Those who like to follow hardware will have no-doubt noticed the increasing prevalence of quad-core processors in top of the line products, and it looks like the trend is set to continue with the introduction of octo-core processors later this year. We’ve already had our first snippets of information about Samsung’s new Exynos 5 Octa processor, which will come in an eight-core variety. Then there’s also Nvidia’s Tegra 4, which sports an overwhelming 72 core GPU on top of a five core CPU.

Xiaomi Poco X3 NFCFor €229, the Xiaomi Poco X3 NFC does a lot to help it stand out from the competition. Its weighty feeling in the hand and garish branding won’t be for everyone, though users will enjoy the excellent battery life and great screen. The in-OS ads aren't ideal but are reasonable given the price of the Poco X3 NFC. Overall, this is one of the best budget smartphones you can buy right now.

Gary Sims / Android Authority The apps and games ecosystem is massive. Thus, it is no surprise that some have better years than others. The theme this past year seems to have been changes in policies. As companies grow and evolve, many have started questioning the status quo. However, we also saw the usual stuff, like massive outages, serious slip-ups, and just plain old bad decision-making. Here are the most controversial apps and games from 2021.

Roku Roku Ultra (2020)The Roku Ultra (2020) is a powerful streamer that pairs tons of bells and whistles with Roku's easy-to-navigate UI. Extras like a remote finder and the ability to watch local media via USB are nice touches. The only downside is the price tag. Deciding to add a Roku to your smart home is only the first step of what can be a long process. You’ll have to decide just how premium you want to go, and the Roku Ultra is the most powerful option.

Thanks to SamMobile, we’ve already managed to get a peak at early previews of Android 5.0 Lollipop running on the Galaxy S4 and S5 in their full TouchWiz-loaded glory. Now its the Galaxy Note 3’s turn. As you’d imagine, the build here looks pretty similar to what we’ve seen with the Galaxy S4 and S5. That means a nice dose of Material Design colors and tweaks, as well as some general enhancements to TouchWiz.

What is Best of Android?                 In Best of Android, we take the hottest devices of the moment and compare them in-depth. For this first edition, we picked up the following Android flagships: Sony Xperia Z5 Premium Nexus 6P Motorola Moto X Force Samsung Galaxy Note 5 LG V10 BlackBerry Priv What about the Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9 or the OnePlus 2, you ask. Those are all great phones.

The day has come for anyone interested in flashing CyanogenMod but who’s not interested in the messy business of release candidate builds or nightlies. The latest stable snapshot build of CM 13 (ZNH5Y) is now rolling out for the core group of supported devices, bringing things up to Android 6.0.1 r61. There’s a huge amount of stuff to cover, so read on for the highlights. Understanding the differences between CyanogenMod, Cyanogen OS & Cyanogen, Inc.

The inability to speak a country’s local language is perhaps the most frustrating experience while traveling. You get into cabs and struggle to tell the driver your destination, and you have to ask multiple people for directions before you get an answer you understand. With a new feature in Google Maps, you no longer have to get lost in translation. Google is bringing the power of Google Translate into Maps. You can now have Google Maps speak out names and addresses of places in the local lingo using the new translator feature.

Windows 11 brings in a bunch of new features and changes. Microsoft released it on October 5, after spending a while in beta. Windows 11 is a bit of a polarizing update, with some nice features, and some changes that aren’t so welcome. One of the biggest changes in Windows 11 is how the operating system handles the default browser. Not only is Microsoft pushing users to stick to Microsoft Edge as their default browser, but it’s also making it harder than ever to switch away from Microsoft Edge — previous one-click methods of switching the default browser don’t work on Windows 11.

One of the highlight features of Google’s Pixel Buds is its ability to translate conversations in real-time. After first bringing this to all Google Assistant headphones, Google has brought real-time translations to Google Home smart speakers and smart displays. It’s called Interpreter Mode. After asking an Assistant-powered device, “Hey Google, be my French interpreter” or “OK Google, help me speak Chinese,” it will aid you in communicating with someone in a different language.