Category: iPhone

Rest in peace, Trackpoint. We barely needed ye. Although a pointing stick — which is apparently the brand-agnostic name for the Trackpoint — was popular on laptops in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the only company to carry the tradition forward has been Lenovo. You’ll find the iconic red Trackpoint on just about every ThinkPad laptop available, but Lenovo is doing away with the design atCES 2025with its new ThinkPad X9.

The Trackpoint is, in 2025, not very useful. Lenovo tells me that the change is to signal a modern approach to the ThinkPad range, the roots of which go way back, to when ThinkPads were branded with an IBM logo. Just a few months back, we looked at theLenovo ThinkPad X1 2-in-1, which still had the Trackpoint. Now, it’s gone, and seemingly gone for good.

At least the ThinkPad X9 looks like one heck of a laptop otherwise. Out of the gate, Lenovo is offering the new X9 with either a 14-inch or 15-inch display, and both are branded as being among Lenovo’s Aura Edition laptops. Both models are also meet Microsoft’s Copilot+ standards, leveraging an Intel Lunar Lake CPU for both battery life and access to AI features.

Externally, Lenovo is using an OLED display across both the 14-inch and 15-inch model, and both use a haptic touchpad along with the well-known (and loved) ThinkPad keyboard. Under the hood, Lenovo says the laptop is serviceable by removing the bottom covering, allowing you to replace the SSD and battery if you need.

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And, of course, you can’t have a laptop released in 2025 without a little dose of AI. It’s called Lenovo AI Now, and the company describes the feature as an “advanced on-device AI assistant that brings powerful, real-time intelligence to users.” It’s similar to something like Nvidia’s Chat RTX, as it uses a large language model (LLM) to provide a chatbot that only knows about your local files. Lenovo built the assistant with Llama 3.0, so hopefully it will work well.

It has some interesting features outside of searching for documents. Lenovo says the AI assistant can work across devices, allowing you to search for things regardless of the device you’re on. Lenovo AI Now isn’t exclusive to the ThinkPad X9, either — it’s available to download on several supported Lenovo machines.

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Although it’s disappointing to see the Trackpoint bite the dust, the ThinkPad X9 looks fantastic. Both the 14-inch and 15-inch models will be available beginning in February, starting at $1,399 and $1,549, respectively.

This small update is the first Android patch for Pixels of the new year.

What you need to know

• The January 2025 security patch for Pixels is rolling out to Pixel 6 and newer devices now.
• A support page from Verizon preemptively revealed that the patch would be available today.
• There are bug fixes for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series, but the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series only get security improvements.

The first Google Pixel security update of 2025 is rolling out to Pixel 6 and newer phones and tablets now with bug fixes and security improvements. Earlier today, asupport pagefrom Verizon preemptively revealed that the January 2025 security patch was rolling out for Pixels, Jan. 7. Now, that update is hitting Pixel phones in all regions, with separate builds for Global, Telstra, and EMEA.

The over-the-air update is available for the following Pixel phone models, listed beside their corresponding globalAndroid 15build numbers:

• Google Pixel 6:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 6 Pro:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 6a:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 7:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 7 Pro:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 7a:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel Tablet:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel Fold:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 8:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 8 Pro:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 8a:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 9:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 9 Pro:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 9 Pro XL:AP4A.250105.002
• Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold:AP4A.250105.002

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 SincePixel phones and tablets received a feature drop last month, this suggests the current security patch is a minor update.

For the Pixel 8 and Pixel 9 series, the January 2025 update includes a few bug fixes. The patch “addressed audio delay and stability issues when using certain apps” and “addressed a camera stability issue when switching to a connected camera under certain conditions.”

The update for the Google Pixel 9 series specifically fixed a few display and UX issues, like screens flashing lines in certain conditions and problems with Pixel Launcher theming.

For all other Pixel devices, including the Pixel 6 series, Pixel 7 series, Fold, and Tablet, the update simply includes the latest security patches. You can download and install the January 2025 update over-the-air by opening theSettings app, tappingSystem, and thenSoftware Update.

It only took the LineageOS team three months to add Android 15 support.

(Image credit: LineageOS)

What you need to know

• LineageOS 22.1 is here for over 100 devices, based on Android 15 QPR1, with two new system apps.
• Twelve is a new default music player that replaces Eleven, one of LineageOS’ oldest apps.
• LineageOS 22.1 supports devices as old as the Pixel 2 series and as new as the Pixel 9 series.

LineageOS, an Android custom ROM project that aims to support both new and old smartphones, is already adding support for Android 15. The teamannounced, that LineageOS 22.1 is rolling out based on the latest Android 15 QPR1. It was able to bringAndroid 15to LineageOS quicker than expected due to the breakthroughs made adapting Android 12 through Android 14, according to the blog post.

“This is far-and-away the easiest bringup cycle from a device perspective we have seen in years,” wrote Nolen Johnson, the developer relations manager for LineageOS, in the blog post. “This means that many more devices are ready on day one that we’d typically expect to have up this early in the cycle.”

Aside from the system improvements brought by Android 15, LineageOS 22.1 includes a few new features and additions. For starters, security patches as recent as November 2024 have been merged to LineageOS 19.1 through 22.1. There are also two new apps: Twelve and Camelot.

Twelve is a brand-new music player that replaces the prior music player, Eleven. As one of the oldest LineageOS apps, the team explained that it was time for a replacement. Eleven was becoming noncompliant with new Android guidelines due to its older codebase, and Twelve is an improved replacement.

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(Image credit: LineageOS)

Some of the new app’s highlights include Material You design language and support for tablets and landscape mode. It’ll integrate with major music server protocols, like Subsonic, OpenSubsonic, and Jellyfin. On top of that, there’s better search, improved Android Auto support, and new support for streaming protocols — such as HLS, DASH, and SmoothStreaming.

Camelot is a basic PDF viewer that aims to fill the gap left by LineageOS’ Jelly and WebViews, which can’t open PDF files. It’s described as a simple app based on Google Chrome and Files by Google releases.

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LineageOS will use a decimal integer system moving forward to match Android’s quarterly platform releases (QPRs). LineageOS 22.1 is based on Android 15 QPR1, and a future Android 15 QPR2 update would eventually lead to LineageOS 22.2.

Of course, LineageOS is best known for supporting older devices, and support is excellent out of the gate. You can find more information on the LineageOS Wiki, but over 100 devices are eligible for the latest upgrade on day one. That includes older devices like the Google Pixel 2, and newer ones like the Google Pixel 9 series.

Google researchers turn Android devices into scientific ionosphere tools

• Phone-based maps outperform the traditional Klobuchar ionospheric model globally
• Underserved regions like Africa benefit from enhanced ionosphere data
• Geomagnetic storms are tracked with high precision using smartphone networks

Mapping the ionosphere is critical for improving the accuracy of navigation systems, but existing methods face significant limitations. While ground-based GNSS stations provide detailed maps of ionospheric total electron content (TEC), their coverage is uneven, leaving large gaps in underserved regions.

Now, researchers fromGoogleResearch, Mountain View, CA, USA, have demonstrated an innovative solution utilizing millions ofAndroid smartphonesas a distributed network of sensors in a study published inNature.

Despite being less precise than traditional instruments, these devices effectively double the measurement coverage, offering accurate ionosphere data and addressing longstanding infrastructure disparities.

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The Ionosphere’s influence on navigation

The ionosphere, a layer of ionized plasma extending from 50 to 1,500 km above Earth, significantly impacts Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals by introducing positioning errors. However, traditional ground-based GNSS stations, while precise, suffer from limited spatial coverage and leave underserved regions vulnerable to inaccuracies.

The research from Google Research capitalizes on the billions of smartphones equipped with dual-frequency GNSS receivers to address coverage gaps. Unlike conventional GNSS stations, smartphones are mobile, widely distributed, and capable of capturing vast amounts of data.

By aggregating and averaging measurements from millions of devices, researchers achieved accuracy comparable to dedicated monitoring stations, even resolving phenomena like solar storms and plasma density structures.

Android’s GNSS API facilitated the collection of satellite signal data, such as travel times and frequencies, which were then used to estimate the ionospheric total electron content (TEC).

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The study showed that while individual phone measurements are noisier than those from monitoring stations, their collective data provided robust and reliable results.

Comparisons showed the phone-based TEC model outperformed existing methods like the Klobuchar model, widely used in mobile phones.

Using data from Android phones, the researchers doubled the measurement coverage of the ionosphere compared to traditional methods, and were able to map plasma bubbles over India and South America and storm-enhanced density over North America during a geomagnetic storm in May 2024.

They also observed mid-latitude troughs over Europe and equatorial anomalies – a phenomena previously inaccessible due to sparse station coverage.

Notably, regions like India, South America, and Africa, often underserved by traditional monitoring networks, benefited significantly from this approach, which produced real-time, high-resolution TEC maps.

Before Samsung launched theGalaxy S24series in January, there were rumors that the new phones would include satellite messaging, similar to the feature available on Apple’s newer models. While this feature was not included at the launch, it’s now finally rolling out for some users.

According toSamMobile, some Galaxy S24 andGalaxy Z Fold 6users in the U.S. are now starting to receive this feature.

Before getting too excited, however, this news comes with a caveat. It’s only available to T-Mobile customers who applied to test the company’s T-Mobile Starlink service. T-Mobile announced that feature in August 2022, and earlier this month, it (finally)announcedthat satellite messaging beta registration would soon be available for direct-to-cell satellite service. It doesn’t require a fee; you must have a postpaid account. You cansign up to test the feature now.

For users with supported devices, navigate to Settings > Connections > Satellite Networks to find the listing. Once set up, you can send and receive messages in areas without nearby cellular network coverage.

The T-Mobile Starlink service remains in beta. When released to the public, it should be available on any T-Mobile Android phone with LTE connectivity.

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Android 15introduced satellite messaging support to Android phones for the first time, potentially enhancing communication capabilities in remote areas where traditional cellular networks are unavailable. This feature enables users to send texts for emergencies and other important messages via satellite, ensuring connectivity even in the most isolated environments.

However, carrier support and compatible devices are required to utilize this functionality entirely. Unfortunately, most manufacturers are still integrating this capability into their devices.

Meanwhile, since the iPhone 14 series, Apple iPhones have supported satellite messaging.

My kingdom for an alien turtle

(Image credit: Google)

Thanks to iOS 18.2,Apple Intelligencehas pretty much arrived on iPhones, and based on our own reportingGenmoji is proving a hit. Genmoji, a portmanteau of generative and emoji, is an artificial intelligence-powered feature that combines two emojis to make a custom one.

I’m not a fan of Genmoji. Maybe it’s the fact that the resulting emoji sport that creepy veneer of all AI-made images; maybe it’s my Android fanboyism’s natural aversion toApple… or maybe it’s the fact that I absolutely love Android’s own version of Genmoji.

Yes, Android has its own version of Genmoji, and true Android fashion, Google actually introduced it way ahead of Apple; in 2020 to be exact. This feature is called Emoji Kitchen, and far too few people have heard of it (possibly because of that strange name).

Emoji Kitchen, like Genmoji, lets you select pick two emoji and have them combine into a new one. Smiley face plus pineapple equals smiling pineapple, crying face plus cat equals crying cat, you get the picture.

As a tech reporter, I downloaded Emoji Kitchen as soon as it was made available and have been using it ever since. In fact, I absolutely love it and use it all the time, and with Genmoji potentially making Android users green with envy, it’s time to revisit this far superior alternative.

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How to use Emoji Kitchen on Android

(Image credit: Google)

Back when Emoji Kitchen was introduced, you needed to enrol in a beta to access it. But now anyone on Android can, as long as you’re using the default keyboard option GBoard. Emoji Kitchen doesn’t work on all messaging apps but the key ones are supported includingWhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Messenger and a few others.

To use Emoji Kitchen, open the chat log and press in the message box, where you type. Instead of typing, press the smiley-face icon to the left of the space bar, which brings up the menu that normally lets you send emoji, gifs and stickers.

Now, pick your first emoji and press it. Instantly, in the space between the keyboard and the messaging log, you’ll see a section appear for Emoji Kitchen, giving you some suggested custom emojis (I think these are based on your most-used emoji but I’m not certain).

To combine two emoji of your choice, find in the emoji list your second choice and press it. Now, the leftmost option of the Emoji Kitchen carousel will be the custom pick. Press it, and your concoction will be sent in the chat as a sticker. Unfortunately, you can’t send them in a message as with standard emoji.

My favorite part of Emoji Kitchen is just playing around with emoji combinations, but if you’d rather know what you’re sending, there’s afull list of options available here.

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(Image credit: Google)

You can use Emoji Kitchen on other devices too

You can also use Emoji Kitchen on a computer, which lets you create emoji quickly and easily and copy-and-paste them into chats.

To do so simply Google search “Emoji Kitchen” and then press “Get Cooking” below the search bar.

A pop-up will appear that lets you choose from a range of emojis to combine, in a mathematical “X + X = X”. To create an emoji, select on the one you want to swap out and then press one of the ones in the list below.

Then to copy and paste your new custom emoji, press the ‘copy’ button (two rectangles, on top of each other) under the right-hand emoji to copy it. Paste it into another document or chat.

Unlocking the full potential of Emoji Kitchen

(Image credit: Google)

I love Emoji Kitchen because some of its resulting creations look silly. Silly but cute. And isn’t the big bonus of Android emoji over iOS ones that they look so much cuter? The veritable army of new cute combos is one of the reasons I keep using the feature.

My absolute favorite is the turtle emoji (some people tell me it’s a tortoise but its primary name according to emoji makers Unicode is “turtle”, take that!), with its hopeful simple smile, and about 75% of the Emoji Kitchen stickers I send nowadays are mash-ups featuring the turt. I spam my girlfriend with it so much that she baked me a gingerbread version of the turtle-alien mash-up, a Kitchen creation I was particularly taken with.

The thing is, the turtle alien emoji was sent because it was situationally relevant to what we were talking about (invasive species of turtles, not extra-terrestrial shelled reptiles), and that’s another aspect I enjoy about Emoji Kitchen. The ability to combine emoji creates so many situationally-relevant stickers to send, that there’s rarely a time I can’t find an emoji I’d like to send.

But my favorite thing about Emoji Kitchen, which is also a dig at Genmoji, is that the stickers simply look better. This is partly my preference but also partly that Genmoji are images made by an AI trying to slam two emoji together, and it tells. Emoji Kitchen, on the other hand, are hand-drawn, something thatGoogle has confirmed itself.

I’m not here to complain about AI, but you can tell that Genmoji lacks that human touch, sitting deep in that uncanny valley (alongside half of the other Apple Intelligence generative tools) while Emoji Kitchen basks in that cartoon cuteness. I need only show some of Apple’s own promotional images to prove this point:

(Image credit: Apple)

So if you’re an Android user, you shouldn’t feel jealous that you don’t have Genmoji. You should feel glad that you can use Emoji Kitchen instead.

Local manufacturers are once again likely to continue their dominance in 2025.

The Asian handset market is very interesting, with a significantly broader range of devices sold in the region than anywhere else. You have the usual Chinese contingent of Vivo, OPPO, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Honor dominating sales, but Samsung and Google also sell most of their products in Asian markets, and Apple is slowly building momentum with the iPhone.

I used over 70 phones over the course of 2024, and while there were devices that didn’t measure up to their asking price, I didn’t run into any bad phones as such. The one brand that stood out the most to me is Vivo. It delivered truly incredible cameras in theX100 ProandX100 Ultra, and it made heady gains in the mid-range with theV30 ProandV40 Pro, delivering much better sensors.

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Clearly, I’m not the only one who liked the brand’s progress, as Vivo managed to extend its lead in both China and India considerably. Vivo is likely to continue that momentum in 2025 on the back of the X200 Pro. As much as I like the X200 Pro, I’m waiting to see what the X200 Ultra brings to the table. Vivo doesn’t actually need to change much with the device, but if it manages to retain the same set of cameras while making the phone available in at least select regions outside China, it will be a monumental achievement.

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While the V series is stronger than ever, the upgrades with the V40 Pro pushed it closer to value flagships, and Vivo needs to focus on the Y series to maintain its mid-range presence. I’m excited to see what’s in store with the V50 and V50 Pro, and whether they can deliver the same caliber of photos as the X series.

Although OPPO lost ground in China, it solidified its position as the second-largest handset brand in India on the back of the Reno 12, K series, and A series devices. While I enjoyed using theFind X8 Proquite a bit, I don’t think OPPO has the cachet to steal market share from Apple and Samsung just yet, but its introduction in additional global markets should give OPPO a decent platform on which to build. The one issue I have with the X8 Pro is that it doesn’t have the best cameras the brand makes, and that will inevitably debut on the X8 Ultra sometime in Q2 2025. Just like with Vivo, the X8 Ultra needs to launch globally to make the cameras accessible by a wider audience.

OnePlus, meanwhile, is doing all the right things. Although the manufacturer lost market share in 2024, its device portfolio is stronger than ever, and the imminent global launch of theOnePlus 13should allow the brand to take on Samsung and Google. What I like is that the R series is also sold globally, and with the OnePlus 12R still one of the best mid-rangers available today, I’m intrigued to see what the 13R can deliver. I just want to see the device continue to deliver the same value-focused ethos, and with the manufacturer confirming a class-leading 6000mAh battery, it has the potential to do incredibly well.

Xiaomi continues to do well thanks to its budget-focused portfolio, but that narrative has changed in recent years as it shifted to the mid-range with devices like the Redmi Note 14 Pro Plus. In doing so, Xiaomi is effectively ceding ground to its rivals, and that’s one of the reasons why it is no longer in the top position in India. The brand needs to rethink its strategy and go back to delivering budget phones with strong value — that just hasn’t been the case in the last two years. Honestly, Xiaomi needs to do an overhaul of its devices, and rethink its strategy. That’s the only way it can retain its footing against its rivals, but I don’t see the brand doing so in 2025.

I really like what Honor is doing these days; the Magic 6 Pro and Magic V3 are two of my best phones of the year — with the latter being one of the best foldables around — and the brand is taking a radically different strategy to everyone else, positioning itself as a premium player to stand out. While that may not yield market share, Honor certainly takes up a lot of mind share, and with the brand regaining its foothold in India, 2025 should be a pivotal year for its global ambitions. The Magic 7 Pro is launching shortly, and I’d like to see the device delivering better cameras; while the 6 Pro was great in its own right, it didn’t quite measure up to the X100 Pro, and Honor needs to be on the same level as Vivo.

I usually turn to a Pixel as my daily driver, and that hasn’t changed in 2024. The Pixel 9 Pro XL is a worthy upgrade, and while it costs more, it has meaningful changes across the board and takes brilliant photos. The only issue with the device is that the hardware isn’t on par with its rivals, although that may change in 2025. Google is set to switch away from Samsung’s designs and go with MediaTek, which means that the Pixel 10 should be noticeably better in this regard. The biggest thing that Google needs to change with the Pixel 10 is the internal hardware; the Tensor platform may be good in mid-rangers, but it just doesn’t measure up against what Qualcomm and MediaTek are doing in the high-end category, and Google needs to do better. The latest leaks point to the brand doing just that with the Tensor G5, but I want to get my hands on the device to see how it actually holds up.

As for Samsung, the brand lost ground in India and other Asian markets this year, and that’sdown to its own shortcomings. While it built up an early lead in foldables, the lack of any meaningful innovation has allowed Chinese brands to eat into its market share, and Samsung is losing ground in the mid-range as well. What’s interesting is that the brand is positioning the FE devices as its value-focused models in major regions like the U.S. instead of traditional bestsellers like the Galaxy A55, and I don’t think that’s the best move. While high-end devices contribute to Samsung’s bottom line, it’s the mid-range where the brand sees a bulk of its sales, and it needs to bring its best devices to all regions.

Like much of the last decade, value-focused phones will dominate sales in 2025, but there is a growing demand for mid-range and even high-end devices, and that’s encouraging to see. With all major manufacturers introducing their products earlier than before, we don’t have to wait as long to see what’s in store with the best 2025 phones, and that’s always a good thing.