Android

Android is now over seven years old and despite the green robotandroid peeking out of phone shops up and down the high street, there are still plenty of people who don’t know what Android is.

If you fit into this category then have no fear; this article is your complete guide to understanding what Android is, what it can do and where to find it, including the best Android mobile phones, Android apps, which games you can play on Android devices, the very best features you can enjoy and how to update to the latest version.

What is Android?

Android is the name of the mobile operating system owned by American company; Google. It most commonly comes installed on a variety of smartphones and tablets from a host of manufacturers offering users access to Google’s own services like Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail and more.

This means you can easily look for information on the web, watch videos, search for directions and write emails on your phone, just as you would on your computer, but there’s more to Android than these simple examples.

What can an Android phone do?

Android phones are highly customisable and as such can be altered to suit your tastes and needs; with wallpapers, themes and launchers which completely change the look of your device's interface. You can download applications to do all sorts of things like check your Facebook and Twitter feeds, manage your bank account, order pizza and play games. You can plan events on from your phone's calendar and see them on your computer or browse websites on your desktop and pick them up on your phone.

Another neat feature of Android is that it automatically backs up your contacts for you. When you set up an Android phone you’ll need to create a Google Account or sign in with an existing one. Every time you save a number to the address book of your Android phone it will be synced to your Google Account.

The benefit of this is that if you lose your phone all of your numbers will be saved. The next time you get an Android phone (or an iPhone or Windows Phone if you prefer) and sign in with your Google Account, all of your contacts and friend's numbers will be displayed in your new phone’s address book immediately, no need to transfer or back them up anywhere else.

Syncing is a way for your phone to keep all your information; websites, contacts, calendar entries and apps up-to-date. This can happen over your phone's mobile data or WiFi connection, seamlessly, in the background.

What apps can I get on an Android phone?

There are hundreds of thousands of apps and games available to download from the Google Play store (formerly the Android Market). There are camera apps that allow you to take pictures with artistic effects and music players which allow you to stream music from the web or create playlists. You can customise the appearance of your Android handset with a number of wallpapers based on pictures you’ve taken yourself or downloaded from the internet too.

An example of a widget on the homescreen of an Android phone. This one let's you access music playback from Spotify without having to open the application.

There are also various on-screen widgets to download which allow access to and the alteration of settings on your phone, without the need to dive through menus as you would on non-Android devices. You can pretty much create your own system of shortcuts and menus to better suit how you uniquely use your phone.

You also can download a huge range of games for your Android phone, to keep you entertained on the go. Here are our favourite Android games of all time.

Asphalt Overdrive is a simple to play, tricky to master racing game.

How can I get apps on an Android phone?

The majority of apps can be downloaded from the Google Play store (the equivalent of Apple’s App Store), which includes a mix of free as well as 'premium' apps that you have to pay for. Some apps have ‘lite’ versions which are free, in the hope you’ll enjoy them and upgrade to the full premium version. Others - like Angry Birds - are free, but include adverts or the ability to make in-app purchases.

The same account that lets you backup your contacts can also have financial details added to it, allowing you the ability to purchase content from the Google Play store directly. You can pay either by debit or credit card and initial setup takes less than five minutes from a computer.

Although there are well over a million apps available to Android users in the Google Play store, some developers choose to make their apps available to download from their own sites or alternative app stores. In order to download these you'll have to change some settings on your phone before visiting these sites on your Android device's web browser. By downloading apps outside of the Google Play store, you do run the risk of attack in the form of data theft or leaving yourself more susceptible to viruses, so be careful if you choose this route.

Should you upgrade or change your Android phone; log into your Google account and you’ll be able to download your previously owned apps again, without being charged. In recent years, Google has expanded Google Play to offer more than just apps, with books, magazines, music and movies available for purchase and download in much the same way.

So who makes Android phones?

Any handset maker is free to make an Android phone if they want to. As well as the aforementioned Motorola, HTC, Samsung and Sony, Acer, Alcatel, Asus, Huawei, LG and ZTE have all made Android phones (and tablets) too. Blackberry also launched its very first Android phone, the strangely-named Blackberry Priv at the end of 2015.

Does Google make any Android phones?

Although Google owns the OS (Android), the company has not made any of the hardware on which it runs in-house. However, it has partnered with various handset manufacturers over the years to make its own-brand smartphones under the 'Nexus' name.

[From left to right] Google Nexus One (HTC), Google Nexus S (Samsung), Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Google Nexus 4 (LG), Google Nexus 5 (LG), Google Nexus 6 (Motorola), Google Nexus 5X (LG), Google Nexus 6P (Huawei).

Google's Nexus phones are typically the first to receive new updates and are considered to be the flagship Android phones, even though some other Android devices sport larger screens, better cameras and more powerful hardware.

Android updates

Google is constantly working on new versions of the Android software. These releases are infrequent; at the moment they normally come out every six months or so, but Google is looking to slow this down to once a year. Check out our handy, comprehensive guide to every Android version out there.

Versions usually come with a numerical code and a name that’s so far been themed after sweets and desserts, running in alphabetical order.

• Android 1.5 Cupcake
• Android 1.6 Donut
• Android 2.1 Eclair
• Android 2.2 Froyo
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• Android 3.2 Honeycomb - The first OS design specifically for a tablets, launching on the Motorola Xoom
• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich: The first OS to run on smartphones and tablets, ending the 2.X naming convention.
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean: Launched on the Google Nexus 7 tablet by Asus
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean: Arrived on the LG Nexus 4
• Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
• Android 4.4 KitKat: Launched on the LG Nexus 5
• Android 5.0 Lollipop: Launched on the Motorola Nexus 6 and HTC Nexus 9
• Android 6.0 Marshmallow: Launched on the LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P

The latest version, Android Marshmallow, aims to make the OS more user-friendly, with improved battery life and more control over your apps. Here's what's changed between the different Android versions.

Android tablets

Like Android phones, Android tablets come in all shapes and sizes. These can range from the 7-inch screen of the Asus-made Google Nexus 7 to far larger displays, such as the 10-inch display found on the Nexus 10.

Somewhat confusingly, some older Android tablets; like the original Samsung Galaxy Tab, launched running Android 2.2 Froyo - a version of Android designed for phones, whilst Android 3.0 Honeycomb was the first release of the OS specifically for tablets.

Older Android tablets which didn’t run on 3.0 Honeycomb couldn’t benefit from things like the redesigned YouTube app, improved widgets and certain tablet-specific apps like SwiftKey for Tablets.

This fragmentation between Android phones and tablets was eliminated with the launch of Android Ice Cream Sandwich, which was designed to operate on either type of device and scale accordingly. Android Jelly Bean introduced a number of improvements for both the smartphone and tablet experience over the likes of ICS (Ice Cream Sandwich) and that trend continues with the latest release, Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Do Android updates cost anything?

Android updates are free to download and install. Updates bring a number of new features and changes to Android each time. Generally though, with each update the speed and overall performance of Android is improved upon.

Most of the high-end Android phones are scheduled to receive updates first. Most Android phones will have at least one update during their life cycle, with some having two. A life cycle is usually around 18 months, but depending on the phone this can be longer. These updates differ from app updates, which are smaller, incremental releases for individual applications installed on your Android device.

How do I get an update?

Android updates are normally received OTA (Over The Air), that is, sent directly to your Android phone without the need for a computer. Normally, once your Android phone or tablet is due to get an upgrade, you'll see a notification in the bar at the top of the screen. You'll then be prompted to connect to WiFi to avoid incurring extra data charges - updates can be quite big and downloading them over a mobile data connection isn’t advised as it may result in expensive data charges.

Updates are generally one-stage processes and relatively straightforward, but in some cases you may need to back up/save any media (photos, movies, music) or apps you've downloaded before updating.

Best mini phones with short reviews

Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

This 4.6-inch beast may be much dinkier than its big brother, the Xperia Z5, but it still packs the same highly versatile 23-megapixel camera, water resistant design and capable Snapdragon 810 processor. The no-compromise specs and colourful, fun aesthetics make the Xperia Z5 Compact our pick for best mini mobile, although it comes with a hefty price tag.

Apple iPhone 6s

The iPhone may have grown in size in the past year, but the iPhone 6s still packs a relatively demure 4.7-inch display. The slim and light design makes it easy enough to slip into even super-tight shorts, but the iPhone 6s is blessed with premium specs as you’d expect, including a sharp Retina screen that supports Apple’s 3D Touch technology and a very good 12-megapixel snapper.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2016)

Samsung's new Galaxy A3 is basically a Samsung Galaxy S6 Mini by another name. This 4.7-incher is an updated version of last year's original A3 and it's a serious improvement of an already-awesome mini phone. Not only does the new A3 borrow the slick glass-and-metal design of the S6, but it actually improves Samsung's 2015 flagship in a few areas, including the excellent battery life.

You also get a very strong 13-megapixel camera and 720p HD visuals, all for a shade over £200, making this one of the best and most affordable mini Androids of 2016.

LG Spirit

If the Xperia Z5 and iPhone 6s are out of your price league, check out this affordable mini mobile instead. The 4.7-inch LG Spirit has some pretty unique features for a budget blower, including comfortable rear-mounted controls and Knock Code security. Movie fans will be satisfied by the sharp screen resolution and the 8-megapixel camera is decent for the price, with a pleasingly simple app to shoot your everyday life.

Samsung Galaxy A3 (2015)

Samsung's original mid-range mini phone from 2015 looks and feels impressively premium and offers a strong feature set, excellent battery life and a slick all-round user experience. Of course, you should only pick it up if you find it super-cheap (around £100 should do it) as there's a new 2016 A3 model out now.

Read our full Galaxy A3 (2015) review

Motorola Moto E (2015)

This updated version of Motorola’s surprisingly cheap mini mobile boasts loads of great features for around £100, including 4G support, customisable cases and a clean Android Lollipop interface. The camera is very basic, but otherwise the Moto E is a very strong all-round compact smartphone.

Microsoft Lumia 435

Microsoft’s chunky Lumia 435 is a steal at just £40. With its dinky 4-inch screen, this is the smallest mini mobile in this round-up and yet the compact, lightweight frame packs in plenty of appealing features including dual cameras, two day battery life and the Cortana voice assistant.

Top 10 Best Android Phones (2016)

10. HTC One M8/One M9

HTC is still the king of desirable design, even if the One M9's trouser-dampeningly gorgeous one-piece metal jacket was no real change over 2014's One M8. The M9 is sadly too little of an upgrade over the M8, so if you can find the M8 cheap, we'd say go for that. It's still a great Android phone, if not one of the very best you can buy in 2016.

9. Motorola Moto X Force

The Moto X Force isn't the only Motorola handset in our top ten Android phones list, but it's the only one that will happily survive a proper tumble to the ground from a great height thanks to its shatter-proof screen.

Of course, that's not the only thing the Moto X Force has going for it. This 5.4-inch Android also enjoys smooth performance, a dependable 21-megapixel camera, gorgeous Quad HD visuals and decent battery life, making it an all-round wonder and not just a one-trick pony.

8. Google Nexus 6P

This all-metal masterpiece (made by Huawei) boasts stunning performance and a killer screen for an all-round sensible price, slaying many flagship phones when it comes to value for money.

Of course, the Nexus 6P is one of the few phones to currently run Android Marshmallow, which boasts improved control over privacy and better power efficiency. But the Nexus 6P also has a solid camera and great performance going for it, along with a wonderfully streamlined interface.

7. Moto G 3rd Edition (2015)

Motorola's Moto G is still the champion of cheapy phones, offering value like no other. The HD screen is glorious, performance is perfect and the camera has been vastly improved over last year's model to a superior 13-megapixel snapper, to make this an all-round excellent experience. Plus that colourful and comfortable frame is now fully water-resistant.

6. Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 is still our favourite phablet right now, thanks to the smart thinking employed when making use of that enormous screen. The S Pen stylus is the perfect partner, allowing you to doodle anywhere, even your desktops, and making productivity software bearable. And with the ability to multi-task, you'll find you're fumbling around with your apps a lot less. Add in plenty of power and one of the best cameras of 2014 and the Note 4 is a formidable beast.

Of course, the Note 5 is currently out in the US, but is yet to make an appearance over here in the UK - hence we've left it out of this list.

5. Sony Xperia Z5 Compact

This year the trend has been towards enormous smartphones, so thank the tech gods that Sony launched the Xperia Z5 Compact. This colourful 4.6-inch phone is tiny compared with most other Androids, which actually makes it comfortable to use one-handed. But, it also still packs some incredible specs and features for its size, including the same 23-megapixel snapper found in the full-sized Xperia Z5.

With plenty of power under the hood, a responsive fingerprint sensor and a gorgeous screen, the Z5 Compact is so very almost our favourite Android phone of all time.

4. Blackberry Priv

We were as shocked as anyone when Blackberry released an Android phone towards the tail-end of 2015. Even more surprising was the fact that the weirdly-titled Priv was actually really bloody good.

Blackberry's hardware was seriously impressive, from the curved Quad HD screen which slides up to reveal a responsive QWERTY keyboard, to the dependable 18-megapixel camera. However, it was Blackberry's improvements to the Android OSthat really won our hearts. Now we can't wait for BB's next handset.

3. LG G4

Last year we awarded the stunning LG G3 our 'phone of the year' award, and the Korean company seems determined to win it for a second year running with the feature-packed LG G4. The camera has been upgraded and now it's even better, producing gorgeous images in almost any environment, while the 5.5-inch screen is still one of the best you'll find on a phone. Choosing between this and Samsung's Galaxy S6 is a bloody hard task, and an argument which inevitably will come down to personal preference.

Also, the LG G3 is still a solid phone, and well worth picking up if your budget doesn't quite stretch to the G4.

2. Sony Xperia Z5

Sony is back on top form with the Xperia Z5, which boosts the excellent Xperia Z3's 21-megapixel camera to a market-leading super-fast 23-megapixel snapper. You also get one of the best fingerprint sensors around, plus the usual sexy Sony design.

That frosted glass back is rather fragile but looks gorgeous as always, while the Full HD screen is again a solid panel, offering sharp, vibrant images. Finish off with a day and a half of battery life between charges and this really is a fantastic Android phone and one of the very best mobiles of 2015.

1. Samsung Galaxy S6

Ahh, Samsung. After barely scraping into our top ten last year with the Galaxy S5, you've not only redeemed yourself, you've also blown away the competition with this year's all-round-excellent flagship - which actually won Recombu's coveted Best Phone of 2015 award.

Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge may sport a funky curved screen, but it's the vanilla S6 that won our hearts with its sleek new design, accurate fingerprint scanner, glorious camera and pin-sharp screen.

Huawei P9 review

HHuawei P9 review

Design

As a smartphone (and tablet) maker, Huawei’s blossomed into a serious outfit in recent years and the most obvious example of this evolution can be seen in the design work applied to its devices. The company once known for pumping out forgettable ‘me too’ phones now produces quality, considered handsets hewn from premium materials that are good enough to tango with the best of them.

 

The P9 is no exception and it doesn’t just look good, it feels great to use too. The company pushed out a lot of measurements on stage to highlight just how thin and elegant this thing is, and whilst in reality you’d be hard pressed to tell that it’s thinner than an iPhone 6S in blind testing, just know that the company’s new flagship feels exceptionally slim and light, but also well built.

The edges of the body are rounded and chamfered for better comfort and aesthetics respectively, whilst the hardware controls are raised, tactile and textured for ease of use. Being such a thin device (6.95mm) it should come as no surprise to learn that the battery isn’t removable, but to make up for it the phone is one of the growing number of devices sporting the more convenient reversible Type-C USB connection.

Screen

To improve the feel of the phone in-hand even more, Huawei’s dressed the 5.2-inch IPS LCD panel with 2.5D pillowed glass, making it a pleasure to swipe across, particularly when interacting with elements at the edges of the display. The bezel is actually thicker than the phone’s frame lets on; a trick of the eye that Huawei’s pulled before and something to be aware of as it’s not immediately apparent when the display is off.

It pushes out accurate colours, viewing angles comparable to the latest iPhone and offers improved overall brightness versus its precursors. It’s not a true pixel pusher like the Galaxy S7 or LG G5 with a resolution of 1920x1080, but it packs plenty of detail for the majority of the tasks you’ll likely use the P9 for.

OS

Whilst manufacturers like Motorola, Sony and HTC work to slim down and simplify their skinned iterations of Android, Huawei continues to evolve its own Emotion UI with version 4.1 on the P9.

Running atop Android 6.0, Huawei’s take on the operating system loses the apps drawer, packs a heap of company’s own proprietary software, a number of themes (with icon to match) and handy tools like a one-handed mode; but as may be apparent, it’s a very heavy skin as a result and one that users unfamiliar with Huawei’s devices will need time to get used to.

The P9 launched alongside the P9 Plus, but only the latter enjoys the benefits of a Press Touch display

Performance

When we met the sizeable Huawei Mate 8 last year, we were seriously impressed by the performance put out by its Hisilicon Kirin 950 processor. The P9 boasts an even speedier 955 SoC, which twinned with 3GB of RAM is more than enough to ensure that the phone puts out a consistently fluid performance. Raw grunt and graphical power aren’t up there with the likes of Apple’s A9, Samsung’s Exynos 8890 or Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 820 (benchmarking placed it above devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 however), but you’d be hard-pressed to find fault with it during day to day usage.

Surprisingly, unlike most other Huawei and Honor handsets the P9 is devoid of a hybrid SIM slot, which means no dual SIM functionality. That said, it still has room for expanding the 32GB of internal storage by way of microSD cards up to 128GB (or 1TB if you’re to believe what Huawei’s CEO said at the phone’s launch). You lose out on an IR-blaster, which is strictly reserved for the larger P9 Plus, but we appreciate the inclusion of dual-band WiFi (absent on devices like the Huawei Mate S) and NFC, future-proofing the handset for the arrival of Android Pay in the UK.

For such a slim handset, we were impressed to find that Huawei had managed to cram a capacious 3000mAh battery into the P9’s body and all that power means you can expect just shy of two days use on a single charge. With the exception of the Nexus 6P, this is also the first Huawei flagship to boast a reversible Type-C USB connection, through which the P9 can fast charge.

Camera

The most distinctive aspect of the Huawei P9 has to be its camera setup. The dual sensor arrangement is closer to the likes of HTC’s One (M8) in its implementation than the wide-angle trickery offered up by the LG G5.

Dual 12-megapixel Sony BSI CMOS sensors work in conjunction with a laser autofocus array and a dedicated ISP (image signal processor) to dress your snaps with superior quality depth of field, hoping to emulate the attractive bokeh usually only found on combinations of high-end DSLR lenses and bodies.

The camera experience is supposedly co-engineered with famed camera brand Leica, however, it’s hard to tell if the partnership is more than skin deep – with the company’s brand name slapped on the back of the phone and an all new camera interface dressed with Leica’s own font.

You’ve got a wealth of camera modes and a rich overall experience, with one of the two sensors specialising in capturing black and white image data – great for monochrome photography or as a means to add greater depth and detail to colour photos.

Check out our extensive Huawei P9 camera review for the full skinny on camera quality and functionality. As we’ve said before, the P9 packs the best camera Huawei’s ever put into one of its smartphones and yet it still doesn’t measure quite up to the imaging capabilities of Apple’s or Samsung’s top handsets.

Verdict

Huawei is growing up fast and the P9 represents the best that the company can bring to the table right now. It’s not a perfect phone, taken in some very specific directions in certain areas, but the end result is pleasing to look at and pleasing to use.

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At £449, it’s notably more affordable than the likes of Apple’s and Samsung’s flagships, but that pulls it into the firing line of the likes of Sony’s Xperia Z5. As such it’s more a case of whether you want a thin phone or a waterproof one, more megapixels or a dual camera. The Huawei P9 is the company’s strongest smartphone to date and it’s proven itself to be considered a worthy competitor in the premium space, we can’t wait to see how they take it up a gear next year.

Key Specs

• Screen size: 5.2-inches
• Screen resolution: Full HD (1920x1080)
• Weight: 144 grams
• OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
• Rear Camera: 12-megapixels
• Front camera: 8-megapixels
• Processor: 2.5GHz/1.8GHz octa-core Kirin 955
• Memory: 3GB RAM
• Storage: 32GB. Expandable via microSD up to 128GB
• 4G LTE: Yes
• Bonus features: Dual-lens camera, fingerprint sensor w/ gesture controls, fast charging