Table of contents for 63 in Android Advisor

The future just got a little dicey for millions of Huawei fans. Following a Trump administration Executive Order in May that put Huawei in the US government’s crosshairs, Google has reportedly pulled its Android app, search, and Play Store licence from the smartphone giant, leaving future phones in doubt and current handsets in limbo while the details get sorted out. So far, the two companies have been doing their best to play down the doom and gloom, while being purposefully vague about what happens next. In a statement, Google said, “For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices,” while Huawei assured users that it “will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in…

Price: £699 from fave.co/2Iiqzgf The near-meteoric rise of OnePlus has in large part been thanks to a pretty clear strategy: offer the most important features of the year’s biggest flagships, minus the flashy fluff, at a fraction of the price. With the OnePlus 7 Pro, that all changes. The 7 and 7 Pro phones mark the first time that OnePlus is releasing two phones at once: the 7 is the natural next step from last year’s 6T, while the 7 Pro is a step up from that. It’s a full-blooded flagship, OnePlus throwing the gauntlet down and trying to prove once and for all that it can make phones to rival the likes of the Galaxy S10 or Huawei P30 Pro if it wants to. And on the strength of…

For the first time ever, the choice between buying a Pixel is more than just the big one or the small one. At its I/O Developer’s Conference, Google took the wraps off the Pixel 3a, a brand-new entry to the Pixel line that costs half as much as its older sibling. But how much are you really giving up when you opt for the cheaper model? Let’s break it down. Design The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a external designs are similar in many ways, including size. The Pixel 3a is slightly larger all around: Pixel 3a: 151.3x70.1x8.2mm Pixel 3: 145.6x68.2x7.9mm Pixel 3a XL: 160.1x76.1x8.2mm Pixel 3 XL: 158x76.7x7.9mm Moving on to major design characteristics, the Pixel 3 and 3 XL are distinctive – if not as beautiful as flagships from…

The hits keep coming for Huawei. Following the revocation of its licence to use Google apps and the Play Store on its Android phones, and a ban by several major chipmakers, including Intel, Broadcom and Qualcomm, a leaked memo obtained by the BBC has revealed that ARM has ordered its employees to cease “all active contracts, support entitlements, and any pending engagements” with the beleaguered China-based tech giant. While ARM is a UK-based company, its chip designs contain technology that originated in the US and subsequently are believed to be subject to the Commerce Department’s blanket ban. The memo says ARM employees are no longer able to “provide support, delivery technology (whether software, code, or other updates), engage in technical discussions, or otherwise discuss technical matters”. While Google’s revocation of…

Price: £499 from fave.co/2I7Vv2i After months of leaks and teasers Asus has finally revealed the ZenFone 6, and it certainly offers something different to most flagships on the market. It has a gorgeous all-display design with a camera array that flips between the back and front to cover all your photography needs. But, is it a gimmick or has Asus cracked the formula for the perfect bezel-less design? Read on to find out. Cameras There have been many different attempts from manufacturers to achieve a bezel-less display while still providing access to the all-important front-facing camera, from notches to pop-up cameras, sliders and, with the introduction of the Asus ZenFone 6, Flip Cameras too. The reversible nature of the camera module is interesting; rather than featuring a front-facing camera that…

A bad month has just got a lot worse for Huawei. As we saw on page 4, Google has cut off the China-based smartphone maker’s Android licence, preventing future Huawei phones (such as the upcoming Mate 30) from using the Play Store and Google’s popular apps and services. The bombshell comes just days after Donald Trump signed an Executive Order barring US companies from using telecommunications equipment made by firms that “pose a national security risk”. While the order didn’t single out Huawei, the Commerce Department simultaneously added Huawei to its Entity List, effectively banning the smartphone maker from buying parts and components from US companies without explicit government approval. Together, the two moves make it extremely difficult for any US company to do business with Huawei. Hence Google’s quick…

Price: €599 (UK £Tbc) Many of Honor’s phones are priced low, and the 20 Lite, which sits at the bottom of the series, costs just £249. That was launched at the end of April, and Honor left around a month before releasing the 20 and 20 Pro, the latter of which we’re reviewing here. These two phones are incredibly similar, save for the cameras but although we were given early access to the Pro model, Honor is keeping the UK price under wraps until the launch itself. Note: Although Honor is a sub-brand of Huawei, the 20 and 20 Pro aren’t affected by the restrictions imposed by the US on the firm’s new phones because they were already certified by Google. This means there’s no issue with Android security updates…

Cameras are among the most important features of a smartphone for many buyers. After all, their phone is their camera, so their quality can be the deciding factor in opting for one model over another. And given that most phones – especially flagships – are otherwise very similar in terms of performance and screen quality, photography and video is where manufacturers can differentiate their offering from rivals. Our aim with this comparison is to reveal which phone has the best cameras for taking photos, videos and selfies. You won’t find every flagship phone here, as we’re including only those which have cameras good enough to be called ‘the best’. That isn’t determined by specs or features, it’s judged by the quality of the photos and videos they produce. How we…