Samsung has made its Galaxy Note 20 series official after months and months of leaks and rumors. The phones are shaping up to be pretty impressive on paper, with the Korean brand bringing plenty of power, relatively large batteries, and that S Pen goodness.

Of course, this doesn’t mean much if you can’t get the new Note. So here’s what you need to know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 price, release date, and availability. You can scroll down for all the details or hit the button below to pre-order the phone.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra release date

The Korean manufacturer announced the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra at its Unpacked virtual event on August 5, with US pre-orders kicking off on the next day (August 6). Consumers in the US can pick up a Galaxy Note 20 series device from August 21 via carriers and retailers.

The US traditionally forms part of a first wave of launch markets for Samsung flagships, so we’re expecting the same situation here. Unfortunately, those countries not part of the first wave will likely need to wait a few more weeks for local availability.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra price and availability

Looking to get the S Pen-toting phones in the US? Then you’ll be spending a minimum of $ 999.99 for the Galaxy Note 20, which is only available in one RAM/storage variant. Meanwhile, those after the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will need to spend $ 1,299.99 for the option with 12GB of RAM and 128GB of expandable storage. There’s also a 12GB/512GB option if you really need more internal storage, topping out at $ 1,449.99.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: $ 999 (8GB/128GB)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: $ 1,299 (12GB/128GB), $ 1,449.99 (12GB/512GB)

The new phones are available in a variety of colorways, and you can check out the options below.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: Mystic Gray, Mystic Green, Mystic Bronze
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Mystic Black, Mystic White, Mystic Bronze

Samsung’s own website is one of the better places to get the Note 20 series right now, as the firm is giving away $ 150 or $ 200 in store credit if you pre-order the Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra. This credit can be redeemed via the website or the Shop Samsung app, and you can spend it on accessories for your new phone or put it towards the new Game Pass bundle (featuring a gamepad and three months of Game Pass).

The manufacturer says it’s also dishing out an extra 7.5% discount to consumers who purchase the phones via their Samsung Money by SoFi account. Pre-orders also get four months of YouTube Premium and six months of Spotify Premium.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra India price and availability

In India and intrigued by the new flagships? Then there’s good news, as consumers can pre-order the Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra starting today. You can also expect the latter device to be 5G-enabled. View the pricing details below.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (4G only): Rs 77,999 (8GB/256GB)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: Rs 104,999 (12GB/256GB)

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra EU and UK price and availability

European and UK customers are also be getting in on the Note action. There’s also a cheaper, 4G-only Note 20 version, and the entry model for each phone ups the storage from 128GB to 256GB. Check out the pricing below.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 (4G only): £849/€959 (8GB/256GB)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: £949/€1,059 (8GB/256GB)
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: £1,179/€1,309 (12GB/256GB), £1,279/€1,409 (12GB/512GB)

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra best deals and offers

AT&T has revealed its Galaxy Note 20 series offerings and you can find its installment prices below.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: From $ 33.34 a month for 30 months (128GB, $ 999.99 retail).
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: From $ 43.34 per month for 30 months (128GB, $ 1,299.99 retail), $ 48.34 a month for 30 months (512GB, $ 1,449.99 retail).

AT&T is holding a limited time offer for new and existing customers, letting you trade in an eligible phone to get the Note 20 for free. Well, technically you’re getting $ 1,000 credit, and you need to buy it on a 30-month installment plan with the network’s unlimited plan.

Verizon has also confirmed its Galaxy Note 20 sales, with the core offerings as follows.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: From $ 41.66 a month for 24 months on Verizon Device Payment (0% APR; $ 999.99 retail).
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: From $ 54.16 a month for 24 months on Verizon Device Payment (0% APR; $ 1,299.99 retail).

The network is also offering a number of promos, such as buying any Note 20 device on a premium Unlimited plan and getting a second Note 20 series or S20 series phone as low as free. Buy a Note 20 series phone on any other unlimited plan, and the second aforementioned phone is available half off.

Verizon is also slashing 25% off all Note 20 cases, screen protectors, and charging goodies during the pre-order period.

T-Mobile is selling the Galaxy Note 20 series as well with these prices:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: From $ 41.67 a month for 24 months on T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan (128GB, $ 999.99 retail).
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: From $ 54.17 a month for 24 months on T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan (128GB, $ 1,299.99 retail), or for $ 149.99 down and $ 54.17 a month for 24 months on T-Mobile’s Equipment Installment Plan (512GB, $ 1,499.99 retail),

T-Mobile is also offering some promos, including getting a second Galaxy Note 20 for free with the purchase of the first Note 20, or up to $ 1,000 off a second qualifying Galaxy smartphone of equal or lesser value when you add a line. You may also be able to get up to $ 500 off a Galaxy Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra, when you trade in a qualifying device.

U.S. Cellular is selling the new phones with the following offers and discounts:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20: From $ 9.99 a month for 30 months for new customers who sign up for Port in and Everyday or Even Better Unlimited plans.
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra: From $ 19.99 a month for 30 months for new customers who sign up for Port in and Everyday or Even Better Unlimited plans.

In addition, current upgrade-eligible U.S. Cellular customers on the Basic, Everyday or Even Better Unlimited plans can get $ 300 in bill credits when purchasing either the Note 20 or Note 20 Ultra.

This is all we know about the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 price and availability. We’ll be updating this article with more deals and other details as we hear about them. In the meantime, you can check out more Samsung Unpacked news below.

• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 is here: Everything but the kitchen sink
• Samsung Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra specs: You give a little, get a little
• Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 is here: The do-everything smartwatch
• Samsung Galaxy Buds Live are here: Samsung spills the beans
• Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 takes on the iPad Pro with 5G

Android Authority

Update, August 4, 2020 (4AM ET): According to XDA-Developers citing a Realme spokesperson, the V series will also go on sale in most of Realme’s international markets, including Europe, at some point this year. This includes the Realme V5.

While there’s no pricing info for the phone just yet, a direct conversion from its Chinese price suggests a tag of around €180 in Europe. However, European pricing for phones is generally higher than Chinese prices.

Original article, August 3, 2020 (6:40 AM ET): The Realme V5 5G is now official in China, and with its introduction drops the price of 5G access to below the $ 250 mark.

The affordable phone adds bulk to the company’s previous device launches in 2020, like the X50 Pro and the X3 SuperZoom. But unlike this duo, the Realme V5 isn’t meant to be a flagship killer, unless you’re only buying flagships for 5G connectivity.

Aesthetically, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before this year. You’re looking at a punch-hole selfie camera with a shimmering rear plate and a large rectangular camera array in its top-left corner. The silver version also gets that now customary ‘Realme’ print at the rear of the device, although the branding is comically huge here.

See also: The best budget phones you can currently buy

Other on-trend features also make the list. The Realme V5 5G sports a 6.5-inch IPS display with 2,400 x 1,080 resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. Buyers also get a quad-camera array at the rear, headlined by a 48MP primary camera. Joining it is an 8MP ultrawide, a 2MP macro snapper, and a 2MP depth sensor. A 16MP sensor is used for the selfie camera.

Under the Realme V5’s skin lies the Mediatek Dimensity 720 chipset which gives the phone sub-6GHz 5G support and eight CPU cores to play around with. The chip isn’t as powerful as the Dimensity 820, but does allow Realme to add 5G support at a lower cost. A 5,000mAh battery keeps the lights on and can be topped up using Realme’s 30W SuperDart charging.

The Realme V5 will be offered with either 6GB or 8GB RAM, but 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage is the only storage option. There’s also a microSD card slot to boost that figure though.

Other creature comforts include a 3.5mm headphone jack, support for Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, and dual SIM slots. The device runs on Android 10 with Realme UI on top.

Realme V5 5G price and availability

The Realme V5 5G will go on sale in China on August 7 starting at 1,499 yuan (~$ 215) for the 6GB RAM model. The 8GB RAM option is 1,899 yuan (~$ 270). That’s an awful lot more to pay for just a bit more RAM.

As for the colorways, buyers get a choice of silver, green, and blue.

No pricing or availability info beyond China has been announced just yet, but the V5 could kick off a fierce affordable 5G phone battle if it’s ever launched internationally.

Next: The best 5G phones you can buy right now

Android Authority

Update, August 1, 2020 (10:40 PM ET): Blue Mail ended up getting restored on the Google Play Store earlier today after 15 hours of it being unavailable to download. According to Google, its removal had nothing to do with retaliation against Blix, as that company’s founder suggested on Twitter.

Here is a statement that explains the situation in further detail from Dan Jackson, a Google spokesperson:

It’s completely false that we retaliated in any way against this developer. As part of our ongoing policy enforcement process, this app was flagged for similarities to the TypeApp mail app. As we always do when we find issues, we notified Blix and reached out to them to better understand the situation, and after a thorough review we have now reinstated the app.

This statement makes it very clear that the removal of Blue Mail had nothing to do with Blix’s involvement with the ongoing antitrust investigation against Google. Ben Volach, Blix’s founder, thanked Blue Mail’s supporters on Twitter while also calling for other developers who have faced similar problems to reach out and let him know about it.

Original article, July 31, 2020 (05:53 PM ET): Today, the popular email app Blue Mail was removed from the Google Play Store. A search on the store for the app as of publishing this article returned no results other than similar apps.

Blix, the development company behind Blue Mail, was quick to call out the removal as a retaliatory move by Google. Blix claims Google is fighting back because of Blix’s involvement with the ongoing antitrust investigations into Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Apple.

Google told The Washington Post that it was looking into the issue but did not give a direct comment on the removal of Blue Mail.

Blue Mail removal: Retaliation?

Ben Volach, the founder of Blix and co-creator of Blue Mail, posted the following tweet a few hours ago after he learned of the removal:

Google just kicked @BlueMail out of the store w/out notice. We’ve been there for 6+ yrs! If this isn’t retaliation due to our role in the congressional hearing, then what is? @davidcicilline Apple & Google must be regulated. 2 gatekeepers to rule them all @sundarpichai @tim_cook pic.twitter.com/s9TNCcdegF

— Ben Volach (@benvol) July 31, 2020

According to Volach, Blix only learned about the removal when users who were switching phones started asking why they couldn’t find the app on the Play Store. Volach says there was no notice from Google prior to the app’s removal, and therefore no way for Blix to fix whatever issue caused Google to make the decision to remove it.

Later, Blix said Google informed it that the removal was due to Blue Mail copying another app. However, it is unclear if Google gave Blix enough information to fix the situation or not. Since the app is currently unavailable, we’re going to assume that’s a no.

Blix has troubled history with app stores

While Blue Mail is incredibly popular (and one of the email apps we recommend), it has had its fair share of controversies. Over on the Mac App Store, the app had been removed by Apple after Apple released a product that Blix says was remarkably similar to Blue Mail. Blix sued Apple over this incident.

Related: Best email apps to manage your inbox

During the ongoing antitrust investigation into Apple, the company said it does not retaliate against or intimidate competitors. Blue Mail has since been restored to the Mac App Store.

Blix also previously accused Google of poaching its ideas when the latter company announced it would be integrating its chat app within Gmail in a similar form as Blue Mail.

Volach says Blix has been cooperating with authorities related to the ongoing antitrust investigations. It remains to be seen how long Blue Mail will be off the Play Store or if Google will give Blix a detailed account behind the reasoning for its removal.

Android Authority

The OnePlus Nord was always likely to face some stark comparisons to rival devices when it launched earlier this month. Packing six cameras in total, the phone embraces the more is better philosophy, but does this translate into stellar performance?

Well, we can only really decide by comparing it to its contemporaries. While the rumored Pixel 4a isn’t yet here, the iPhone SE most assuredly is.

In a recent OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE camera shootout, we asked you to weigh in with your thoughts and pick the overall winner. Here’s what you decided.

Which phone takes better photos: the OnePlus Nord or the iPhone SE?

Results

We declared the iPhone SE as the marginal winner in our shootout but your votes and comments suggest a much larger gulf in quality between the two phones.

Of the over 4,000 votes cast, 65.4% believe that the iPhone SE shoots better photos. It’s not just a victory for the Apple device but rather the one-camera-to-rule-them-all philosophy as a whole.

The iPhone SE packs four fewer cameras than the Nord. A single 12MP sensor at the rear joins a 7MP camera up front. As the iPhone SE lacks an ultra-wide camera and macro sensor, we were unable to include comparisons there, so we imagine the Nord wins by default in that regard?

Related: OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE: Which should you buy?

On that note, the Nord did receive just under 1,500 votes in our survey, or just under 35% of the thumbs up. That’s a fair response for a phone that arguably has a more versatile camera array. Despite this, there’s little doubt though that the OnePlus Nord’s 48MP snapper falls short of the iPhone SE. Shots snapped by the former lacked dynamic range, sharpness, and the color detail of its competitor’s prints. The Nord’s much larger 32MP selfie sensor doesn’t necessarily guarantee better shots either, something we’ve also noticed ourselves.

Quality versus quantity is the primary takeaway from this battle.

Here’s what you had to say

• Neil T: For me there wasn’t a shocking amount of difference in terms of quality. It’s there, but not a night and day difference. The biggest difference for me was the Nord’s pics look cooler while the iPhone’s pics looked warmer.
• Stephen C: iPhone is the winner here.
• Hrvoyay: Nord is very soft, even blurry at times. Not great at all.
• Ellio74: We were told OP was going to provide a flagship camera experience, it didn’t just say from which year…
• Thomas: This comparison shows that megapixel count and number of cameras are so overrated. Oneplus should’ve invested more into having a good main camera instead of adding a useless depth and macro camera.
• D9: iPhone for the win here, with the Nord being fairly mediocre. Oneplus should have ditched the additional useless camera sensors they included only to be able to say we have X number of cameras and instead had two quality cameras on the backside with good processing.
• VJ: iPhone SE. And this just shows you don’t need to have tons of cameras on your phones. Put only 2 but very good ones and same money as well.
• alfonzso: iPhone generally provides the most consistent photos. However, to me it seems like Nord’s colors are more realistic (guessing, since I didn’t see the scenes with my own eyes) in most of the shots.

That’s it for the results of our OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE camera poll. Thanks for the votes and comments. If you have comments on the results of our shootout, be sure to drop them down below.

Android Authority

One of the biggest issues with WhatsApp is that it doesn’t let you permanently mute a contact or group. Instead, the app only lets you mute them for eight hours, a week, or a year.

Now, serial leaker WABetaInfo has uncovered evidence that the WhatsApp team is working on the ability to permanently mute contacts and groups. The screenshot suggests that the “always” option will replace the “one year” option when muting notifications. Check out the screenshot below.

This would be a welcome addition for WhatsApp users, at least in our book. I mute notifications from every group due to the sheer number of messages stemming from them, but the “one year” option felt like a band-aid rather than a permanent solution. After all, I have to mute those groups all over again in 365 days. The only other option right now is to simply leave those groups — not ideal for the likes of family chats and work groups.

There’s no word on an exact timeline for this tweak to roll out to WhatsApp users at large, and the latest beta doesn’t seem to offer it yet. But we’ll update the article as soon as the change is pushed out to devices.

This reported tweak also comes a few days after more evidence surfaced for multiple device support in the chat app. So here’s hoping we see both features coming soon.

Next: 10 best video chat apps for Android

Android Authority

Samsung’s One UI made its debut in 2018 replacing Samsung Experience as the company’s unifying Android skin. Since then, we’ve seen one major update, a number of minor patches, and an interim version (One UI 2.1).

Now, while most Samsung flagships and newer devices run on One UI 2.1, version 2.5 is expected to make its debut this year. Here’s what we know about Samsung’s upcoming Android skin update.

Samsung One UI 2.5: Features

According to a SamMobile report earlier this year, One UI 2.5 could feature further tweaks to its navigation gesture support, including bringing Google’s default Android gestures to third-party launchers.

See also: When should you expect to receive the Android 10 update?

One UI 2.1 brought a slew of camera features to updated devices, including Single Take, Night Hyperlapse, and a Pro Video mode to some devices. Quick Share and Music Share also featured in the update too. It’s not yet clear what One UI 2.5 will bring in this regard.

In a June poll, more than 90% of respondents told us that they really hate Samsung’s advertisements within its default apps, but it’s not clear if the situation will get better or worse with One UI 2.5.

Availability and supported devices

Expect One UI 2.5 to make its debut on Samsung’s 2020 flagships before any other devices, this includes the Galaxy Note 20 line, the Galaxy Fold 2 (or Galaxy Z Fold 2), and the Galaxy Tab S7 series.

Tweets by leaker Ice Universe and XDA writer Max Weinbach on July 23 suggest that One UI 2.5 will arrive on the Galaxy S20 series “soon.” Weinbach noted that early software testing began earlier in July for the S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip too.

Yup. Software builds started early this month for the Z Flip and Galaxy S20 series. https://t.co/MlJKAEP2s7

— Max Weinbach (@MaxWinebach) July 23, 2020

Samsung’s current flagship series won’t be the only device lines to see the update though. It’s likely that recent Samsung smartphones running Android 10 or One UI 2.1 could receive a push to One UI 2.5.

We may have to draw the line for some older devices though. For instance, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 recently received the One UI 2.1 update, for instance, but is nearing the end of its two-year major update support cycle. This will likely include the Galaxy S9 series too.

As for devices further down the price ladder, Samsung recently updated the Galaxy A71 and Galaxy A51 to One UI 2.1, so expect the mid-range Samsungs to receive One UI 2.5 a little later.

Looking for the latest and greatest Samsung phones ahead of the release of One UI 2.5? Then you can reserve the Galaxy Note 20 via the button below.

Android Authority

LG phones might not be at the height of their popularity in 2020, as Samsung, Xiaomi, and others surpass it in terms of critical and commercial success. It’s easy to forget though that the company isn’t afraid to try new things.

Whether it was quad Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) audio hardware, an ultra-wide camera, or manual video functionality, the South Korean manufacturer has brought quite a few things to the table. In fact, it might surprise you to know that the company was the first to offer a modern triple camera phone in the LG V40 ThinQ.

Cameras increase in number

Smartphones were stuck on single rear cameras for the longest time, with the exception of dual camera phones from HTC and LG in 2011. The HTC Evo 3D and LG Optimus 3D both used the secondary camera for 3D effects though. We also saw another early dual camera effort with the HTC One M7 in 2013, which delivered depth effects and 3D-style photos too.

However, it was 2016 that saw dual-camera solutions truly embraced by the industry at large, as we saw a variety of useful secondary cameras emerge. Huawei touted a monochrome secondary camera, while LG went ultra-wide, and Apple went for a telephoto zoom camera. The latter two setups gave you entirely different perspectives too, making for a more versatile camera experience than ever before.

It used to be the case that you had to choose between ultra-wide and telephoto cameras rather than having both.

This led to an interesting dilemma though, as it meant you had to choose which perspective you valued more. Do you go for the ultra-wide secondary camera for group photos and cityscapes? Or do you opt for a telephoto camera that lets you get closer without having to physically get closer?

This dilemma persisted for a long time, as dual camera adoption increased in 2017 and 2018. But it was in October 2018 that LG finally gave consumers the best of both worlds.

Enter the LG V40

The LG V40 launched in early October of 2018, and it changed the game by offering a triple rear camera setup.

Now, this wasn’t the first phone to offer a triple rear camera arrangement, with the Huawei P20 Pro launching earlier that year. However, it was the first phone to offer the now standard main/zoom/ultra-wide camera trio. Meanwhile, the P20 Pro opted for a main/zoom/monochrome combination that hasn’t been used by others in the industry.

LG’s late 2018 flagship wielded a 12MP main, 16MP ultra-wide, and 12MP 2x telephoto sensor. This meant that you had a camera for every occasion. On safari and want to get a decent shot of that animal in the distance? Then the telephoto can help. Going sightseeing and want to get that entire landscape or building in one photo? That’s where the ultra-wide comes in. In other words, you didn’t have to buy the LG G7 if you wanted an ultra-wide shooter or an iPhone or Xiaomi Mi 8 if you wanted good zoom — the V40 had it all.

Related: Want a phone with a great camera? Here’s what to look for.

The biggest downside to the LG V40 though was the fact that image quality wasn’t good in anything other than broad daylight. This hasn’t changed much with subsequent firmware updates, as our own Ryan-Thomas Shaw noted in his LG V40 retrospective. However, Ryan did appreciate the background blur from the main camera (no bokeh mode required), as well as the dynamic range and color reproduction for the most part.

LG also stood out from others by offering two selfie cameras, featuring a 5MP ultra-wide shooter and an 8MP primary lens. In other words, you had a total of five cameras on board.

Life after triple cameras

The LG V40 was the first triple camera phone with a truly flexible setup back then, but it’s clear that rivals thought it was a path worth following too. After all, the similarly equipped Huawei Mate 20 Pro and quad camera-toting Samsung Galaxy A9 both launched mere days after LG’s phone.

And the trend would only continue in 2019, as Apple, Huawei, Samsung, Xiaomi, and others all released phones with the normal/wide/telephoto camera setup. In fact, some brands have even gone so far as to implement quad- or penta-camera setups.

Some of these extra cameras include macro cameras for shooting extreme close-ups of things, depth sensors and 3D Time-of-Flight sensors for depth of field effects, and additional zoom cameras for long-range zoom capabilities. Nevertheless, the normal/wide/telephoto trio is what you should expect on most high-end phones today. Anything more would be a bonus.

The LG V40 marked an important stage in the evolution of smartphone photography, joining other recent additions like periscope cameras and night modes.

This is the fourth post in our “Did you know” series, in which we dive into the Android history books to uncover important and interesting facts or events that have been forgotten over time. What do you want to see us cover next? Let us know in the comments.

• Did you know: Samsung once thought Android was a joke
• Did you know: Android was originally designed for digital cameras
• Did you know: The Samsung Galaxy Note was mocked and predicted to flop at launch

Android Authority

After months of teases and leaks, the OnePlus Nord has finally arrived. OnePlus’ budget phone may have a mid-range price, but it has some solid hardware behind it. It already reminds us of Apple’s recent iPhone SE, which also offers great performance in a lower-cost handset. But which phone is right for you? Find out in our OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE comparison.

See also: The best budget phones you can currently buy

OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE

Specs

Features

The iPhone SE has the same design and display as the much older iPhone 8. You can expect a 4.7-inch, 720p LCD panel with some big bezels on the top and bottom. There’s also the old fashioned Touch ID home button on the bottom and an aluminum chassis. By contrast, the OnePlus Nord has a huge 6.44-inch Fluid AMOLED display, with a 90Hz refresh rate, very thin bezels, 1080p resolution, and an in-display fingerprint reader. It has plastic rails on the side, with glass on the back, with an extra coating for a better grip in the hand.

The iPhone SE comes in three colors (Black, White, Product Red) while the OnePlus Nord has two color choices (Gray Onyx and Blue Marble).

Our initial verdict: OnePlus Nord hands-on: New beginnings feel familiar

The OnePlus Nord has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G 5G processor inside. It’s not the fastest mobile chip available, but it should plenty powerful for most tasks, plus you get 5G support. The iPhone SE has Apple’s latest A13 Bionic processor inside, which is perhaps the most powerful mobile chip currently on sale. Unfortunately, you are not getting any 5G support from the iPhone SE.

All iPhone SE models come with just 3GB of RAM. You can also purchase the Nord with 8GB or 12GB of RAM (or 6GB in India). Both the iPhone SE and the Nord are sold with 64GB (India exclusive for the Nord), 128GB, or 256GB of onboard storage. The OnePlus Nord also comes with a dual-SIM card slot. The iPhone SE has a high IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, but the Nord lacks any such rating.

The iPhone SE has the same 12MP rear sensor and the same 7MP front camera as the iPhone 8. However, because it has the new A13 processor, the cameras can still produce stellar images through post-processing. It also supports portrait mode and video capture of up to 4K resolution at 60fps.

Related: Apple iPhone buying guide: Which iPhone is right for you?

The OnePlus Nord blows away the iPhone SE, at least in terms of the number of camera sensors. There are four in the back, starting with a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera with a 119-degree field of view, a 2MP macro camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. This phone is capable of taking super slow-motion videos at 240fps. In the front, there’s a big 32MP main sensor and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide selfie camera 105-degree field of view. The onboard camera app supports a number of features, including a version of night mode, which the iPhone SE lacks.

The OnePlus Nord has a big 4,115mAh battery and supports fast 30W charging. Based on other phones like the LG Velvet that have similar battery sizes and the same processor, you should expect to have to use the Nord all day on a single charge. The iPhone SE has a much smaller 1,821mAh, and even with the phone’s smaller size and the A13 processor this is likely not going to go as far as the Nord’s larger cell. One big battery feature the iPhone SE does have is that it supports Qi-based wireless charging, which the Nord does not support.

Price

The OnePlus Nord will be sold in India, Europe, and the UK. Here’s a quick look at the prices for the three versions of the phone:

• OnePlus Nord with 6GB RAM+64GB storage: 24,999 rupees (India exclusive)
• OnePlus Nord with 8GB RAM+128GB storage: £379/€399/27,999 rupees
• OnePlus Nord with 12GB RAM+256GB storage: £469/€499/29,999 rupees

Meanwhile, the 2020 iPhone SE comes in three models, all of which are available in India, Europe, and the UK:

• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+64GB storage: £419/ €499/42,500 rupees
• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+128GB storage: £469/€549/47,800 rupees
• iPhone SE with 3GB RAM+256GB storage: £569/€669/58,300 rupees

OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE: Which should you buy?

We’ve yet to put the OnePlus Nord through a full review and our extensive testing suite, but the early signs are that it’s a very attractive option if you want a great budget Android phone. It doesn’t pack top-tier silicon, but the Snapdragon 765G SoC has so far proved plenty fast for anything bar high-end gaming. We also expect OnePlus has done some fine-tuning to get the best out of the Qualcomm processor.

Likewise, the battery and charging, storage options, 1080p AMOLED display with 90Hz refresh rate, and the six total cameras all round out what is a comprehensive package for a sub-$ 500 phone.

The OnePlus Nord and iPhone SE have similar price tags, but take different approaches to make a great budget phone.

The iPhone SE, meanwhile, appears to make more sacrifices to bring a select number of flagship-standard features to a cheap phone. The battery is minuscule by 2020 standards, there’s only one camera, and the smaller 720p display is a lot to stomach, but the blazing-fast A13 Bionic is a massive boon for Apple’s cheapest iPhone. That single camera has already shown it can produce incredible snaps, while OnePlus has a history of struggling with smartphone photography. Throw in the water-resistance rating and wireless charging and you’ve got a great OnePlus Nord alternative.

The software is also a big differentiator. The OnePlus Nord runs OxygenOS, which is one of the most popular Android skins out there. Meanwhile, the iPhone SE runs on Apple’s iOS platform. Both are great in their own right, but Apple’s walled garden approach to software won’t suit everyone. If you want a customizable OS, the OnePlus Nord should be the better option.

See also: 8 things iOS does better than Android

However, it’s worth remembering that Apple does a much better job upgrading its phones to the latest iOS version many years after a device’s release. OnePlus is one of the better Android OEMs for long-term software support, but it has only guaranteed two years of updates.

In this case, it all depends on what you want to get out of your phone. If you are looking for a smaller phone that still has a fast processor, the promise of several years of software upgrades, and one that can take solid images, the iPhone SE is something to check out. However, if you want a phone with a larger display, better battery life, and is a bit cheaper, you should definitely consider the OnePlus Nord.

Of course, we’ll revisit this comparison once we’ve had more time with the OnePlus Nord to see which phone truly comes out on top!

That’s our early look at the OnePlus Nord vs iPhone SE. Which one are you considering?

More OnePlus coverage

• OnePlus Nord specs: Your typical mid-range phone or much more?
• OnePlus Nord price and availability: Get all the details here
• OnePlus Buds review: No longer serving the Android community at large

Android Authority

Update, July 21: We have our final four! Hit the links below to narrow your final four down to our head-to-head finalists!

When it comes to determining the very best of Android, who better to decide than the most engaged audience in tech – you! We’ve spent weeks testing, re-testing, confirming, blind checking, ranking, and voting on our overall Editor’s Choice winner for Best of Android: Mid-2020, but now it’s your turn. Best of Android: Mid-2020 Reader’s Choice voting starts now!

Related: Considering buying our Editor’s Choice winner?

How it works

If you’re a regular at Android Authority you’ll be pretty familiar with how this all goes down. We keep the Reader’s Choice voting open for a week and will report your winner on the site next weekend.

We start by culling the general finalists’ list down (our finalists were those devices that placed anywhere in the top ten of one of our objective testing categories). This step takes place here, in this very article. We’ll keep voting open for a couple of days, then extract our top four.

Best of Android: Mid-2020 Reader’s Choice voting starts now!

We take the top four and expand our voting to include our social media channels to settle on your ultimate pick for Reader’s Choice. If you’re wondering why we do it this way, it’s because our social platforms don’t allow us to have polls with a dozen options. So we start with YouTube and Twitter, then switch to Instagram and Facebook for the very final vote. We’ll add all the links you need to this post as the week progresses so you never miss a chance to vote for your favorite at each stage.

If you need a recap of the category winners or our Editor’s Choice winner, check out the video below or the site links underneath.

One last reminder that eligibility in Best of Android: Mid-2020 was restricted to devices that hit shelves before June 30, 2020, which is why the Sony Xperia 1 II, Asus ROG Phone 3, OnePlus Nord, and others don’t appear in the list below. You’ll be able to vote for them in our full-year Best of Android awards.

Vote on your final four!

Our readers have voted and successfully whittled our finalists down to your top four. In no particular order, they are:

• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra
• Oppo Find X2 Pro
• OnePlus 8 Pro
• Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus

To vote for your favorite, hit our polls on YouTube and Twitter and stay tuned for the final showdown in a couple of days!

Revisit the Best of Android: Mid-2020 awards for each objective category:

• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Audio
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Display
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Battery
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Performance
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Camera
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Value
• Best of Android: Mid-2020 — Editor’s Choice/overall

Android Authority

We’d like to think that each year is a bonanza when it comes to smartphone releases, but some years are definitely worse than others.

We’ve already chosen 2014 as the best year of the last decade, but what about the worst years in modern smartphone history? Well, we can think of a few middling or even disappointing years in our book. Whether it was a general trend that was adopted by everyone or just several companies releasing bad phones in one year, you can check out our five picks below. Don’t forget to take our poll at the end of the article!

As bad as 2020 is so far (i.e. ludicrously expensive phones, power-sapping 5G and screens, oh… and delays caused by a global pandemic), we’re excluding it from the list as the year isn’t over yet. But it’s definitely a dishonorable mention.

2010

• This was the year that saw manufacturers and networks play hard and fast with the term 4G. From Wi-Max to HSPA, there was no shortage of brands claiming that their technology was indeed 4G. For what it’s worth, LTE and HSPA+ were generally considered to be proper 4G at the time.
• Microsoft also launched the promising but ill-fated Windows Phone 7 platform, with the firm going so far as to hold a mock funeral for the iPhone at the time. If that wasn’t bad enough, the company also released two smart feature phones dubbed Kin that were terrible and mercifully became discontinued after only two months.
• The iPhone 4 release was marred by “antennagate” after it emerged that the phone drastically lost signal when you held it… like a phone. It didn’t help that Apple initially told customers to stop holding it in the lower-left corner, before eventually offering a free bumper case to users.
• It was a tough time to be a Nokia fan as the firm still stuck with Symbian for the most part. Sure, you had the Nokia N8 with its fantastic 12MP camera and the slick Nokia E7, but who cared when they ran a slow, unintuitive platform that was practically held together with duct-tape? At least we got the Meego-toting Nokia N9 and the first Nokia Windows Phones in 2011.
• Samsung also launched the Galaxy S in 2010, kicking off the all-conquering Galaxy flagship range. Unfortunately, a US court ruled that the manufacturer had actually copied the iPhone’s design and software flourishes in the process. And it’s hard to argue otherwise when you look at the two side-by-side, serving as more ammunition against Android and Samsung for Apple fans.

2013

• The Galaxy S4 may have been the best-selling Android phone of all time, but Samsung definitely made a few bad decisions regarding it. Unarguably the biggest issue was the bloated software that was TouchWiz, as the firm tossed in a ton of features without considering performance. Throw in a cringeworthy launch event stacked with plenty of awful stereotypes and it definitely makes our list.
• HTC debuted the HTC One M7 in 2013, which earned a reputation as one of the best phones of all time. The company also debuted the ill-fated HTC First that year, which was not one of the best phones of all time. The First was made in partnership with Facebook, running the Facebook Home launcher (remember that?) and offering solid specs for the time. The Facebook integration couldn’t save the phone from poor sales, reportedly moving just 15,000 units.
• BlackBerry 10 was finally released in early 2013, delivering a proper touch-focused platform that was built from the ground up. This wasn’t enough to save the company though, as Android delivered more variety and apps (even though BB10 supported many Android apps). Another major blow was the fact that the BlackBerry Internet Service (which was available as an all-you-can-eat plan in many regions) wasn’t supported on the new platform. I know tens of people who lost interest in new BlackBerry phones when it emerged that BIS wouldn’t be available.
• Apple’s iOS 7 also made headlines in 2013 for the wrong reasons, as the update introduced a host of bugs and crashes. From connectivity woes and iMessage issues to (ironically) the Blue Screen of Death, this was an update that the Cupertino company and customers would like to forget.

2015

• The Snapdragon 810 flagship silicon reportedly suffered from manufacturing woes, with many early phones powered by the chipset said to have performance or thermal-related issues. Early testing by the likes of Ars Technica showed major performance drops as phones with the processor heated up.
• The HTC One M9 was a disappointing follow-up to the fantastic device that was the One M8, offering a less capable camera for low-light shooting and worse endurance. This also marked the third time we saw the metal design, with only minor changes compared to the HTC One M7. Truth be told, it seems like HTC never really recovered from this release.
• Samsung’s Galaxy S6 series offered an all-new glass design, but ditched water-resistance, microSD storage, and a removable battery to get there. And the tiny battery in the standard S6 only added more salt to the wound.
• This year also seems to have marked the start of LG’s bootloop issues, as the likes of the LG G4, Nexus 5X, and LG V10 all experienced this major problem to some extent. Cue the photoshopped Froot Loops images.

2016

• Samsung’s Galaxy S7 series was one of the best phones of 2016, but the year will always be remembered for the company launching the IED that was the Galaxy Note 7. Faulty batteries and over-ambitious design resulted in phones that were susceptible to bursting into flames. No wonder the company offered an update that killed the phone entirely.
• The year also saw brands ditch the headphone port, with Android players like Motorola and LeEco doing so. Apple did the same with the iPhone 7, and we’ve seen loads of companies follow suit since then.
• LG had a run of solid to great high-end phones up until 2016, when it launched the modular LG G5. The phone’s magazine slot-style design enabled you to use add-ons like a 360 camera and a Hi-Fi DAC. Unfortunately, a combination of questionable build quality, a smaller battery than the G4, and very few Friends (as the add-ons were called) killed any hopes of major success. At least the firm also offered an ultra-wide camera that’s now become standard on almost every major phone.

2019

• The Pixel 4 delivered a smaller battery than previous Pixels, no fingerprint scanner in lieu of face unlock only, and gimmicky Motion Sense tech. No wonder many reviewers derided it at launch. At least the company introduced a long-overdue budget phone in the Pixel 3a.
• Foldable phones were supposed to be the big thing in 2019, but the first wave of foldables made us realize just how fragile they could be. Between the Galaxy Fold’s delayed launch due to hinge/screen issues and the general trend of scratch-prone plastic screens (including the Mate X), foldables definitely fell short of the hype.
• Arguably the biggest disappointment in 2019 was the US ban against Huawei, instituted in May. This meant that phones released after this point lacked Google services. It’s a real shame, because phones like the Mate 30 Pro were definitely among the best phones of the year on paper, but the lack of GMS means it’s a no-go for many.
• Up until 2019, Samsung’s Galaxy Note series was known as the range of choice for power users looking for a quality, feature-packed phone. Unfortunately, the vanilla Galaxy Note 10 failed to live up to this ethos. Your $ 950 got you a battery that was significantly smaller than the Plus model and Note 9, no microSD card slot, and no 3.5mm port. The Plus variant also lacked the latter two features, but at least you got extras like a bigger battery, QHD+ screen, and faster charging.

What do you think was the worst year for smartphones? Take our poll below and leave a comment!

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