MediaTek’s MT6739, MT6737, and MT6580 SoCs, among others, now have board support packages available to run Android Oreo (Go edition).

Qualcomm has also announced that it will be working closely with Google to offer an optimised experience on smartphones with a memory of 1GB or less.

We are excited to implement Android Oreo (Go edition) within the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform family as it will enable consumers around the world to experience a more robust operating system for lower cost smartphones.

This allows greater consumer flexibility as mobile users in emerging regions such as India, Southeast Asia and Africa gain access to a wider variety of Android smartphones with a more modern operating system.

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others. Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.

India is expected to be one of the first few countries to get Android Go Oreo edition thanks to its large budget smartphone segment.

December 7, 2017
Google Launches Android Go Oreo Edition For Budget Smartphones

Google has launched a version of Android 8.0 Oreo which is best suited for Android phones with 1GB of RAM or less.

At the Google I/O event in May 2017, Google promised to launch a custom version of Android tailor-made for lower-end devices. On the 5th of December, Android Go (Oreo edition) was officially launched and made available to smartphone manufacturers and developers.

As Google said, the idea behind Android Go is to create a version of Android software which is designed to run better on phones with either 512MB or 1GB of RAM. In the world of OnePlus 5T with its 8GB of RAM or Galaxy Note8’s 6GB RAM, it is easy to forget that there are lower-end smartphones currently available in the market which have 1GB of RAM or less.

Recently, the Nokia 2 launched in India at a price of Rs. 6999 with 1GB of RAM and running Android 7.1 Nougat. Android Go’s launch means that HMD Global will be able to push out an Android 8.0 Oreo update for the Nokia 2 faster since the build is already optimised for phones with such specifications.

Nokia 2

Google has claimed that Android Go’s Oreo edition will be a variant of Android Oreo that a manufacturer can just set by ticking off a configuration flag. What this basically does is that it sets up the phone to use the “Go” versions of a handful of Google apps such as the main Google app, Google Assistant, Google Maps, Gmail, and others. Google claims that the smaller apps and slimmer OS can as much as halve the amount of storage that’s taken up by default on a new phone running default OS.

Google will also introduce a few other data saving features on Android Go. For example, in Chrome, everything will get run through a Google server that reduces file sizes before it gets delivered to the user’s phone. The new Datally app will also be pre-installed to keep a track of cellular data.

Considering India’s budget smartphone segment, it might be one of the first few countries to receive Android Go.

December 5, 2017