Samsung's Snapdragon-powered phones, sold in the U.S., are particularly hard to crack, and nearly two years after the S9 series release, rooting the phones was still not possible. Until now, that is.
XDA Developers reports that Team Syndicate, the folks who crafted a similar rooting exploit for the Galaxy S8, have now cracked the Galaxy S9, S9+, and Note 9.
There is a long list of caveats for users to fulfill, however, and the exploit only works if you're way behind the times on your Android updates. Specifically, the devices need to have Android 8 or 8.1 installed in order for the exploit to work.
In addition, you need to flash combination firmware onto the device, which XDA explains to be "firmware that Samsung uses in the factory for testing." Doing so, however, will lead to an 80% cap on your battery capacity.
Once you've got all that setup, the good news is that Samsung Knox itself isn't compromised, which means that you can continue to use services like Samsung Pay and Secure Folder. Your warranty is also not voided, as the bootloader is not unlocked.
On the other hand, while Samsung's payment platform works, Google Pay won't. Nor will any other app that relies on SafetyNet Attestation, such as Pokemon Go — let go of what you love, right?
The list of caveats continues: once you've got it all set up, power users and enthusiasts won't be able to use TWRP with this solution, which means every time you boot the phone, you'll have to go through a specific set of motions in order to "disable write protection."
You can, however, use the Xposed Framework alongside this root exploit, which seems to be the only silver lining attached to the long and complicated list of limitations it comes with.
If you're still curious about trying your hand at it, you can find the full set of instructions for implementing the exploit and rooting your Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+, or Galaxy Note 9 on XDA's forums.
The latest G family phones from Motorola: On the left, the Moto G Stylus; on the right, the Moto G Power, which has a 5,000-mAh battery.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Motorola Moto G family of phones has a history of finding that sweet spot between well-considered necessities and an affordable price. Over the past three years, the Moto G5 Plus, Moto G6 and Moto G7 showed us just how good budget phones can be. Last year, the budget landscape got more crowded when Google launched the Pixel 3A and 3A XL. And recently there's been an uptick in rumors that Apple will release a budget iPhone 9 (aka the iPhone SE 2). So it's important for Motorola to keep pushing its G line of phones ahead. And to its credit, the Chicago-based company took a significant step forward Friday by launching two new additions for US and Canadian customers: the $300 Moto G Stylus and the $250 Moto G Power.
The phones aren't a radical reimagining of smartphone design like the Motorola Razr foldable phone. But after using both handsets for a few hours, it became obvious how many similarities the Moto G Stylus and G Power have. Both have a 6.4-inch full HD screen. And instead of a notch, the phones have a hole-punch display for a selfie camera. It's similar to what Samsung did on its Galaxy phones in 2019. I can't wait to see what custom wallpaper people make for that hole.
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Hands-on with the budget Moto G Stylus and Moto G Power
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Power-wise, each has a Snapdragon 665 processor, 4GB of RAM and runs Android 10 with Moto's thoughtful extra touches. There's even a new gaming mode called Moto Gametime that limits distractions for a better mobile gaming experience.
On the back is a fingerprint sensor, on the front is a 16-megapixel selfie camera and on the bottom is a headphone jack. The new phones lack the generational naming of previous G phones. For example, the successor to last year's Moto G7 Power isn't the Moto G8 Power and is instead just the Moto G Power. But there still isn't just a plain Moto G, aka a Moto G8, to fill the hole between the Moto G8 Plus and Moto G8 Play that were released in October 2019 outside the US.
Moto G Stylus is a lower-priced Galaxy Note
The most obvious difference between the two phones is that the Moto G Stylus has… well… a stylus. And the Moto G Power doesn't. The stylus fits into the bottom right corner of the phone and hooks open easily with a fingernail.
There are only a couple phones that come with a built-in stylus. Probably the best-known one is the Galaxy Note 10, which costs more than three times as much. There's also the 2019 LG Stylo 5, which like the Moto G Stylus costs $300 (though you can find it on sale for half that, or even less).
Unlike the S-Pen on the Galaxy Note 10, the Moto stylus doesn't connect with Bluetooth and relies solely on capacitive touch for interactions. When you pull the stylus out, you can set it to trigger the Notes app to open without unlocking your phone, or have it open a stylus menu with shortcuts.
The capacitive stylus can be used for navigation, writing, drawing and photo editing.
Sarah Tew/CNET
The Notes app is pretty basic, but you can create drawings, write notes or just doodle. For years, Motorola has had a camera feature called Cinemagraph that allows you to record a video and then choose parts of the video to remain static. If you've ever been on Instagram, you have most likely seen an ad that does something similar. You can use the stylus to shade out parts of the video with much more precision than you can using your finger.
The stylus can also be used to navigate the phone, markup screenshots and edit photos. I hope Motorola creates more unique and fun ways to take advantage of the stylus.
The Moto G Stylus also has a triple rear camera. There's a 48-megapixel main camera, which combines groups of four pixels to create a 12-megapixel photo. The idea is to help improve image sharpness and brightness. There's also a 16-megapixel ultrawide "action" camera and a built-in macro camera that lets you get as close as 2 centimeters (just under an inch) to your subject.
The G Stylus has 128GB of storage and a 4,000-mAh battery that Motorola claims will last two days of regular use on a single charge.
The Moto G Power has a behemoth battery
If you're looking for even more battery life than the G Stylus offers, then you should consider the Moto G Power. It packs a 5,000-mAh battery that Motorola claims can last over three days of regular use after a single charge.
The G Power also has 64GB of storage and a triple rear camera. There's a 16-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera and a built-in macro camera. Obviously, not all cameras are equal and more cameras doesn't necessarily mean better photos.
The Moto G Power in Chicago on a snowy day.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Both phones will be available this spring unlocked and we look forward to testing out the cameras, the batteries and that stylus once we get our hands on them again.
So, just how durable is the new Moto Razr? Motorola's nostalgic, folding-display flip phone has a number of unproven features that, after the public failure of the Galaxy Fold, every potential customer should be concerned about. Evidence is starting to pile up that the Razr might be another delicate foldable that isn't up to the task of day-to-day smartphone usage.
In addition to the same display durability issues that the Galaxy Fold had—an OLED display that has to deal with both the stress of bending and an easily damageable plastic display coating—the Razr has a trick hinge system that is a lot more complicated than that of the Galaxy Fold. In an effort to keep the display from creasing deeply, Motorola says the Razr hinge "includes moveable support plates that rigidly support the display when the phone is open but collapse out of the way when the phone is closed." There have been a few sources now that suggest this hinge design isn't going to last.
The first piece of evidence comes from CNET, which just wrapped up a torture test of the Moto Razr with disappointing results. CNET got ahold of SquareTrade's Foldbot, a robot designed to open and close folding smartphones repeatedly until they die. The Galaxy Fold survived the Foldbot for 120,000 folds before the fatigue from bending destroyed the display. CNET was hoping the Razr would last for a similar 100,000-fold torture test, but Moto's phone only lasted for about a quarter of that time. After 27,000 folds, the hinge mechanism jammed up, and the phone wouldn't close anymore.
After a few hours in the Foldbot, the Razr's hinge became stiffer, and the smooth-closing action was significantly degraded. The video features a gross selection of groans, pops, and grinding noises from the worn-in hinge mechanism. CNET called off the test at 27k folds when the Foldbot was unable to close the phone. Apple says the average iPhone user unlocks the phone 80 times a day, while Statista puts heavier users at between 63 and 79 unlocks per day. If we apply that data to this Razr test, more active users would have hinge problems at around the one-year mark.
While CNET only gives us a sample size of one, there are other reports that the hinge mechanism leaves a lot to be desired. There are a few videos on Twitter now of the Moto Razr hinge squeaking and creaking right out of the box. The Razr only went on sale yesterday, but in-store demo units are already taking a beating, with other videos showing flickering displays and green lines running through the display.
Another potential problem is that the display isn't attached to the phone around the perimeter, which could allow debris to get under the display and break it. The Galaxy Fold shipped with a plastic bezel around the perimeter of the display, covering the sides of the display as much as possible. The one spot Samsung couldn't cover is the hinge area, and debris ingress around the hinge area ended up being one reason the device died an early death. After delaying the phone for a rework, Samsung added caps to the hinge area to try to cover the exposed sides of the display as much as possible. It doesn't seem like Motorola learned from any of this, since the sides of the Razr display seem completely unprotected. Witness this gruesome BBC video where the screen can be picked up with just a fingernail.
Motorola isn't helping matters much either, with an official video that claims "bumps and lumps are normal" in the flexible display.
So far, every flexible-display smartphone has seen some kind of durability issue. These are still first-generation devices with a lot of bugs to work out, and with sky-high prices (the Razr, at $1,500, is on the cheaper side!), anyone buying a folding smartphone is taking on a big risk.
The new foldable Motorola Razr hit stores yesterday after a short delay, so if you have $1500 to spend on first-gen flip phone technology, your day has come. If you’d rather wait to know what we think about, well, you are in luck. Our Razr showed up yesterday and we promptly put it through an unboxing so that we can get on to reviewing it.
In this video, you’ll see the packaging experience before we move on to the phone, its specs, and the retro mode (pictured above). Of course, we fold the sh*t out of it quickly and slowly, because folding a display in half will never get old.
Want first impressions? Yeah, they aren’t good. Not that I was going into this expecting much, but this is a $1500 phone with a camera that probably won’t ever be competitive, the display inside gives as you press or tap on things, there is an obnoxious lip where the fingerprint reader is that you are constantly working around (I know it’s a signature Razr design thing, it just isn’t fun), and the cover display forces you to have flip the phone open for all tasks. What I’m saying there is that flipping open and closing this phone isn’t that enjoyable, at least not like you might remember from an old flip phone. I’m not sold on this just yet, that’s for sure.
Let me get back to serious testing, though, and you watch this fun video.
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A screenshot of the iPhone page on the French version of the Apple Store. Translated into English.Screenshot: Apple
Back in 2017, Apple admitted to throttling older iPhones with new software updates. It sparked the ire of iPhone users everywhere and a numberof lawsuits, leading Apple to offer discounted battery replacements. Today, the DGCCRF, France’s consumer watchdog group, has slapped Apple with a €25 million ($27.4 million) fine for failing to inform consumers that updating their software would lead to slower iPhones.
In addition to the fine, for the next month, Apple’s French website will now have to display a notice on its iPhone page informing consumers it had misled them. Roughly translated, the notice states that in December 2017, public prosecutors had received a complaint from a consumer advocacy group regarding the iPhone slowdowns. Following an investigation, the DGCCRF determined Apple had engaged in “deceptive commercial practice by omission” by throttling the iPhones 6 series, iPhone SE, and iPhone 7 starting with the iOS 10.2.1 updates.
At the time, Apple defended its decision to slow down older phones as a means of preventing poor performance due to aging batteries. And to be fair, it had a point. A lithium-ion battery’s ability to hold a charge diminishes with age. Sudden bouts of peak power usage would, over time, lead phones to randomly shut down. The updates were designed to limit how much power the phone was using at a given time, thereby extending battery life.
But as the DGCCRF’s decision points out, Apple’s problem was in pushing the slowdowns on the sly. While Apple’s intentions may have been in preserving the devices’ longevity, it certainly didn’t appear that way. For many, it looked like the company was sneakily forcing users to toss their older phones for newer ones, thereby fattening Apple’s profits at the expense of customers.
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As for the fine, the DGCCRF and AFP both say that Apple has “accepted it.” Probably as doing so will help the company avoid the matter going to a potentially embarrassing public trial. Gizmodo reached out to Apple for comment but didn’t immediately receive a response. The company did, however, provide a statement to AFP saying, “Our goal has always been to create secure products appreciated by our clients, and making iPhones that last as long as possible is an important part of that.”
According to Le Parisien, the fine is the highest ever imposed by the consumer watchdog. However, the DGCCRF has declined to award compensation to individuals affected by the slowdown, telling Le Parisien that it would be hard to assess the individual damage and subsequent financial impact. That said, 15,000 people reportedly approached HOP saying they had been impacted, and the group told both AFP and Le Parisien it is considering filing a civil suit on their behalf.
Motorola’s Moto G line of smartphones has had some of the best budget phones on the market, and this year’s models — the Moto G Stylus and the Moto G Power — look to continue that reputation with bigger screens, faster processors, better cameras, and new features while staying under a $299 price point. The G Stylus, in particular, stands out as one of the few Android phones available in 2020 with a built-in stylus.
For this year’s Moto G phones, Motorola is dropping the numeric name scheme it’s used since the original Moto G launched in 2013. That said, the new phones are effectively the G8 successors to last year’s (very good) G7 lineup in all but name. (The $299 G Stylus replaces the G7, while the $249 G Power replaces the G7 Power.)
I had the chance to try both phones out, and they’re solid improvements over the previous models. The new screens look better than ever, and the switch to a hole-punch camera over a notch makes them look like more premium devices. Neither of the new Moto G phones will blow anyone away with specs or features (unless you really like styluses), but considering the price point they’re competing at, they’re impressive devices.
The two phones share a lot in common. On the front of both is a 6.4-inch, 19:9 FHD+ display with a 16-megapixel hole-punch camera (instead of the 6.2-inch, notched displays on last year’s models). Their processor has been bumped to a Snapdragon 665 chipset, which provides enough power for the new triple rear-camera systems on both phones. Both devices also feature 4GB of RAM, stereo speakers, and Android 10.
They share a similar design, with shiny plastic exteriors that house a 3.5mm headphone jack and a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. The G Power is a bit thicker and heavier, thanks to its larger battery. Unfortunately, there’s still no NFC or wireless charging, which is frustrating, even considering the budget price tags here. The phones also feature a “water repellant” design, but are explicitly not waterproof.
The differences between the two phones lie mainly in their eponymous features. The G Stylus, as one might guess, has a stylus. It’s not quite as capable as the Galaxy Note 10 — Motorola’s stylus is completely analog, with none of the fancy Bluetooth linking or camera shutter buttons featured on the Note’s S Pen. But Motorola does have a few software tricks up its sleeve here, like Moto Note, a lightweight note-taking application that pops up when you pull out the stylus when the phone is locked. There’s also a customizable quick-launch menu that hovers in the corner of the screen.
Despite the lack of more advanced tech, the G Stylus feels pretty nice to use. It also costs a fraction of Samsung’s stylus-equipped flagship (normally priced at $950), which could make it a good option for those who prefer the pen-based approach without wanting to spend premium prices.
The G Power, on the other hand, offers a larger battery — 5,000 mAh, compared to the 4,000 mAh battery on the pricier G Stylus. With that massive battery combined with the mid-range processor, Motorola says that the G Power should last up to three days on a charge.
The other big difference between the phones is in their cameras. Both phones feature a triple camera setup on the back, but the specs are very different between the two. The more expensive G Stylus got more of Motorola’s love here. There’s a 48-megapixel main camera that shoots quad-pixel 12-megapixel stills and features a night vision mode, along with a 2-megapixel macro lens, which can focus in on objects that are just two centimeters (0.7 inches) away.
The G Stylus’ most interesting camera is the dedicated 117-degree ultrawide video camera, which Motorola debuted in last year’s Motorola One Action. Like the One Action, the 16-megapixel sensor here is physically rotated so that it shoots horizontally oriented video when the phone is held vertically, and it’s paired with software algorithms that promise to reduce shakiness during action shots. It’s not quite a substitute for a Go Pro, but it’s a fun camera to play around with.
The G Power is less exciting, with a 16-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel 118-degree ultrawide camera, and the same macro camera as the G Stylus. It also offers half the internal storage as the G Stylus, which has 128GB compared to the G Power’s 64GB. Both phones offered upgradable microSD card slots, though, should you need more space.
Both phones will be sold unlocked at a variety of retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and B&H Photo, when they come out later this spring.
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