Android folks, what a wild ride this past week has been! IFA brought us ton of new devices, and many of them are really good. With the refined Note 4, the wild Note Edge, and the semi-bizarre Gear VR, Samsung showed why it’s the number one force in mobile hardware. Sony delivered more improvements to its Xperia lineup, and we really loved the amazingly thin and light 8-inch Tablet Z3 Compact. LG and Asus came with new and intriguing smartwatch designs, HTC went 64-bit with the Desire 820, Huawei went nuts (in a good way) with the Mate 7, and Motorola finally brought its 2014 lineup to light.
It’s been a wild week at Android Authority HQ as well – looking back, we’re happy we managed to publish some great, timely content for you guys, that we hope you enjoyed. And that’s just a taste of what’s coming later this year!
Video roundup
Check out Jayce’s weekly Android news roundup!
Good designs across the board
One of the things that struck us at this year’s IFA is how good Android OEMs have become at making great looking devices. Sure this isn’t a new trend – there have been beautiful Android phones and tablets since the early days of the OS. But sometime in the past year or so, even companies who were never known for good design seem to have learned a few lessons.
Sony deserves a shoutout for the sleek, clean look and thin form factor of its new smartphones, and of the Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact in particular. Asus showed you can do a great looking smartwatch that isn’t round. The somehow polarizing G Watch R looks amazing, provided you’re fine with its aggressive masculinity. Samsung made subtle, but effective changes to the design of the Note 4. Motorola actually managed to make the leather Moto X look classy. And even the giant Huawei Mate 7 looks leaps and bounds better than its predecessors.
In short, it’s a very good time to be an Android lover, and we hope that this trend will only continue.
Behind the scenes
Walking through the labyrinth that is Messe Berlin, the sprawling exhibition complex where IFA takes place, can leave you in awe. Dazzling booths, big staffs, freebies for visitors, huge launch events – tech companies are pulling all stops to make their presence count. The amount of energy and resources invested in just one product launch is simply staggering.
The same goes for us tech media. Android Authority had just two guys on the floor at IFA – Josh, doing awesome vids, and me, mostly carrying Josh’s big bag of gear ;). But make no mistake – the entire team worked super hard to bring you the best possible coverage. Andrew, Ankit, Gary, and Edgar held the fort up against a deluge of new devices and big announcements. Darcy used his vantage point to keep everyone organized, and Derek made sure that the site can cope up with traffic spikes. Bottom line, there’s a lot of teamwork going on for every single post, and I’d like to thank each and every one of my colleagues for making it happen.
Android Authority Awards
For each big show, we pick out the devices that we think are best in their class, and we honor them with an award. This year, we gave out eight of them:
Galaxy Note 4 – for the exciting improvements it brought to the series
Huawei Mate 7 – for proving that surprises are still possible in the mobile industry
Lenovo Vibe X2 – for offering a full package at an affordable price
Xperia Z3 Compact – for being the small flagship we’ve being waiting for
Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact – for its featherweight design and powerful specs
LG Watch R – for its premium design and excellent user experience
Asus Zenwatch – for its affordable price tag and stylish looks
HTC Desire 820 – for bringing a premium experience to the mid-range category
Coming up next
All the devices announced this week will be released in the coming weeks and months, and that makes us very happy campers. It’s one of the best seasons in living memory to be an Android enthusiast, and things will only get better with the ascend of the L release.
Looking at the other side of the fence, Apple is about to introduce its modern-sized iPhones and maybe a smartwatch. As tech geeks, we’re pretty excited. And let’s face it, Android benefits from strong competition.
Expect our first impressions, hands-on posts, feature focuses, and full reviews coming for all interesting devices of this fall.
Oh, and we’re giving away a little device called Galaxy Note 4 this week. Interested, maybe?
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
It wasn’t all about IFA this week: here some other interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
Review: Kevin takes a look at the Galaxy S5 Sport
Opinion: In the aftermath of Celebgate, Edgar wonders if users should trust the cloud anymore
Tips and tricks: Here are some ways to keep your battery alive longer, using Tasker
Beautiful design: Google’s app recommendations when it comes to delightful UI
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Samsung
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 officially announced: here’s what you need to know
Galaxy Note 4 hands-on and first impressions
Samsung Galaxy Note Edge hands-on
Samsung Gear VR officially announced
HTC
5.5-inch Desire 820 with octa-core 64-bit chip made official
HTC Desire 820 hands-on and first impressions
LG
LG G Watch R first look
Sony
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact first look
Sony announces Smarwatch 3, powered by Android Wear
Sony Xperia Z3 Tablet Compact officially unveiled
Sony Xperia Z3 hands-on and first impressions
Moto
New Moto G hands on and first impressions
New Moto X hands on and first impressions
A closer hands-on look at Motorola Moto 360
Huawei
Huawei Ascend Mate 7 officially announced
Huawei Ascend Mate 7 first look
Asus
ASUS ZenWatch officially launched
Asus ZenWatch first look!
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Happy Sunday!