Here's a list of dozens of Android smartphones that are confirmed or expected to receive Android Nougat 7.0 update
Android 6.0 is still rolling out to several devices but major companies are gearing up to roll out the new Android Nougat 7.0 onto their flagship devices. The update was first made available to Nexus devices such as the Nexus 9, Pixel C, Nexus Player, Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P. The older Nexus 6 will be getting the update too, as per Moto, but there is no official word regarding the Nexus 5.
Motorola Android Smartphones to receive the Android 7.0 Nougat update:
Motorola, in a blog post, released a list of all the phones that will be receiving Android Nougat, starting with Q4 Moto Z and Moto G (4th Gen).
Nexus 6
Moto Z Play Droid
Moto Z Force Droid
Moto Z Droid
Moto Z
Moto Z Play
Moto X Force
Moto X Style
Moto X Pure Edition (3rd Gen)
Moto X Play
Droid Maxx 2
Droid Turbo 2
Moto G Plus (4th Gen)
Moto G Play (4th Gen)
Moto G (4th Gen)
Sony Android Smartphones devices that will be receiving Nougat 7.0:
Sony had also previously revealed the eligible devices in a blog post:
Xperia X
Xperia XA
Xperia XA Ultra
Xperia X Performance
Xperia XZ
Xperia X Compact
Xperia Z3
Xperia Z3 Compact
Xperia Z3 Plus
Xperia Z4 tablet
Xperia Z5
Xperia Z5 Compact
Xperia Z5 Premium
LG Android Smartphones devices that will be receiving Nougat 7.0:
OnePlus Android Smartphones devices that will be receiving Nougat 7.0:
OnePlus 3
OnePlus 2
OnePlus X
Android One Smartphones devices that will be receiving Nougat 7.0:
Karbonn Sparkle V
Lava Pixel V1
Spice Dream UNO
Infinix Hot 2
Micromax Canvas A1
Google, in an event, launched the Pixel and Pixel XL that come with Android Nougat 7.1 out of the box.
Typically, Android OTA rollouts are usually slow to come from Samsung, Sony, LG, Motorola,OnePlus and other third-party Android OEMs and we should see them being installed on devices by early 2017.
The Chinese manufacturer Coolpad received accolades for its Coolpad Note 3 handset last year. The android smartphone got a lot of appreciation for its specifications and performance. Keeping the trend in mind, the Chinese giant launched a toned down version in the Indian android smartphone market called Coolpad Note 3 Lite. The handset offers high-end specifications at a price of Rs 6,999. We bring you the detailed review of the andoid smartphone, which promises to deliver exceptional performance at a pocket friendly price.
Design and Display
The Android Coolpad Note 3 Lite looks quite similar to the Coolpad Note 3 in terms of design. The handset flaunts round edges and a golden coloured metal rim that give a stylish and premium look to it. The major difference is in the size. Even though the Coolpad Note 3 Lite is a 5-inch device, it fits perfectly in one hand. The front panel of the device houses three capacitive keys, which are not backlight, and a 5MP front-facing camera at the top with a set of sensors. The android smartphone comes with a textured back panel giving a pleasant and comfortable feel to the user. The rear panel houses a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a fingerprint sensor.
One needs to remove the back panel to insert the 2 sim and the microSD cards. There is also a 2,500 mAh battery that cannot be ejected. The power button is placed on the right side, while the volume rocker keys are placed on the left side of the Coolpad Note 3 Lite. The 3.5mm headset jack and micro-USB port are placed at the top and bottom edges, respectively.
Coolpad Note 3 Lite features a 5-inch display with 720x1280 pixels resolution. The display of the handset has better pixel density when compared to its sibling (the Coolpad Note 3). The display offers vibrant colour reproduction along with good level of brightness. The display is also responsive and gives good visibility under bright sunlight. You can also adjust the colour temperature of the screen, which benefits a lot while reading something in the night. The viewing angles are also nice making movies and playing games experience a real delight. The display is also protected from scratches with a coating of scratch resistant glass.
Performance and Camera
The Coolpad Note 3 Lite runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system topped with the Cool UI of the company. It consists of unified app launcher-homescreen navigation and a customised interface, which supports various themes. It also comes with customised system apps along with some third party apps.
There is no app drawer in the phone's UI and all the app icons are placed on the phone's homescreen. The phone comes preloaded with a number of apps including WeChat, WPS Office, Facebook, SwiftKey, among others. Some of these preloaded apps were specifically designed for Coolpad including FP Lock, CoolShow, Rock Wallpaper, and Cool store. The user interface is very smooth and works fluidly without any lags.
The Coolpad Note 3 Lite is powered by a 1.3GHz 64-bit Mediatek MT6753 quad-core processor, the phone is the only one in this price range to come with 3GB of RAM. It offers 16GB storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. Regarding connectivity, the dual-sim phone comes with support for 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. Both sim slots support 4G LTE, too.
As per its specifications the Coolpad Note 3 Lite performs very well and it lives up to its expectations. The handset handles all apps thrown at it pretty well and we were able to run ten applications simultaneously without any lag or hiccups. We did not face any heating issues while playing graphic intensive games such as Dead Trigger 2, Spiderman Unlimited, Asphalt 8 and others. The non-removable 2,500 mAh battery lasts a day under moderate usage. The call quality was also good and the device performed well even in low signal areas. Coolpad Note 3 Lite also delivers clear and crisp sound quality both over the headphones and loudspeaker. All-in-all the Coolpad Note 3 Lite scores well in the performance department.
Skipping to the cameras, Coolpad Note 3 Lite flaunts 13MP rear camera with LED flash and a 5MP front camera for selfies. The camera can focus quickly on various objects and there is no shutter lag. The photographs taken during daylight came out well with good amount of detailing and colour reproduction. However, the pictures captured during low light looked average. The camera app is clean and easy to use and has various features, and modes for photography. There is also a Pro mode that lets you control the aperture, ISO level, brightness and colour settings.
The 5MP front camera produced some good quality selfies. You can also make use of the fingerprint sensor to click selfies, which makes it much easier to capture some of your great selfies and groupfies. The fingerprint sensor works like a shutter release button and you just need to tap on it once for clicking selfies.
Verdict
The Cooplad Note 3 Lite comes with a price tag of Rs 6,999 and offers high-end specifications such as quad-core CPU, 3GB RAM, HD display, 13MP rear camera and a fingerprint sensor. It is a good option for the people looking for a complete package of high-end specs and budget price.
We also considered some alternatives of the Coolpad Note 3 Lite, like the Xiaomi Redmi 2 Prime or the Intex Aqua Power Plus, which fall under the same price bracket, but lack some of the features available in Coolpad.
It was first released on PC and iOS but you can now enjoy it on Android, and it's as delicious as ever.
Downwell
is played in portrait orientation: you fall through the narrow screen
blasting enemies and gaining items as you go. Reach the end of the stage
and you will be given a choice of perks to help you through the next
level. Stages get increasingly more difficult and you only have a small
number of lives, and you lose one every time you sustain damage.
It
has all of the cool things you could ask for from a game: Gunboots?
Check. ZX Spectrum-style graphics? Check. Murderous jellyfish? Check.
But it's not just the precise controls and excellent enemy design that
makes Downwell awesome, it's the constant decision making it forces you
to undertake.
Your gunboot ammo is limited, but can be
replenished if you land on an object or enemy. The problem is that some
enemies cause damage when you land on them. This forces you to play
strategy, risk and reward off against each other almost every second.
Downwell
is wonderfully difficult and incredibly rewarding, and it’s one of
those rare games that has all of the right parts, and they are all
crafted so consistently. Really, don't miss this.
Color Switch
Color Switch might be the most popular game on
Android right now and if you play it you'll immediately see why. You tap
the screen to bounce a ball upwards through a series of obstructions.
Each of these obstructions is made up of four colors, and your bouncing
ball will only pass through it if it is the same color.
The tricky part
is that the obstruction is also moving. Each time the ball passes, it
changes color and faces a new moving obstacle.
It sounds more
difficult in theory than it is in practice: it plays like a minutely
more nuanced Flappy Bird. The key difference is that, unlike Flappy
Bird, you progress at your own pace: it’s possible to keep the ball
aloft without actually moving through the next goal.
You are
forced to be patient and wait for the right moment, before pushing
through the next goal. Rushing ahead regularly results in an early
demise – and it's a painful experience. Color Switch is another one of
those frustrating, just-one-more-turn, "tap tap tappy" titles which are
great for comparing high scores with friends.
Alto’s Adventure
Alto’s Adventure is a side-scrolling snowboard
game with one of the best soundtracks of any Android title and
incredible art: it seems like the Material Design-esque style was made
for Android. Travel down mountains collecting coins and making jumps to
boost your speed, but be careful not to crash into anything or fail to
complete a jump.
It’s an enchanting, and often meditative title,
and its use of light and dark really helps amplify the atmosphere.
Best
of all, Android fans won’t have to pay the US$2.99 price that iOS users
do: it’s launching completely free. Watch the trailer below.
Rayman Adventures
The Rayman series made its debut on the
original PlayStation but can now be found on Android. Rayman Adventures
is a side-scrolling, auto-runner platform game that builds on the proven
formula of previous mobile titles, Rayman Fiesta Run and Rayman Jungle
Run.
There are several different types of level in Rayman
Adventures. One might be concerned with collecting items, another with
defeating enemies, but they all require precise timing in order to avoid
enemies, jump over obstacles and reach the end of the stage.
This
latest game gives you a little more control than the earlier ones, as
you now have the ability to change your running direction at will. This
brings Rayman Adventures a little closer to its console counterparts in
terms of player control. Rayman Adventures also makes the transition
into free-to-play territory, with largely unobtrusive in-app purchases
(though it also displays ads).
Rayman Adventures is one of the
finest-looking platform games on Android, with high-resolution, and
expertly designed, characters and backgrounds. The charming,
cartoon-like animations marry perfectly to the precise gameplay, and
navigating levels simply feels good.
Please, Don’t Touch Anything
Please, Don’t touch anything is a
wonderful little puzzle game that arrived on Android a little before
the end of the year and has steadily built up some traction in the
gaming community. If you haven’t played it yet, now is the time.
The
premise is that you're left in charge of a desk and a big red button
while your co-worker takes a bathroom break, having instructed you not
to touch anything. So what's your first instinct? To touch something, of
course.
Please, Don't Touch Anything's gameplay involves solving
puzzles and trying out different combinations of button presses to
trigger various outcomes, and all the action takes place at the in-game
desk you sit at.
There are no in-app purchases – you’ll have to
pay five bucks to own it – but Please, Don't Touch Anything is one of
the most inventive and enjoyable Android titles released in 2015.
Cut the Rope: Magic
Classic mobile title Cut the Rope has got
itself another sequel in the form of Cut the Rope: Magic. It centers
around the traditional Cut the Rope recipe: vibrant, non-threatening
graphics, mixed with some tear-your-hair-out puzzles.
Your task is
to deliver a piece of candy into the mouth of hungry critter Om Nom, by
cutting the ropes that hold the candy in the correct order, with the
correct timing.
What’s great about the Cut the Rope series is that
it makes you feel smart. The challenges get increasingly difficult, and
naturally it’s completing the trickiest puzzles that provides the
biggest sense of accomplishment.
Cut the Rope: Magic doesn't do
anything radical with the series, but its presentation is gorgeous,
speaks volumes about the attention to detail paid by developer ZeptoLab.
If you've been eager for more of this sweet gaming treat, check it out.
Call of Champions
Call of Champions is a free-to-play
multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) for Android, in which you play as
a hero in one of two teams of three. Each of these heroes has their own
unique abilities, which you must employ in order to take down the enemy
base in short battles that reward strategy and co-operative play as
much as quick-thinking.
Call of Champions borrows quite heavily
from League of Legends, both in art and mechanics, but the good news is
that it does so effectively. Though it’s not quite as nuanced, it is a
first class MOBA and arguably the best on Android. MOBA games rely on
balance to be competitive and it's no small feat that developer
Spacetime Games has managed to achieve this in a free-to-play mobile
title. Just note that you will need a fairly powerful device to play it.
Dead Effect 2
This is another not-so-original Android title
(even its name is a cross between two other games, Mass Effect and Dead
Space). It’s a free-to-play first-person shooter that takes place
onboard a zombie infested space station and sees you killing mutants and
solving some light puzzles in order to survive.
Dead Effect 2's
major strength is that it looks incredible – the graphics are really
pushing boundaries. The movement controls are a little floaty by default
but, thankfully, they’re completely customizable. What it lacks in
gameplay depth, Dead Effect 2 makes up for in polish. If you want
something that feels like a console FPS on Android, this is it.
Endless Sniper
Unlike the more commercial titles above,
Endless Sniper is a relatively small scale Android game, but it’s very
well delivered. Just like in an endless runner, Endless Sniper's levels
keep going until you fail, but in this case, it’s your sniping skills
that are put to the test rather than running and jumping.
Each
level of Endless Sniper presents you with a number of on-screen enemies
who are out to kill you. In order to progress, you must kill them first.
It’s a simple idea, but it’s a blast to play. The pixel graphics are
charming, the levels are procedurally generated so that no two are the
same, and variety of on-screen enemies makes each the gameplay
completely frantic – it’s one of the most nerve-racking Android games.
Endless Sniper is not perfect, but it is excellent.
Prune
Described in the Play Store as “a love letter to
trees”, Prune is an award-winning puzzle game. It hit iOS earlier in the
year, and now it’s in the Play Store. You owe it to yourself to play
it.
The gameplay of Prune concerns tree cultivation. Your tree
begins to grow, and to ensure it reaches its full height, you must
carefully trim its branches. When branches hit the sun they flower, and
once a certain number have flowered, you beat the level. As you
progress, the number of objects that stand in your way of success also
grows.
Prune is a rare kind of Android game. It’s minimalist and
meditative but somehow perfect for the mobile platform. This is
definitely our best pick for this month. Conceptually, visually and
aurally, it's simply a wonderful piece of work.
Need for Speed: No Limits
Need for Speed: No Limits is almost
the complete opposite of Prune. It’s big and loud, and is the latest
game in a long-running race series. EA has pushed out a number of these
titles on Android, and this latest installment sees you competing
in races in order to improve your reputation and your car.
The
game takes place in an urban setting and the races are often short and
sweet – some take less than a minute to complete – making it ideal for
short sessions. EA nails the look and feel of the cars and environments,
and the game is undeniably polished, but do expect in-app purchases.
QuickBoy
A free-to-play runner that features zombies is
possibly the least original idea you could think of, but that shouldn't
stop you enjoying QuickBoy for being the well-crafted game that it is.
You’ll
be in familiar territory here; QuickBoy is a side-scrolling auto-runner
and requires precise timing to avoid enemies and jump over obstacles.
The presentation is fantastic though. Everything exists within a
tan-colored post-apocalyptic world and even the menus are carefully
considered. There’s also a cool combo system that rewards you for
well-timed jumps.
Eternity Warriors 4
Eternity Warriors 4 is the latest fantasy
RPG in the popular Eternity Warriors series from developer Glu. It’s a
fairly typical tale: you play as a warrior, a mage or an assassin
travelling across the world completing quests and upgrading gear. What
it lacks in originality, though, it more than makes up for in style.
The
graphics and animations are seriously good. The lighting effects and
background textures make for a dramatic atmosphere, and the fast-paced
action controls beautifully. You’ll carve up hordes of baddies in
something that plays like God of War meets Diablo.
It’s clearly
been developed by a team of experts at the top of their game: the
production values are as high as can be found on any title in the Play
Store. From player-vs-player battles to guilds that you can join in
order to quest with others, and weekly events offering unique rewards
and gear, Eternity Warriors 4 has a lot to offer for a free Android
title.
Lara Croft GO
Following the success of last year's Hitman
GO, Square Enix has given the Tomb Raider franchise the same treatment.
Lara Croft GO is set within the Tomb Raider world, but it doesn’t
exactly play like a Tomb Raider title: it's turn-based and focuses on
puzzles rather than action.
But somehow, it works. There are 75
inventive puzzles across five chapters, the cell-shaded aesthetics are
wonderful and the game is a decent length. It does feature in-app
purchases, but they're cheap and not essential. It’s well worth a look
for five bucks and if you don’t like it, you can get a refund.
Star Wars: Uprising
Star Wars is a sci-fi fantasy… just
kidding, you know what Star Wars is. Star Wars: Uprising is a recently
released mobile game that bridges the gap between Episode VI and the
upcoming Episode VII.
Not only do you get to play out the story
ahead of the Episode VII movie release in December, you get to do it in
an awesome action game with co-op gameplay. Complete quests, level up
your character, learn new Jedi abilities and battle against the Galactic
Empire in this free-to-play RPG. If you want to start getting excited
for the new movie, this is one of the best ways to do it.
Dungeon Boss
Dungeon Boss is a fierce little dungeon crawler
in which battles take place in a turn-based fashion. You must fight your
way through a number of lesser foes to meet the dungeon boss at the
end of each stage. Defeat the end-of-level beast and you'll receive a
trove of gold and gems with which to buy various items and upgrades.
It
looks and plays in a similar way to Double Fine’s Costume Quest. The
blocky art style, 3D graphics and game environments may seem cutesy, but
the later levels of the game get extremely difficult. You’ll to need a
pretty decent phone for it to run smoothly, though.
UNKILLED
MADFINGER Games, the folks behind Dead Trigger 1 and
Dead Trigger 2, have now released , UNKILLED, a new and
completely different kind of first-person zombie shooter. In it, you
blast your way through New York City streets during the onset of a
zombie apocalypse, using the left side of the screen for movement and
the right side for aim.
Because your weapon fires automatically
once something is in your sights, the controls of the game feel
incredibly smooth. There’s a cheesy storyline to follow, but the real
fun is in blasting through undead hordes with extras like rockets and
bullet-time buffs. If you want to see what the latest tech is capable
of, you need to check this game out.
Pokemon Shuffle
Pokémon Shuffle is a free-to-play puzzle game
developed by The Pokémon Company (the same guys responsible for the
Pokemon RPGs on the Game Boy) and is the first Pokémon game to be
released on Android outside of Japan.
It's a match-three game in
the same vein as Candy Crush Saga, but each stage plays out as a battle
with a Pokémon. If you complete the level, you'll have a chance to catch
the Pokémon you faced. Your chances of catching them will be better or
worse depending on how you performed in the battle.
If you
finished the stage with three moves left, for example, these will be
converted to points and added to your score, increasing your chances of
snagging the Pokémon. It’s a neat idea because it encourages you to play
smarter and be more strategic.
