Nokia

HMD Global may be earning accolades for its speed in rolling out updates to its Nokia phones (still not as fast as Essential, though) but it doesn't have a good reputation among some Android modders and hackers. In particular, Nokia phones are notorious for practically being useless as far as rooting and using ROMs are concerned because the bootloader gates are tightly locked. It seems, however, that the Nokia 7.2 might be the first of its kind to be different though it remains to be seen if it's by accident only or by intention.

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Lumia owners, both from Nokia and Microsoft, your days are numbered. At least if you're still running Windows Phone 8.1. It might be a shock to some that that version of Microsoft's defunct mobile OS still exists and still runs. It might not be a shock, however, to hear that Microsoft is pulling the plug on it this year. Fortunately, Redmond has a bit of mercy and a path forward for the few still holding on to some of these phones for dear life.

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Google has always clarified that Android Go isn't a distinct version of Android but is just a special configuration, an "edition", designed for low-spec entry-level phones. Despite its lean nature, Android Go doesn't come with the same promise as the Android One program, leaving OEMs to style their experiences as they see fit or, worse, update them as they see fit. Distancing itself yet again from its peers, HMD Global is now promising it would be the first to roll out Android 10 Go Edition to its phones.

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It may seem that the days of the feature phones, a.k.a. the not so smart "dumbphones", are over but recent developments prove otherwise. They are just taking a different form and sometimes with new capabilities that take them one step closer to being extremely cheap and less capable smartphones. The recently announced KaiOS-powered Alcatel GO Flip 3 with Google Assistant is just one example and an Android-powered feature phone, probably made by Nokia, might be coming next.

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At IFA 2019, HMD Global announced a handful of handsets. Undoubtedly, the Nokia 7.2 is the most interesting of its Android batch of smartphones, featuring a mid-range processor paired with a hot new 2019 design. For Nokia fans, it's mostly a done deal and all that's left is for the company to launch in the US. Details of those have yet to be made official but a few retailers have disclosed pre-order details early.

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For a time, it seemed that the competition among smartphones would be the number of cameras on the back of a phone. That race may have now switched over once more to megapixel counts but not before HMD Global took things to their extreme. Inheriting a beloved name, the Nokia 9 PureView put five cameras in an admittedly interesting arrangement. But as DxOMark's review of the phone's photography capabilities shows, more doesn't always mean better.

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The folks licensing the Nokia brand know they're working with a brand with a legendary nigh-indestructible phone called Nokia 3310, aka "The Brick." Here in 2019, HMD Global (who license the Nokia brand) introduced the Nokia 800 Tough, a phone that's focused on surviving harsh conditions aplenty. This device does not run Android, but it DOES have access to a set of apps courtesy of the system called KaiOS.

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Two phones in the same sort of Android One by Nokia family were revealed today, the lesser of the two being the Nokia 6.2. This device has a 6.3-inch IPS LCD touchscreen, FHD+ with PureDisplay, a droplet notch, and three cameras on its back in a circular array. This should sound very familiar if you've already read about the Nokia 7.2 earlier today.

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The Nokia 7.2 was revealed this week in Charcoal, Cyan Green, and Ice. This might be the most extravagant launch of an Android One smartphone since the launch of Android One - what with the 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass over 6.3-inch FHD+ display with "PureDisplay" tech inside. This smartphone looks the part of a far more expensive phone, to be sure.

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The flip phone is back, with the Nokia 2720 Flip the latest in HMD Global's retro-themed reboots of classic form-factors. Unveiled at IFA 2019 today, the 2720 Flip promises everything people liked about clamshell phones in the pre-smartphone days - like being able to furiously snap it shut to end a call - but with features like 4G network support and the Google Assistant.

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Android updates is a rather sore topic for lovers of the green robot, especially now that time for iOS' launch draws closer. Not only is fragmentation still a thing, OEMs are still not keeping their end of the bargain in ensuring the safety and security of their phones and, therefore, of their customers. To drive home that point, Counterpoint Research made a study that showed how HMD Global performed the best in terms of keeping Nokia phones up to date with the latest Android versions. Some of the details of the study, however, are both surprising and at times even questionable.

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Nokia may not be the first name you think of for Android smartphones, but it leads the rankings for timely Android OS updates new research reveals. The company - now owned by HMD Global - has made Android Pie available to nearly 96-percent of its smartphones sold since Q3 2018.

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