Xiaomi was the first OEM to kick off the second generation of Android One smartphones in 2017 with the Mi A1. This device was later followed by Mi A2, Mi A2 Lite, and Mi A3. The Chinese tech giant hasn’t released any further handset in the series for around two years now. Above all, there’s no official word on the lineup’s discontinuation as well. On the other hand, the company’s POCO brand has answered a question related to Android One in a recent interview.

Earlier today, Android Central published an exclusive interview with two executives of the POCO Global team. This story focussed on the brand’s upcoming smartphone – POCO M3 Pro 5G and its future plans.

When the interviewer asked about Android One, one of the brand representatives revealed that POCO has no plans for releasing Android One smartphones at the moment. Hence, don’t expect any POCO handset with beefier hardware and stock Android for an affordable price tag in near future.

Therefore, custom ROMs are the only way to experience stock Android on POCO smartphones. But this solution is only applicable for very few users.

Xiaomi was the only company to offer good hardware with stock Android via its Mi A series of Android One smartphones. Whereas, stock Android phones from brands like Motorola and HMD Global (Nokia) still offer lackluster hardware for the same amount of money.

Anyway, stock Android was also the Achilles’ heel of the Xiaomi Mi A series. The devices in the lineup suffered from various bugs and mostly never received updates on time.

Although Xiaomi has not confirmed it, we believe this is the reason why the company has not launched any new handset in the series and has discontinued the lineup without making an official announcement.

The only way to put this is that POCO is playing safe by sticking with MIUI for POCO instead of spending resources on a separate software that did not work for Xiaomi.

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Vivo will take the wraps off its new operating system, which is called OriginOS, on Tuesday, November 18. The new operating system is said to be based on Android just like Vivo’s current operating system, Funtouch OS.

There are unconfirmed reports that Vivo plans to make it possible for users to switch between OriginOS and Stock Android with ease. While dual-boot is usually associated with computers, there are ways or apps users can install multiple Android operating systems on their Android devices. Nevertheless, the news sounds really exciting as practically all phones come with a single operating system out of the box.

For this week’s poll, we want to ask our readers if they want more manufacturers to adopt a dual-boot system that allows for switching from the custom OS of the manufacturer to a stock version of Android. So please take the poll below and also drop a comment sharing any thoughts you have about the topic.

The post Poll of The Week: Should more manufacturers emulate Vivo’s Stock Android + OriginOS dual-boot system? appeared first on Gizmochina.

Vivo had recently confirmed that its upcoming Origin OS will be replacing its existing Funtouch OS. Despite its announcement, the company refrained from divulging any additional information. But now, a new leak has suggested that the company might be offering users to manually switch from Origin OS to stock Android on the fly.

According to a GSMArena report, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer will offer users the option to switch to stock Android with ease. At least that is what the direct translation has suggested. On the other hand, it could also mean that Origin OS is a completely different OS built from the ground up, but will still offer the users a chance to switch to Android OS. But, that seems rather improbable.

Editor’s Pick: Old Disassembled iPhones are being sold for as much as 1000 yuan ($150) in some Chinese stores

The company did state that the new OS will arrive on existing smartphones as well. So, it is safe to assume that it is a custom sin layered on top of the Android platform. The Vivo V20 with Funtouch OS 11 was the company’s first stepping stone to stock like UI. So, we can expect more along the same lines from future launches and Origin OS as well. But, this is still a leak so take this report with a pinch of salt for now, and stay tuned for more updates on the matter.

UP NEXT: Micromax IN Note 1, IN 1B with Helio G85/G35, stock Android, 5,000mAh battery launched with Rs 6,999 (~$94) starting price

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ZUK‘s former CEO Chang Cheng has been pretty active on Weibo, often replying to fan’s questions. Recently when one of the fans asked him about the progress on the new ZUI update, he replied by saying that it would be close to stock Android, which is similar to the strategy adopted by the existing Moto brand’s UI.

ZUK’s software department is not new to the near-stock Android experience either, as in the past, the ZUK Z1 ran with the, now unsupported, Cyanogen OS 12.1; which also provided a custom stock Android UI. The popularity of in-house near-stock Android is increasing, for example, OnePlus’ successful OxygenOS and ZTE’s MiFlavor have become many non-Mainland Chinese UI favorites.

We will have to take this with a pinch of salt, as we may not be expecting the ZUI to be implemented on Moto devices, at least not outside China. However, with leaks that the defunct ZUK department was collaborating with the Moto team on a modular flagship device, we may see Lenovo release a modular phone with a new version of ZUI on it.

RELATED: ZUK Edge With 6GB RAM Gets A Major Price Cut!

What is also important to note is that ZUK’s ZUI is still new to the global market, as it was first used in the ZUK Z2, not Z1, globally. However, if the rumors are true, the ZUI can provide another take on the stock Android, with a hint of the remaining ‘ZUKesque’ feel.

Personally, I think that Lenovo should stick to concentrating on the Moto line whilst improving the current near-stock Android experience already used in their system.

What are your thoughts on these new ZUI rumors?

(via)

The post ZUK’s Future ZUI Updates Could Bring It Closer To Stock Android appeared first on Gizmochina.

Huawei has evolved as a small time smartphone manufacturer, to the third largest phone maker in the world. Given that now millions of Huawei smartphones are being used by customers worldwide, it becomes necessary for the company to evolve its user interface well. For all those who thought that Huawei needed to revamp its EMUI ROM, here’s some good news. A new report states that Huawei plans to make major changes to the EMUI 5.0 version that will be announced later this year.

And these changes will be for the good as it is said that the company’s EMUI 5.0 will now lean more towards a stock Android look. The company seems to have taken this decision with Western customers in mind. We have seen that most Android users love the simple stock Android UI on their smartphones, which is probably why the company is deciding to make over its user interface. Given that the company aims to strengthen its reach in the mature markets of US and Europe, this could be a much-needed change. The current generation EMUI versions like the EMUI 4.1 comes with complex UI design and menus. After the change, the UI will be simple, but Li Changzhu, Huawei’s Mobile Division executive assures that users will still be able to enjoy advanced features as well as customize the new UI.

Read More: New Mate Smartphone (Huawei Mate 8S?) Spotted on TENAA, Will Come With Advanced Force Touch

Huawei had released EMUI 4 in the second half of 2015, and we can expect the new EMUI 5.0 to be unveiled sometime in the next few months. IFA would be an ideal time, as we will most likely meet a new Huawei Mate flagship at the event running this new interface.

(source)

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