Week 6 in review: Nokia 7 plus tops the most-read list

Another week passed and it's time for a recap. The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ remained a hot topic but it was the Nokia 7 plus that received the most attention. It will be Nokia's first 18:9 phone and it will have a Zeiss camera and a Snapdragon 660 chip. The aforementioned Galaxy S9 duo appeared in the the usual torrent of leaks, this week focusing on its Lilac Purple and Coral Blue skin colors. As the leaks pile up we're getting a clearer and clearer picture of the two upcoming phones. Xiaomi pulled the wraps off the Amazfir Bit - a GPS-equipped smartwatch with a 45 days battery life....

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Sunday debate: Ecosystem vs Hardware

In this fifth installment of our Sunday Debate we discuss the importance of ecosystems versus hardware. Which is more important - having your favorite set of services and apps or having a specific hardware setup? Yordan- Ecosystem determines the user experience I'd like to open with a direct statement - an ecosystem is created to improve user experience, and at most times it does the job. As late Steve Jobs often said, if Henry Ford asked his peers what they want, they would've said "a faster horse". But he created a revolution. The saying keeps on living on this day. If ask...

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Weekly poll: how often do you change your phone?

A new flagship comes out every 6 months - makers try to play it as two separate classes, e.g. Galaxy S and Note; LG G and LG V, but the fact remains that every flagship is surpassed in half a year. But do you actually buy a new phone every few months? Some people do (including some at our office), but most people wait at least a year. If you buy phones on contract, though, chances are you wait two years before upgrading. Unless you use one of the fast upgrade programs, typically 18-month long (think AT&T Next, Verizon Edge, etc.). Those, however, require you to turn in your old device -...

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In Past Tense: The story of Ivan's phones

Past Tense is our latest series of articles in which GSMArena veterans take you on a nostalgia-infused ride through the years. Experience first hand how the industry evolved and how it shaped us, one phone at a time. How this tech journalist started his way Hello! My name is Ivan and I'm 30 years old. I've worked at GSMArena since the beginning of 2011 and I breathe tech. In this article I'll take you on a quick trip through the phones I've owned and tell you about the ones that left their mark on me. I've owned many phones but I'll skip the early years and go straight to...

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Weekly poll results: 3 years of updates are enough

Three years of software support for smartphones should be enough for most people, our poll reveals. It was the most popular option and while "four years or more" came close, we think three is much more realistic. There is something to be said about the price, though. Flagships definitely need three years of support. Low to mid-range phones could get by with two years if the price is low enough to change them more frequently. The good news is that some companies already offer three years of support (e.g. Apple and Google). The bad news is that these updates are factored in the price and...

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Counterclockwise: Jelly Bean was the last Android version to reach 50% market share

Did you know that the first Android OS version code name was Petit Four? It means small bite-sized appetizer and served as inspiration for the desert-based names of future versions. That was version 1.1. The first publicly available version was Android 1.5 Cupcake, launching with the T-Mobile G1. Then in mid-2010 Eclair (versions 2.0 to 2.1) took over as the most popular version, about half a year after its introduction. 2.2 Froyo rose to the top at the end of 2010, again about six months after launch. Google was on a two releases per year schedule back then, introducing two major Android...

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Top 10 trending phones of week 6

People are already excited about the new announcements of the 2018 and you don't need to look any further than our top 10 trending phones chart to know it. We've got three phones that are yet to be announced on the list, two of which are on the podium. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 is at the very top, extending its streak to five weeks, while the Xioami Mi A1 gets second for the fourth week in a row. In third we have the Samsung Galaxy S9 - the upcoming Korean flagship rising up two more spots since last week. That left Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro off the rostrum in fourth, just ahead of the...

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