Analysts: iPhone X made up 35% of smartphone profits in Q4 2017

Apple's flagship iPhone X has been a tremendous seller. It managed to take up to 35 % of smartphone profits in Q4 2017 according to a CNBC report based on the Counterpoint Research numbers. 

"According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s Q4 2017, the premium smartphone market did not grow as expected while Apple remained the most profitable brand, capturing 86% of the total handset market profits […]

The iPhone X alone generated 21% of total industry revenue and 35% of total industry profits during the quarter." This means the iPhone X, one of three new models from Apple in 2017, generated 5 times as much as 600 Android brands and a total of 35% off overall smartphone sales in the busiest quarter for devices.

Source:9to5Mac

Razer Phone gets Android 8.1 Oreo update

At the end of last month, Razer announced it was bringing Android Oreo to Razer Phone users. And now it seems that time has come. Android 8.1 is rolling out now to Razer Phone users. It’s rolling out slowly over the coming weeks so if it hasn’t landed on your device yet, you just need to wait for it a bit. According to Razer, what you can expect from the update include a “cleaner visual design, under-the-hood improvements for a better overall experience, Dolby Atmos app improvements, and support for the Netflix widget.” The update will also include “major” security patches and bug fixes.

Source: Android Central

Google Play Music on Android adds new options to new Location & Privacy section

If you’ve been waiting for a revamp of the Google Play Music app, this isn’t the update for you. Version 8.8 of the app adds a new section it calls “Location & Privacy” in the Settings panel. One of the new things is the “Manage Play Music History” and “Manage Google Location History” have been moved under General section. These two also join the new “Manage Activity Controls” option. When you select on any of these, you’ll be taken to your Google’s My Activity settings on the browser.

You now also have the option to “Delete my library” and “Delete recommendation history.” The former was previously only accessible through the web client. Meanwhile, the latter, if you choose to use it, will also remove your listening history, search history, and any other history that contributes to personalized recommendations.

Source: 9to5Google

Spotify’s upcoming event puts focus on mobile app

Spotify is holding an event on April 24^th and a new flyer related to the event confirms that the event will heavily focus on Spotify’s mobile efforts. Those presenting at the event include Chief R&D Officer Gustav Söderström, Vice President of Product Development Babar Zafar, and Global Head of Creator Services Troy Carter. There are a number of things the music streaming service can announce. One is the expansion of its voice control feature beyond testing with select iOS accounts. Another is talks about changes to free subscription tier where the service will be easier to use, especially for those on mobile. And there’s also been rumours that Spotify is entering the hardware space, we might hear more then.

Source: The Verge