[Update: Permanent price-cut up to ₹5,000] The ASUS ZenFone 6 with a flip camera launches in India as the ASUS 6Z

Update 1 (11/12/19 @ 03:00 AM ET):  ASUS has announced a permanent price cut of up to ₹5,000 on the ASUS 6Z in India.
The original launch article from June 19, 2019, remains unaltered.

ASUS does not get counted among the most popular smartphone brands in India but recent launches including the aggressively priced ZenFone Max Pro M1 and the successor ZenFone Max Pro M2 have been changing that perception. Simultaneously, ASUS has been pitching its flagship proposition including the ZenFone 5Z which was launched last year as a more affordable alternative to the OnePlus 6. This year, the company is taking its crusade further and announcing the ASUS 6Z with a peculiar flip camera and supreme flagship hardware including a Snapdragon 855 SoC, 8GB RAM, and a considerably large 5,000mAH battery in India.

ASUS 6Z (ZenFone 6) XDA Forums

The ASUS 6Z is essentially the same smartphone as the ASUS ZenFone 6 but the company has had to drop the ZenFone branding due to an on-going trial for trademark infringement. There are some India-only features listed below. The lawsuit, however, does not thwart the goodness that the smartphone has to offer. Besides the Snapdragon 855 and 6 or 8GB options for RAM, the smartphone features up to 256GB of storage which can be expanded using the dedicated microSD slot. In India, ASUS has also introduced the 64GB variant.

The remarkable feature of the ASUS 6Z is its flipping camera which pops out of the socket on the back so that it can be used at various different angles and even for selfies. This not only allows stunning selfies (DxOMark approves) but also saves the space on the front, allowing for a bezel-less display. The LCD display measures 6.4-inches diagonally and sports a resolution of 1080×2340.

 

The dual camera module includes a 48MP Sony IMX586 primary sensor along with a 13MP ultra-wide sensor with a 125º field of view. The rotating module also features a flash in between the two cameras and the angle of the camera can be controlled through software buttons or using the volume rocker. The motion of the module can be utilized to capture panoramas without moving the phone.

Unlike the peers which have opted for optical fingerprint scanners on their smartphones, ASUS is still relying on a physical sensor at the back of the ASUS 6Z and this familiarity is likely to play in the favor of the company, especially in a conservative market like India. Additionally, there’s an ASUS branding on the back in colors contrasting the color of the back. On the side, the smartphone features a programmable “smart key” which can be used to launch apps or the Google Assistant and even as a shutter button.

The ASUS 6Z features a 5000mAh battery and supports Quick Charge 4.0. It comes with an 18W fast charger within the box. While users might long for a faster charging setup, ASUS confidently claims that the large battery lasts two days and should last two days.

In terms of software, the ASUS 6Z comes with a near-stock interface instead of the Zen UI. The smartphone has joined Android Q beta and is set to get OS updates up to Android R. The device also gets some India-specific features such as Call recording, twin apps, outdoor mode, Mobile manager, FM mode, and app lock using face and fingerprint for authentication.

India-specific features

At the same time, the company has been inviting eminent developers in the XDA community to develop custom ROMs and other custom mods for the smartphone. We already have a working Google Camera mod for the 6Z aka ZenFone 6, courtesy of Senior developer Arnova8G2 and also expect more exciting development in the future.

Coming back to the proposition in India, the ASUS 6Z will be priced at ₹31,999 (~$450) for the 6GB/64GB variant, ₹34,999 (~$500) for the 6GB/128GB variant, and ₹39,999 for the 8GB/256GB (~$575). In comparison, the pricing in the US starts at $499 for the 6GB/128GB model. The smartphone will be available exclusively via Flipkart starting June 26th. ASUS is also offering complete mobile protection which includes on-site support, repair and replacement in the case of liquid damage or breakage. Usually, the protection package from Flipkart costs ₹3999, but you’ll get it for just ₹99 with the device.

At this price, the ASUS flagship primarily competes with the OnePlus 7 and face some heat from the Redmi K20 Pro, which can be expected to launch in India soon.

Specifications	Asus Zenfone 6
Dimensions and Weight	159.1 x 75.4 x 9.2 mm; 190 g
Display	6.4-inch FHD+ (19.5:9, 1080×2340) LCD, full-screen design; 92% screen-to-body ratio, Gorilla Glass 6
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 855, 7nm process Octa-core (1 x 2.84GHz, 3 x 2.41GHz, 4 x 1.78GHz)
RAM and Storage	6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB, 8GB + 256GB
MicroSD expandability	Yes, dedicated microSD slot
Connectivity	GPS, WiFi 2.4G/5G 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, BT 5.0
Battery	5000 mAh w/ 18W fast charging
USB	Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack	Yes
Fingerprint Scanner	Rear-mounted
Rear Camera	48MP, f/1.79 13MP ultrawide with 125º FOV up to 4K video at 60fps
Front Camera	No (rear camera flips to the front)
Android Version	Near-stock Android 9 Pie
Colors	Midnight Black, Twilight Silver

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Update 1: ASUS 6Z gets up to ₹5,000 price cut in India

ASUS India has slashed the prices of the ASUS 6Z significantly. Starting today the new prices effective for the different variants of the smartphone are as follows:

• 6GB/64GB – ₹27,999 (₹4,000 off) – Buy on Flipkart
• 6GB/128GB – ₹30,999 (₹4,000 off) – Buy on Flipkart
• 8GB/256GB – ₹34,999 (₹5,000 off) – Buy on Flipkart

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Realme 5 updated with dark mode, wide-angle video while Realme 2 Pro gets dark mode, November security patch, more

While Realme may have shelved plans to develop its own Android skin, the company has been doing a great job of releasing timely ColorOS updates for its devices. Most recently, it released updates for the Realme 3 Pro and the Realme X, packing in a system-wide dark mode and Android security patch for October 2019. And now, it has released updates for the Realme 5 and the Realme 2 Pro.

Realme 2 Pro XDA Forums ||Realme 5 XDA Forums

According to the company’s official software update portal, it has now rolled out ColorOS 6.0.1 (version RMX1911EX_11_A.18) for the Realme 5 and ColorOS 6.0 (version RMS1801EX_11_C.25) for the Realme 2 Pro. As part of the ColorOS 6.0.1 update, the company has added a new system-wide dark mode and support for video capture on the wide-angle lens on the Realme 5. Additionally, the update brings optimizations for low-light photography and the Android security patch for October 2019, among other things. Here’s the official changelog for the ColorOS 6.0.1 update for the device:

• Security
  • Android security patch: October, 2019
• Camera
  • Added wide-angle video shooting feature
  • Improved the brightness of rear main camera
  • Optimized low light scene shooting of rear portrait mode
  • Improved preview clarity of rear camera
  • Optimized the issue of noise on the face with front and rear camera
• Application
  • Updated font change supporting in Theme Store
• Settings
  • Added Realme Laboratory
  • Added Dark Mode
  • Added a switch of notification dot for updates
• Notification Center and Status Bar
  • Removed the reminder after the hotspot enabled
  • Added fast switch toggles between SIM in notification center
  • Swipe left or right to remove the message prompt while receiving
  • Added a switch to swipe down on home screen for global search or notification center
• Known issue fixed
  • Fixed low probability issue of battery cannot be fully charged

As for the Realme 2 Pro, the ColorOS update also brings the system-wide dark mode to the device, along with a couple of minor changes. However, unlike the 5, the 2 Pro has received the Android security patch for November, 2019 with this update. Here’s the official changelog for the latest ColorOS 6.0 update for the device:

• Security
  • Android security patch: November, 2019
• System
  • Added Dark Mode
  • Added realme Laboratory
  • Added data switch in notification panel
  • App cloner support with more third-party applications
  • Added a switch of notification dot for updates
  • Swipe left or right to remove the message prompt after receiving the message
• User Interface
  • Redesigned the notification center style

Updates for both the devices have already started rolling out to users. In case you still haven’t received the update, you can download it from the link below and manually flash it on your device.

ColorOS 6.0 (vRMS1801EX_11_C.25) for the Realme 2 Pro || ColorOS 6.0.1 (vRMX1911EX_11_A.18) for the Realme 5

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Digital Wellbeing tests auto-enabling Wind Down when you plug-in at night

This year, we have seen phone companies refocus their efforts on ensuring that users do not spend too much time on their smartphones. Google introduced Digital Wellbeing as a Pixel-exclusive and then made it a requirement for all Android devices, prompting OEMs to include it in their ROMs. Digital Wellbeing essentially informs the user just how much they use their smartphone, and provide tools that can help them scale it down through timers, and get less distracted by the phone towards the end of the day through the Wind Down function. Now, Google is exploring the possibility of automatically enabling Wind Down function when a phone is plugged in to charge at night.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

The Wind Down feature within Digital Wellbeing can be set to turn your display grayscale and enable Do Not Disturb mode. These can be set to be enabled automatically either on a set schedule, or follow the Night Light schedule (sunset to sunrise). Digital Wellbeing v1.0.279068912.beta contains strings that indicate that an additional scheduling option will be added to the app.

<string name="power_state_item_description">If you plug-in your phone between 9pm - 8am, your phone will start Wind Down. It will end whenever you unplug.</string>
<string name="power_state_item_label">Plug-in to unplug</string>PASTE YOUR CODE HERE

Thus, Wind Down will be enabled when you plug in your phone at night and end whenever you unplug. This will be particularly handy for those who like to use their phone in bed while it is charging by their bedside, as that is the perfect time when Wind Down should commence in order to serve its purpose of weaning you off your phone. And if you do need the full functionality of your phone, you can simply unplug it and not have to worry about changing any setting or flipping any toggle.

We managed to surface the setting in the Beta to get you a screenshot:

We expect the feature to be rolled out to the stable release channel soon.

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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[Update: Added to MIUI 11 Stable] Xiaomi is finally adding an app drawer and app shortcuts in MIUI Launcher

Update (11/12/19 @ 1:25 AM ET): Xiaomi has officially announced that the app drawer is being incorporated within MIUI, and the same has made its way to China Stable builds. Scroll to the bottom for more information. The article as published on June 17, 2019, at 4:48 AM ET is preserved as below.

One of the major talking points of the POCO Launcher, which was released as the default launcher laid over MIUI with the POCO F1 last year, was its app drawer. This is because MIUI has traditionally lacked an app drawer, forcing users to rely on third-party launchers. That’s about to change soon with Xiaomi actually testing an app drawer in stock MIUI launcher alongside app shortcuts.

With the latest alpha build of the MIUI launcher, with version 4.10.6.1025-06141703, is finally getting an app drawer. Based on the screenshots that we’ve received, we learn that users should be able to tap on the middle button in the app bar at the bottom of the home screen to open the app drawer. For now, a swipe from the bottom does not appear to open the app drawer.

When the app drawer is expanded, the recently used apps are placed on the top while other apps are listed, as usual, in alphabetical order. There’s a downward-facing arrow on the top which users can tap on the button to collapse the app drawer. You can’t swipe down on the app drawer to close it for now but you can use the back button.

Besides the welcomed addition of the app drawer, the MIUI launcher alpha also gets app shortcuts. These are sets of quick actions which show up when the app icon is long-pressed. Released with Android 7.1 Nougat, app shortcuts allow users to launch any specific part of the app directly to perform certain key tasks.

The MIUI launcher is in the alpha stage of development which means we can expect it to get refined over time. For now, the launcher may not be very stable or might crash during usage, so we’d not recommend you to use it as your default launcher. If you still want to give it a try, you can download it using the link below. Do note that unlike the POCO Launcher, this launcher is limited only to smartphones running MIUI.

MIUI Launcher alpha with app drawer

To activate the app drawer after installing the new launcher, long-press on the home screen, tap on Settings, and then on More. Here, irrespective of your system’s language, you’ll find an option in the Chinese language under the settings group “Home Screen Settings.” Tap on it and it will open a page with two options for the home screen. While the contents of this page are also in Chinese, you’ll be able to figure out the option for the app drawer based on the attached graphics. (You can see our screenshots above.)

Although there may be some irregularities in the launcher currently, we expect them to be ironed out as it moves to beta and eventually to the stable version. We have no idea as to when Xiaomi intends to launch this formally but we hope it is soon.

Thanks to Telegram user @Pittrich1967 for the screenshots.

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Update: Added to MIUI 11 China Stable

Through a Weibo announcement, Xiaomi has confirmed that MIUI 11 now finally has an app drawer.

The app drawer will be making its way to MIUI 11 China Stable builds, and will hopefully also transition to MIUI 11 Global Stable and builds for other regions.

Source: Weibo

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Google Photos 4.30 prepares to add manual face tagging

One of the coolest features in Google Photos is the app’s ability to automatically recognize faces and tag people. However, sometimes the app fails to recognize people and they’re left untagged. While the app does allow you to remove incorrect tags, it currently doesn’t let you add tags by yourself. Earlier this year, Google Photos product lead, David Lieb, revealed a couple of upcoming features for the app. Among these was the ability to add manual face tags, but Lieb didn’t confirm when the feature would be released to users. A teardown of the latest update for the app reveals that the new feature might be released soon.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

New strings discovered in version 4.30 of Google Photos highlight the upcoming feature and reveal some information about how it may work when released. The app will essentially allow you to tag people and pets by yourself, in case the app fails to add tags automatically. You’ll be able to create new tags for people/pets and the app will then group the tagged photos with others of the same people/pets. The app will prompt users when there are faces available to tag and it will let you edit the tags at a later stage in case you make a mistake. You’ll be able to check all the tags you’ve added in a new ‘Recently tagged’ section and you’ll get the ability to discard tags as well. It’s worth noting that the manual face tag feature will require an internet connection to work.

<string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_all_people_clusters">All people</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_all_people_pet_clusters">All people &amp; pets</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_dialog_create">Create</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_dialog_message">"You can tag other photos of this person or pet, and they'll be grouped with this one in your library"</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_dialog_title">Create new person?</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_dialog_title_pet">Create new person or pet?</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_promo">You can create a new person here</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_create_cluster_promo_pet">You can create a new person or pet here</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_edit_people_pets_title">Edit people &amp; pets</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_edit_people_title">Edit people</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_error_dialog_message">Check your internet connection and try again</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_error_dialog_retry">Try again</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_error_dialog_title">Trouble editing people</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_other_faces_header">Available to tag</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_recent_clusters">Recently tagged</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_save_warning_dialog_discard">Discard</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_save_warning_dialog_keep_editing">Keep editing</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_save_warning_dialog_message">"Your edits won't be saved"</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_save_warning_dialog_title">Discard changes?</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_show_hidden_faces">View hidden faces</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_title_add">Add tag</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_title_change">Change tag</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_toast_created">Created</string>
    <string name="photos_mediadetails_people_facetag_toast_tagged">Tagged</string>

As of now, it isn’t clear when manual face tagging will go live in Google Photos. But since Google has already added these new strings to the app, it shouldn’t be long before the feature arrives on a beta release.

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Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

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Facebook will finally let you customize the toolbar and hide notification dots

The Facebook app (and website, for that matter) are not beloved by many people. Over the years, the social network has become incredibly bloated with features. Many of these features can be found in the navigation toolbar. Things like Facebook Marketplace, Watch, Groups, and more. This is also where you can be inundated with the dreaded “red dots” for notifications about things you don’t care about. Thankfully, it looks like Facebook is rolling out some control for the navigation bar.

According to a Facebook spokesperson, the company is rolling out navigation bar controls to “make it easier for people to connect with the things they like and control the notifications they get within the Facebook app.” That means you can finally remove all the features you never use. No more red dots for Groups, Pages, Events, and more. Facebook was testing the removal of the dots back in June.

Previously, Facebook said they tailored the toolbar to the user. But it always felt more like what Facebook wanted you to see rather than what you actually wanted to see. The red dots are also clearly there to lure users in to check out areas of the site they may not normally visit. You can now easily remove that temptation and clean things up a bit.

To access the new Shortcuts Bar Settings, simply long-press on any of the shortcuts in the navigation bar (top of the screen in the Android app). A menu will pop up with options to “turn off notification dots, remove from shortcut bar,” and “manage shortcut bar.”

Facebook (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Source: TechCrunch

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Walmart’s cheap Android Pie Onn tablets get a TWRP port

Back in May, Walmart launched two ultra-affordable (okay, let’s say “cheap”) Android tablets. If you don’t remember this announcement, you’re likely not the only one. The Onn tablets are extremely barebones, but they do come with a keyboard cover accessory and run fairly clean Android 9 Pie builds. Plus, starting at just $64, they’re a decent non-Amazon Fire option for a cheap tablet. Now, thanks to some developers on our forums, you can get TWRP on the Onn tablets.

This is not your typical “TWRP ported to BLANK device” story, though. On basically all devices, TWRP requires an unlocked bootloader to install. The lack of an unlockable bootloader is what holds back loads of devices from being able to go deep into modding and customizing. Without an unlocked bootloader, you can’t flash TWRP, which means you can’t go down the road of custom ROMs and so much more. The interesting thing about booting TWRP on the Walmart Onn tablets is that you don’t need an unlocked bootloader.

Walmart Onn Tablets XDA Forums

As the developer of the port writes: “This TWRP build does not need the bootloader unlocked or VBMeta verification disabled.” This is highly unusual to see and means that the tablets are incredibly insecure out-of-the-box. Typically, a locked bootloader means you can’t boot an unsigned boot image or a boot image signed by anyone other than the OEM. VBMeta is the partition that contains the Verified Boot keys; it’s what verifies the integrity of protected partitions like system and vendor. Essentially, the door is locked, but you can push it open.

Apparently, this total lack of basic security isn’t a super rare thing to see for extremely cheap Android devices. According to XDA Recognized Developer deadman96385, “normally on these cheap devices the bootloader isn’t fully implemented, so it’s reporting everything the system needs but it’s static and never changes so if you can flash the partitions without fastboot via SP Flash Tool then you’re golden.” We’re not sure why these devices are able to pass CTS and receive Google certification despite this clear security hole, but this is clearly an oversight that should be fixed.

In any case, even though you can get TWRP up and running without unlocking the bootloader, the developer recommends you don’t do that. It’s safer to just unlock the bootloader so you won’t ever lock yourself out of the device by flashing the wrong thing. As mentioned, the Walmart Onn tablets already run a very clean, near-stock build of Android 9 Pie, but some people have already been able to install custom Generic System Images (GSIs). If you’re looking for a cheap device to mod, this may be the ticket.

Read more about TWRP on the Walmart Onn Tablets

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