The POCO M2 Pro may be another POCO smartphone with a mid-range processor

Shortly after the launch of the POCO X2 earlier this year, we learned that a new POCO phone was in the works. However, we knew it to be a flagship device called the POCO F2 Pro which would essentially be a rebranded version of the Redmi K30 Pro. But we now have evidence to believe that the POCO F2 Pro isn’t the only device that the company is working on right now and it may soon launch another mid-range device.

A new device, called the POCO M2 Pro, was recently spotted on the Mi India website, in the section where Xiaomi lists data from its SAR testing. The device has the model name “M2003J6CI” and,  according to an analysis conducted by XDA tipsters kacskrz and akhilnarang, the device has the code-name “gram.” Kacskrz has also spotted firmware for “gram_in_global”, which suggests that the phone will launch in India.  Interestingly, the code-name “gram” has previously appeared in the kernel source code for the Redmi Note 9 Pro and a watermark for “gram” has also appeared in the firmware for the Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Since the Note 9 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 720G, we suspect that the upcoming POCO M2 Pro may also feature the same SoC. However, we can’t be sure of this, since it’s possible that the device is running on a Qualcomm processor that’s software compatible with the Snapdragon 720G, which would also explain why references to “gram” appear in the Redmi Note 9 Pro’s kernel source code and firmware. What we can safely assume, however, is that this POCO M2 Pro may be a mid-range smartphone powered by a Snapdragon 7 series processor.

It’s also worth mentioning that Xiaomi has since removed all mention of the POCO M2 Pro from the website, but you can still see the listing in an archived version of the page.

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Download: MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper port adds two new options – Hale crater and Evergreen Garden

MIUI 12 was announced just last week, as the upcoming major update to Xiaomi’s custom UX that is found on Mi and Redmi smartphones. The new update brings a lot of new changes, but one of the most eye-catching features on the update is the introduction of Super Wallpapers. Super Wallpapers are space-inspired live wallpapers that include different backgrounds at different zoom levels to correspond to the UX screen you are viewing it on. For instance, you can see a zoomed-out overview of a planet on the Always-On Display, but neatly transition into a close-up when landing on your homescreen. We’ve shared the new live wallpapers and static wallpapers previously, as well as shared a port of the Super Wallpaper made by XDA Recognized Contributor linuxct for use on any Android device. The Super Wallpaper port has now been updated with two new live wallpaper options that were previously hidden, and it has also been updated with a much-requested feature.

MIUI 12 has two main sets of Super Wallpapers: Super Earth and Super Mars. Originally, only the “default” flavor of these was located, but each of these sets actually comes in three different flavors, changing where you land when you transition to your homescreen. Super Earth is available in “Defaut”, “Forest”, and “Glacier” flavors, which were discovered shortly after the port was posted.

Now, linuxct has located the other two flavors of Super Mars aside from “default” — “Central Mountains of Hale Crater”, and “Evergreen Garden”.

Additionally, the developer has added a much-requested feature to the port. Previously, the live wallpaper would react to the system theme and subsequently lighten or darken the live wallpaper, which meant that people running dark themes all the time would get a very dim wallpaper. Now, you can force the live wallpaper to either follow the system theme, or be bright always, or be dark always. This gives you much more flexibility over the aesthetic you wish to show off on your homescreen. The various sets, flavors, and themes makes for a total of 18 live wallpaper APKs, so be sure to download the option that best suits you.

Download MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper port for Android smartphones

The developer has also adapted the port to work on any Android 8.0+ device, even those running on AOSP-based custom ROMs. Further, there is now a forum thread too, which will make it easier to follow along any updates or bug fixes as released by the developer working on the port.

MIUI 12 Super Wallpaper — XDA Forum Thread

If you’re interested in trying out the live wallpapers, you can download the APKs from the download link above and install them on your device. Then, you can pick the live wallpapers from the stock wallpaper picker on your device. In case the live wallpapers don’t show up in the stock wallpaper picker, you’ll need to install the Google Wallpaper app from the Play Store to apply the wallpapers.

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ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 receives second Android 10 beta update with April 2020 security patches

Despite not taking part in the Android One program, ASUS launched the ZenFone Max Pro M1 back in 2018 with a close-to-stock version of Android 8.1 Oreo. The phone received its Android Pie update around a year ago, and ASUS delivered a beta version of Android 10 for this device in January 2020. While we don’t know any specific timeframe regarding the arrival of the stable Android 10 update as of yet, it seems quite close as ASUS decided to publish a second beta build of Android 10 for the ZenFone Max Pro M1.

ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1 XDA Forums

The version number of the new build is 17.2017.2004.424, which is a rather steep jump from the initial beta build tag (17.2017.1911.407). The Android security patch level has been bumped to April 2020, and those who are on the latest stable Android Pie build can now perform an upgrade without failing. Unlike the previous build, the Widevine DRM level is now at L1, thus ZenFone Max Pro M1 owners can stream Netflix or Amazon Prime Video in full HD.

The complete changelog of the latest Android 10 beta for the ZenFone Max Pro M1 is listed below.

1. Updated Android security patch
2. Fixed fingerprint cannot be set issue
3. Fixed latest Android P image cannot upgrade to Android 10 issue
4. Fixed user can’t hear low frequency sounds issue
5. Fixed fast charging not working issue
6. Fixed Arena of Valor without high frame rate mode issue
7. Improved sound quality at Media and notification sounds
8. Fixed Netflix no HD (widevine L3) issue
9. Fixed lock screen wallpaper issue if user sets different pictures for the wallpaper lock screen, and double-click to wake up
10. Fixed text display issue of APP name

There is no incremental OTA package, so interested users have to download the full-sized update zip that weighs about 1.6GB. Keep in mind that Electronic Image Stabilization for video recording is still broken, and the Fingerprint related options under Settings may randomly disappear. One should also perform a full backup before flashing, as ASUS does warn about potential data wipe issues.

Download second Android 10 beta for the ASUS ZenFone Max Pro M1

Download downgrade package to revert back to Android Pie

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Source: ASUS

Thanks to ASUS ZenTalk Community user umangsharma9199 for the screenshot!

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Slack is testing a cleaner UI with swipe gesture navigation in the latest Android beta

More people than ever are working from home these days and many businesses rely on Slack for communication. With tons of useful integrations with other services, and apps on nearly every platform, it’s a great choice. One of those platforms is Android and the Slack app recently received a pretty big UI update.

The latest update for the Slack beta app introduces a new bottom bar for navigation. The bar has four tabs: Home, DMs, Mentions, and You. The Home tab is where you see the list of channels, direct message conversations, and the compose button for new messages. DMs and Mentions is exactly what you would expect, and the You tab is where you can set your status and adjust preferences.

Along with the new UI is a brand new way to navigate with gestures. When you’re on any of the four tabs listed above, you can swipe from the right to go to your last active channel/message. Swiping from the left while in a channel/DM will go back to the last tab you were on. Swiping from the right on the tab pages will open a sidebar that shows your other workspaces and shortcuts to a channel browser, inviting members, and preferences. These gestures don’t need to be performed from the edge of the screen.

The gestures feel a little wonky at first, but it seems like this will be a nice update. Any UI that minimizes the interference of Android’s built-in Back gesture is a good thing. Nothing is more annoying than trying to slide open the hamburger menu and accidentally going Back. You can try this new UI in Slack version 20.05.10.0. Opt-in to the beta track in the Play Store if you haven’t already.

Slack (Free, Google Play) →

Via: 9to5Google

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Google announces Web Vitals initiative to provide unified guidance on website performance

Back at the Chrome Developer Summit last year, Google announced new Chrome developer tools to reduce page load time and build native app-like experience. At the time, the company also discussed an initiative to provide developers a unified set of metrics to measure against when building websites with user experience and performance in mind. Following up on the initial idea, Google has now announced the Web Vitals initiative which aims to provide “unified guidance for quality signals that are essential to delivering a great user experience on the web”.

Over the years, Google has offered several tools to help website developers measure and report website performance. These include things like Lighthouse, Chrome DevTools, PageSpeed Insights, and Search Console’s Speed Report. But Google notes that while some developers are quite adept at using these tools, others have found the variety of tools and metrics a bit challenging to keep up with. With the new initiative, the company aims to simplify the landscape so that developers can focus on the metrics that matter the most, called Core Web Vitals.

Core Web Vitals are a subset of all the Web Vitals that apply to all web pages, should be measured by all website owners, and will be surfaced across all Google tools. Currently, these Core Web Vitals focus on three aspects of the user experience — loading, interactivity, and visual stability — and include the following metrics (and their respective thresholds):

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): measures loading performance. To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.
• First Input Delay (FID): measures interactivity. To provide a good user experience, pages should have a FID of less than 100 milliseconds.
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): measures visual stability. To provide a good user experience, pages should maintain a CLS of less than 0.1

To help developers measure and report these Core Web Vitals, Google is committed to surfacing these metrics in its tools. The following chart details which tools support the Core Web Vitals:

Developers will also be able to measure each Core Web Vital in JavaScript using standard web APIs and report on each Core Web Vital without writing any code, using the Web Vitals Chrome Extension. The extension makes use of the web-vitals library to measure these metrics and display them to users as they browse the web. The extension can also be helpful in understanding the performance of your websites, your competitor’s websites, and the web at large. Alternatively, developers who would prefer to measure these metrics using the underlying web APIs can refer to the metric guides on the website linked below for implementation details.

Along with the Core Web Vitals, Google also talks about other Web Vitals that will serve as proxy or supplemental metrics for the Core vitals. These include metrics like Time to First Byte (TTFB), First Contentful Paint (FCP), Total Blocking Time (TBT), and Time to Interactive (TTI) that can help developers capture a larger part of the experience or aid in diagnosing specific issues.

It’s worth noting that these Web Vitals and Core Web Vitals will evolve over time and developers should expect future improvements or additions to the list. However, since the Core Web Vitals are relevant to all web pages and featured across several Google tools, any changes to these metrics will not alter their definition and thresholds. Developers will also be given prior notice for any upcoming changes and a predictable, annual pattern. Due to the fact that the other Web Vitals are context or tools specific, their definitions and thresholds may change with greater frequency without prior notice. Any changes made to all Web Vitals will be documented in this public changelog.

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Source: web.dev

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Samsung Internet 11.2.1.3 adds an option to prevent sites that stop you from going back

Samsung Internet is based on Google’s open-source Chromium web browser and has a number of additional features built into it, like a built-in autoplay video blocker and the ability to block links that open apps. Best of all, the app itself is not tightly linked to the company’s custom Android skin, One UI, thus non-Samsung owners can also install this feature-packed browser. Samsung Browser has now gained yet another privacy-focused feature in its latest beta update that can be useful to prevent browser hijacking.

The new option, dubbed as “Block unwanted webpages”, is listed as a toggle under “Privacy and security” options. According to the description, the feature can put a stop to the typical “history manipulation” tactics, where rogue websites deliberately tamper with your browsing history so pressing the “Back” button doesn’t get you back to your expected page. Matter of fact, Google also added a similar protection mechanism in the Chromium codebase back in 2018 to combat against this foul practice, which could be used by Samsung as the foundation of the new feature.

At the time of reporting, the feature can be only be accessed on Samsung Internet’s latest beta update (software version 11.2.1.3). You can install the beta build alongside the regular version, which is quite an easy task as it doesn’t need any kind of prior registration. The “Customize menu” section has been overhauled as well, which enables users to access tons of useful shortcuts that are not yet available on the stable branch.

Download Samsung Internet 11.2.1.3 (beta) from APK Mirror

The APK(s) linked above can be useful for sideloading, especially if you prefer to run a vanilla Android ROM like LineageOS without Google services. Regular users, however, can download the beta version to try out the new features by following the link below.

Samsung Internet Browser Beta (Free, Google Play) →

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Thanks to Twitter user @Kuma_Sleepy for the screenshots!

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Sony Xperia 10 II now available for pre-order in Europe for €369

Shortly after the cancellation of MWC 2020 earlier this year, Sony unveiled the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II via an online announcement. At the time, the company only talked about the Xperia 10 II’s specifications and revealed no information regarding its pricing and availability. Now, months after the official announcements, the Sony Xperia 10 II is finally available for pre-order in Europe.

Sony Xperia 10 II XDA Forums

According to a press release from the company, the mid-range Xperia 10 II has been priced at €369/£319 and is available for pre-order from local operators or retailers in two color variants — black and white. In case you missed out initial coverage of the device, here’s a quick round-up of its specifications:

Sony Xperia 10 II Specifications

Specifications	Sony Xperia 10 II
Dimensions & Weight	157 x 69 x 8.2 mm 151 g
Display	6-inch Full HD+ OLED 2520×1080 pixels, 457 PPI 21:9 aspect ratio
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 665: 4x Kryo 260 (ARM Cortex-A73-based) performance cores 4x Kryo 260 (ARM Cortex-A53-based) efficiency cores Adreno 610 GPU
RAM & Storage	4GB/128GB microSD card slot (uses shared SIM 2 slot)
Battery	3,600mAh 18W Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0
Fingerprint Sensor	Side-mounted fingerprint
Rear Cameras	12MP primary sensor, 26mm, PDAF 8MP wide-angle sensor, 16mm 8MP telephoto sensor, 52mm, 2x optical zoom
Front Camera	8MP
Audio	3.5mm headphone jack
Network Bands	4G: Unspecified 3G UMTS HSPA (850, 900, 1900, 2100MHz) 2G GSM (Bands 850, 900, 1800, 1900)
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0 A-GNSS (GPS + GLONASS) USB 2.0 Type-C port
Android Version	Android 10

The Xperia 10 II is the direct successor to both the Xperia 10 and Xperia 10 Plus from last year and it’s powered by Qualcomm’s budget Snapdragon 665 chip, coupled with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It packs in a 6-inch FHD+ OLED display with a 21:9 aspect ratio, which makes it rather narrow and great for one-handed operation.

The device has a respectable triple camera setup on the back, with a 12MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera, and an 8MP telephoto camera. Over on the front, it has a single 8MP selfie shooter housed within the top bezel. Unlike most other mid-range devices out there, the Xperia 10 II also offers IP65/IP68 water and dust resistance rating, and Gorilla Glass 6 protection on the front and back. Rounding off the hardware is a 3,600mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 3.0 (18W). In terms of software, the device runs Android 10 with Sony’s custom UI on top.

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