Hi!

Nothing sent me a unit for review which I've been using for the past 2 weeks. I can't answer many questions immediately due to embargo (we're pretty much only able to talk about the design and new Nothing OS 2.0 features), but if you have any questions, I'll make note of 'em and come back to answer them once the full review embargo lifts.

I didn't even know there was another community at lemmy.world when I joined this one. I joined this one on the recommendation of the /r/Android mods. Looks like the lemmy.world mods have decided to merge with this one, though!

...I already post on Mastodon though 😅

https://androiddev.social/@MishaalRahman

I'm also on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@Mishaal_Rahman

I'm here at Unpacked! If y'all have any questions about the devices, I'll try to answer them after the event.

I'll hopefully get hands-on with all the devices, but there's a LOT of people here so I might not be able to get to everything!

(Also I know it's really really early in the States.)

Samsung invited me to the event, but they aren't exerting any control over my posts!

Yeah, this is the right approach. It's true that ASUS dropped the ball when it comes to getting their bootloader unlock tool server back online as well as in keeping users updated on their progress. It's also true that you should never really take what support staff says at face value, and that a response from a PR rep is always preferable over support staff.

However, there are times when even the PR reps aren't aware of an internal policy change, or they aren't allowed to communicate as such yet. I don't think that's the case here, though. The PR rep I'm in touch with is the same one who has been running the Zenfone developer program for years, so I trust them!

What exactly do you expect us to do lol? Sneak into TM Roh's bedroom and whisper that in his ear?

1. Through the Multistar Good Lock module you'll be able to run any app on the cover screen, so I would say the Flip 5 cover screen is indeed a big upgrade. (If you're the kind of person to use Lemmy then you're probably comfortable with installing/sideloading Good Lock.)

2. Didn't get to get this but will ask tomorrow if we can get our hands on it

3. My first impression is that the taskbar felt cluttered with 4 recents apps but fortunately in settings you can choose how many recents to show.

4. Didn't really get a chance to appreciate the colors, sorry! Was more focused on stuff like the hinge, crease, software, etc

What are you thinking of upgrading from? I've seen a lot of people say a similar thing about the Fold 5 versus the Fold 4 but it's worth noting that most people don't upgrade their devices every year so the target audience likely isn't people like us.

Let me know if you have any feedback about this article 😁

That's a good point, and I agree: There should be a way to trigger Maintenance Mode remotely, like through Find My Device, should Google implement this.

It's going to be hard to answer this based only on a 1 hour demo period (split between all the different devices) but it's something we can answer after getting to use the devices for a bit.

Hmm didn't check for that on the demo units but I'll check the unit I'll get and will ask about the other device as well.

Android hasn't used FDE for a couple of years now. File Based Encryption (FBE) has been required instead since Android 10. With FBE, each user has their own credential encrypted storage location for apps, which are encrypted with the credential from that particular user. (I verified this while testing. When you boot and unlock the primary user, other users data at /data/user/{id} is still encrypted until you unlock them.)

I'm already on Bluesky, but I stopped posting there because it seemed dead in comparison to Mastodon and Threads.

A Pixel 6 Pro.

It looked pretty much the same as before, but the background didn't change colors based on your system theme (Material You dynamic color theming). And yes, the monthly calendar widget is still there, and I believe also gets dynamic color support.

1. Hmm, can't really pick one, I'm just an overall fan of how "stock Android-like" Nothing OS 2.0 is, and I mean that in the sense that Nothing has largely retained the design language of Pixel Android (Material You) and has borrowed many GMS features (like Safety Hub, Game Dashboard, etc.)

2. Coming from the Zenfone 9, it definitely strains my hand more since it's larger and heftier.

3. Glyph lights definitely don't replace the regular torch functionality in terms of light coverage (btw, in Nothing OS 2.0, you can now long-press the Flashlight QS tile to turn on all Glyph lights at once).

1. It did not come with a case in the box.

2. I'll have to come back to this one, as I can't do any comparisons.

I haven't used the Phone (1), so I can't compare the two.