This week’s top stories: Pixel 2 XL long-term review, every app w/ Google’s new Material Theme, more

In this week's top stories: Our review of the Pixel 2 XL after using it for a year, a render found in the Android P beta that isn't meant to resemble the upcoming Pixel 3, and a list of every Google app or service that has been updating to its new Material Theme.

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite

We kicked things off this week with a long-term look at the Pixel 2 XL. You can read the review here, but to sum it up, we're still very much fans of Google's smartphone line. Even with the Pixel 3 only a handful of months away, it's still easy to recommend the Pixel over 2018 flagships such as the Samsung Galaxy S9 and LG G7.

Google really has something going for it with smartphone hardware, and while the sales numbers aren't really catching up yet, I think Google is now one of only a few really serious players in the Android space. While other manufacturers are chasing after very niche markets, making generic phones that follow the herd for following's sake, or simply hardly selling phones at all, Google seems determined to reach the mainstream with the Pixel lineup.

Next up, we had to dispell a rumor that was floating around several tech blogs this week concerning a render of a phone found in the Android P beta. But despite what many thought, this generic-looking render is not meant to represent the Pixel 3's design.

So is this a "leak" of the Pixel 3 design? If it is a leak of the Pixel 3 design more than 6 months before its unveil (it's not), it's either the most unlikely slip up in Google software release history or a masterful troll that we'll look back on one day with fond memories. No, I think the answer is more simple: It's a generic GIF that a leaks site posted two weeks after it was publicly-visible, and one that the rest of the web is just mindlessly blogging about for pageviews.

We also put together a list of Google apps and services that have already been updated with the company's new Material Theme. We have included Android apps, websites, and web services. Make sure to let us know if you spot any other Google products receive the updated design.

The new design is planned to come to all of Google's services, apps, and products, including all of its Android apps, iOS apps, popular web apps like Gmail and Google Drive, and more. We'll keep this list updated over time.

Lastly, this week HTC unveiled the U12+ and Acer announced its Chromebook 13, Spin 13, and Spin 15.

These and the rest of this week's top stories below:

Android |

Accessories |

Apps |

Google |

Check out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:

VIDEO

Google really has something going for it with smartphone hardware, and while the sales numbers aren't really catching up yet, I think Google is now one of only a few really serious players in the Android space. While other manufacturers are chasing after very niche markets, making generic phones that follow the herd for following's sake, or simply hardly selling phones at all, Google seems determined to reach the mainstream with the Pixel lineup.

So is this a "leak" of the Pixel 3 design? If it is a leak of the Pixel 3 design more than 6 months before its unveil (it's not), it's either the most unlikely slip up in Google software release history or a masterful troll that we'll look back on one day with fond memories. No, I think the answer is more simple: It's a generic GIF that a leaks site posted two weeks after it was publicly-visible, and one that the rest of the web is just mindlessly blogging about for pageviews.

The new design is planned to come to all of Google's services, apps, and products, including all of its Android apps, iOS apps, popular web apps like Gmail and Google Drive, and more. We'll keep this list updated over time.

Lastly, this week HTC unveiled the U12+ and Acer announced its Chromebook 13, Spin 13, and Spin 15.

Search This Blog

Android News