Motorola Moto E (2015) review: Lollipop and 4G on a budget

Motorola Moto E (2015) review: Lollipop and 4G on a budget

Robert Zak 2015-03-06T20:00:01Z1 month ago Robert Zak A tech aficionado since he first picked up a NES controller, Robert has written about technology, videogames, and film across a range of sites and magazines, including Den of Geek, Gamasutra, and Computeractive. At AndroidPIT, he'll be bringing you the latest Android news and reviews from the front line in the UK.

The original Moto E was a dinky entry-level smartphone that offered the perks of an up-to-date operating system while letting you perform most tasks without much flashiness. The Moto E (2015) features a quad-core processor, Android Lollipop and 4G, but is externally identical to its predecessor. This gives it?the?framework?of a solid, all-rounder?handset. Read our Moto E (2015) review to find out if a few?tweaks here and there are enough to make it a winning entry-level handset.

c ANDROIDPIT Good?? ?Great processing power for the price?Clever, dinky design?Can handle some good 3D gaming?Android LollipopBad?? ?Small, low-resolution screen?Poor front and rear cameras?A bit on the chubby side

The Moto E (2015) release date was February 26, so?it's?now available to buy in the UK, US and around 50 other countries. The 4G/LTE version reviewed here costs ￡109.99 in the UK and $149 in the US, with a similar Moto E (2015) price expected in other countries.

The look of the Moto E says “affordable but sturdy”. With its relatively small 4.5-inch screen and plastic chassis, it doesn't feel like it's trying hard to look like a higher-end device (the fact that it comes pre-loaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop does that job).

The new Moto E has a slightly chubby but clean and contemporary design. / c ANDROIDPIT

That's in no way saying that the matte plastic finish on the Moto E design looks bad. The phone has a very smooth, rounded look, with a textured band wrapping around the rim to improve grip. Interestingly, the band needs to be prised away to reveal the hidden microSD and SIM card slots. This seems like a great solution to giving the phone a clean-looking design, while not going to the other extreme by forcing you remove the battery to access your card slots; a deft piece of design.

Remove the textured rim around the Moto E to access the SIM and microSD slots. c ANDROIDPIT

At 12.3 mm thick, the Moto E is a bit on the dumpy side, though I don't think a few flabby millimetres round the waistline in any way detract from the phone's usability.

It may not look sleek, but the Moto E (2015) definitely has some character - and you can replace its chassis with wacky colors, just like the olden days. / c ANDROIDPIT

On the front, the Moto E (2015) has done away with the visible bottom speaker of its predecessor, leaving only the silver-bar top speaker and a front-facing camera underneath a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass. ?

?At 4.5 inches, the Moto E (2015) display gains 0.2 inches on its 2014 forebear, and by sticking to the same 540 x 960 resolution, it loses a few PPI in the process. In this day and age, the screen feels a bit on the small side, especially when you can now get a 5-inch display for ￡75 in the form of the Honor Holly – with a better resolution too.

With that said, if you're not too bothered about size and resolution, then the IPS LCD screen on the Moto E is bright and colorful?with decent viewing angles – perfectly sufficient for the casual user.

The quality of the software on the Moto E (2015) can be summed up with just one word – Lollipop. While Android's latest operating system update may be gaining notoriety for its glacial rollout, it's easily the best mobile operating system on the planet. The fact that only 3.3 percent of Android users are running Lollipop so far should make Moto E (2015) owners feel all the more privileged.

If you're on a tight budget and you just can't wait for Android Lollipop, then look no further. c ANDROIDPIT

With Lollipop, nothing ever feels more than a couple of swipes away, and Motorola is committed to running the near-stock Android experience. In the camera, swipe?in camera settings from the left, right to go?to the gallery, and up and down to zoom. On the homescreen, swipe the notifications menu down twice to reach your basic phone settings. Lollipop is full of these little niches you can discover, and is a great evolution of the Android UI.

There are few unnecessary apps on the Moto E. There's the?Moto app, which lets you set times you don't want the screen switching on - such as when you're sleeping -?or get the phone to send automatic messages to people trying to call you when you're in a meeting. The Help app is handy as well, offering tips as well as the option to instantly message or call the Motorola support team.

With its quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, the Moto E (2015) specs?offer?fantastic performance for the price. While there is the occasional stutter when gliding through the gorgeous-but-demanding Lollipop interface, for the most part the latest Android UI is more a boon than a bane to the Moto E.

A fairly high-end game like WWE Immortals runs well on the Moto E (2015). / c ANDROIDPIT

In our AnTuTu benchmarks, the Moto E achieved a very respectable 21,856, nearly doubling the 2014 Moto E's score of 12,676, and even outperforming last year's Moto G and the more expensive Huawei Ascend G7 by a comfortable margin.

While the Moto E isn't a gaming powerhouse, it did surprisingly well in the benchmarks, so we decided to throw it out into the field with the recent (and ridiculous) game, WWE Immortals. The 3D fighting game was playable, with slowdown only noticeable during bigger explosions. ?

The Achilles Heel of the Moto E – as with its predecessor – is the 5MP rear camera, which will give your snaps that 2007 look. There is no flash, and pictures are prone to looking noisy unless you're in optimal light conditions. The software redeems the camera slightly by featuring an automatically-enabled HDR mode, which saved many a photo that we took.?

My dusty keyboard is a great way of seeing how much detail a camera picks up. The picture here is a bit noisy, and it's hard to pick out the dust particles between the keys. / c ANDROIDPIT

The camera app has some intuitive touches, and most functions can be carried out with a couple of swipes?(dragging your finger up and down anywhere on the screen to zoom is a nice touch). The editing options are decent too, but overall the camera feels a little 'last-gen' – especially when for lower a price you can get a decent 8MP snapper on the Honor Holly.

The 0.3MP VGA front camera deserves little more mention than this oversized footnote.

Some purple flowers (no HDR). / c ANDROIDPIT More purple flowers (with HDR). / c ANDROIDPIT These fruits (with HDR) show that the Moto E can at least capture colour decently. / c ANDROIDPIT At their best, photos have good colours, but are poor at picking out details. This is a shot using HDR mode. / c ANDROIDPIT No, this isn't a photo with a pastel effect put over it, but the result of the camera being fully zoomed. / c ANDROIDPIT

The 2390 mAh Moto E (2015) battery is a small step up from the 1920mAh battery of its predecessor. You should be able to squeeze over a day's moderate use out of it which, while not?a spectacular?figure, is reasonable for the price point of this handset.

Model:Sorry, not yet available! Dimensions:129.9 x 66.8 x 12.3 mmScreen:960 x 540 pixels (245 ppi)Android version:5.0.2 - LollipopChipset:Qualcomm Snapdragon 410Connectivity:HSPA, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0

The Moto E (2015) updates last year's version of the phone in some important areas, boosting the processing power and updating to Android Lollipop. It did, however, neglect doing much to upgrade the woeful front and rear cameras on the 2014 model.

With the rise of budget phones from Chinese competitors like Huawei, ￡109.99 is also not as enticing a price tag as it was a year ago, but the Moto E (2015) does manage to outperform phones that are more expensive than it, so it still equates to good value for money.

Don't be fooled by the cutesy look, the Moto E (2015) packs some deceptive power for the price. If you're after a phone that will make you feel on-trend with features like Android Lollipop and?4G, then this is a very good budget option - just don't expect much from the photography.

If you're on a budget and want a piece of Lollipop, then look no further. / c ANDROIDPIT

Has our Moto E (2015) review swayed you towards getting one? Or do you already own one? Let us know your feelings about it in the comments.

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Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which is the better platform?

Android 5.0 Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which is the better platform?

Loie Favre 2015-05-01T23:00:01Z3 days ago Loie Favre Loie Favre found her way to her present passion for Android and smartphone technology after experiencing an epiphany when she held her Galaxy Note 2. From that point onwards, you can find her with her nose buried in countless Android apps and different smartphone models, and thanking her lucky stars that she gets to work at something she loves.

We’ve had a number of months to get to grips with Android Lollipop (well, some of us have), and it's high-time we take another look at how it compares to Apple’s proprietary operating system, iOS 8. Find out which is better in our iOS 8 vs Android Lollipop comparison.?

Android Lollipop vs iOS 8 comparison: which OS is better? / c ANDROIDPIT

Apple upset many users with iOS 7, which dumped cutesy copies of real-world objects - a philosophy known as skeuomorphic design - for something bolder, more colorful and considerably flatter.

iOS 8 wasn’t as dramatic an upgrade; it’s a refinement, rather than a revolution, and it introduces some features which Android users might already find familiar: autosuggested words when you reply to texts, the ability to use third party keyboards, Google Drive-style file sharing and the ability for apps to send data to one another.

iOS and Android look quite similar these days, but iOS can't really be customized. / c Apple/ANDROIDPIT

Android went flat too, with its new aesthetic philosophy known as Material Design. Like iOS 8, the interface is bolder, with simpler icons than the previous editions. Google’s colorful design language also affects the interactivity to some extent, with icons and menus having a visible reaction when tapped, pulled and swiped:?Material Design is filled with subtle animations which add visual context for the user.

The refinement of icons can be seen first hand when looking at the how the navigation soft keys have changed: the return key isn’t a sweeping line with an arrowhead, it’s a triangle. And the recent apps menu, a square. Both Apple and Google focused on subtle changes to the look of the interface, rather than a total overhaul. ???

iOS 8 now supports widgets (though they are restricted to the notifications centre), and has changed the way it displays notifications to make them more discreet, but also more interactive (you can now reply to a message from the notification itself, rather than entering the app where the message lies).

iOS 8 opened the doors to replacement keyboards, Apple Pay, and HealthKit, and overall, iOS 8 is more “open” than it has been before, with more access given to third-party developers and apps. Additionally, iOS still has the lion's share of big-name exclusive apps and partnerships (highly-accurate weather app?“Dark Sky” and photo editing app “Camera+” are just two of the cool?apps Android is missing out on). ??

iOS 8 delivers on the pristine clarity that Apple is known for. / c ANDROIDPIT

Android made changes to?its?notifications department also. In?Lollipop, notifications are visible on the lock screen, meaning they can be viewed without unlocking the handset (an improvement which incidentally?killed the demand for a number of apps dedicated to solving this problem).

To compliment the advances with notifications, the latest version of Android reinvented the recent apps menu, which is launched by tapping on the new square icon. This gives an endlessly scrolling list of not just your most recent apps, but your position within those apps. It’s certainly clever, and the initial concerns of?the overall effect this would have on RAM and processing power have been subsequently cast aside.

Additionally, Android Lollipop delivers?multiple user-profiles and handset unlocking when paired with Android Wear devices located nearby.

Android's lock screen notifications can be seen on the left, with the new user-profiles on the right. / c ANDROIDPIT

Lock screen notifications, recent apps menu, multiple user profiles and replaceable keyboards are something both?UIs have in common, but where do they differ??Android is still more customizable, with iOS 8?limiting?even simple facets of the interface, like where apps can be placed on a?homepage (they have to start at the top left?and they still can’t be hidden from the homescreen).

That being said, Android’s ability to be customized and make use of third-party products means iOS 8 is still considered the “safer” platform.

Android has a difficult time optimizing its camera software for the plethora of devices running it, but Google did take one big step in Lollipop by letting users, and other developers, directly access RAW image files.

iPhone’s image processing software is first-rate, and this means that even with the relatively low megapixel numbers we see on iPhone cameras, their pictures still look great. Furthermore, iOS 8 brings a timer mode, and some enhanced photo editing features (color/brightness/exposure controls) which weren’t available previously.

A look at the battery page on Android Lollipop. / c ANDROIDPIT

Regardless of battery capacities, iOS 8 still provides a better native platform for battery performance. Android Lollipop is said to offer a 10 percent increase in battery life compared to Android KitKat, but this hasn’t being observed across all devices. This is the price paid for multiple manufacturers and multiple UIs.

Be that as it may, Android batteries come in all shapes and sizes, so there is scope for far superior, and also far inferior, battery life. Still, few Android devices can reach the three/four day standby time of the iPhone 6 Plus.

Apple has Metal, a new API for games developers; Android 5.0 Lollipop has OpenGL ES 3.1 and the Android Extension Pack for games developers. Both can provide?console-quality gaming on mobile devices, but few games take full advantage of the technical capabilities yet.

Android 5.0 Lollipop means you won't have to wait as long for future software updates. / c ANDROIDPIT

Android devices are notoriously slow to receive updates. There are a lot of hoops manufacturers have to jump through to distribute new software, which is why, six months later, only 5 percent of devices have Lollipop. This means 95 percent of users will be comparing KitKat or a previous OS to iOS 8, which most iPhones are running (Apple usually distributes a new OS to the majority of devices within the first week).

Furthermore, Android devices are usually only supported for the first 18 months of their life, compared to iPhones, which are usually guaranteed updates for three years. (This is to say nothing of the current status of both platforms, only the longevity of devices running them.)

Let’s be honest,?the Google Play Store is all too often a hive of villainy, and while Apple may be a bit heavy-handed on the censorship front there’s no need for a big “Here Be Dragons” sign above the iTunes app store. The ongoing battle between Google and the baddies is the price you pay for a more open app store.

iOS's Health app is designed to work with all kinds of sensors / c Apple

Both OSes are designed to work with health hardware, both in smartphones and in external devices such as smartwatches.

Apple’s iOS 8 uses Health App, which it’s been working on with big names in healthcare such as the Mayo Clinic and which it’s punting to healthcare providers as a safe and secure way to store patient data as well as a useful way for customers to track their fitness. There’s an API for third party developers called HealthKit.

Android 5.0 Lollipop’s equivalent is Google Fit, and it sounds rather similar. Partners include Adidas, Asus, Withings, Runkeeper and Polar, and Nike Fuelbands will be part of the Google Fit club too. There isn’t a direct equivalent of Apple’s Health app: Google’s leaving that to the manufacturers.

Google now has a serious competition in the digital wallet arena. / c Google, Apple, ANDROIDPIT

Apple now has a rival to Google Wallet (Google's free digital wallet which allows you to save your debit and credit cards on an Android device for simple in-store or online payments) called Apple Pay. While it uses the same basic idea as Wallet - wireless payments via NFC - it takes a different approach. Using the TouchID fingerprint sensor to authenticate payments means that Apple Pay payments are counted as Cardholder?Present payments, just like when you use a credit or debit card in the shop. That's important because Cardholder?Present transactions cost retailers less in fees than Card Not Present ones, and it's something Apple Pay offers and Google Wallet doesn't.

For now Apple Pay is US-only but if it proves popular, and early indications suggest it will, then we'd expect to see it in Europe next year.

Mobile OSes have evolved. Both iOS (formerly iPhone OS) and Android started off as mobile phone operating systems, expanded to take in tablets - belatedly, in Android’s case - and now have their sights set on the wider world.

Both platforms are interested in three major kinds of accessories: home automation, wearables,?and in-car systems. As ever the approach is different, with Apple providing a one-stop shop and Google concentrating more on providing the platform for others to work with. How Google responds to the recent release of the Apple Watch is going to be particularly interesting, and will most certainly have an effect on the direction it takes Android Wear.

Both Apple and Android have made the move into wearables. / c ANDROIDPIT

Comparing Android Lollipop to Apple iOS 8 definitely highlights more similarities than differences; these?platforms are closer than ever before. Lollipop is the most customizable OS, but the “locked-down” nature of iOS 8 means it benefits from better security, and wider integration?with services in the real world. If you walk into a store which supports a smartphone feature, be it for payments, an app download, or something else, you can bet that this will be available for iOS 8 first, and Android second. Meanwhile,?Android gives you a wide choice of hardware options,?while Apple offers a handful of admittedly beautiful devices.?

It would be unfair to look too much at availability here, after all, this is a comparison of Lollipop and iOS 8. That being said, we are comparing an OS which is on more than 70 percent of peoples'?iPhones, to something which is apparent on around five percent of Android devices, and that’s something that should be noted.

Android 5.0 Lollipop looks pretty sweet. / c ANDROIDPIT

When all is said and done, we are of course biased towards Android, because it’s what we live and breath. Calling Lollipop the victor won’t mean much coming from us. iOS 8 is a worthy competitor to Android Lollipop, and Android 5.0 wouldn't have been as impressive without it. But because Material Design presents something genuinely fresh, and takes Android and smartphone interfaces at large in a smart new direction, there might not have ever been a more exciting time to go Android.

What do you think? Is there anything in iOS 8 you’d like to see in Android 5.0 Lollipop?

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Galaxy S5 Android update [Samsung promises fixes for broken Lollipop]

Galaxy S5 Android update [Samsung promises fixes for broken Lollipop]

Scott Adam Gordon 2015-05-04T17:00:01Z14 hours ago Scott Adam Gordon Originally from the UK, Scott graduated in Popular Music Studies at Newcastle University and attributes most of his success there to his beloved Samsung Galaxy S2. He has written for a market research company and video game website, but now only wishes to voice his opinion on the greatest open source project of all time! That's Android. Scott has never owned an Apple device, of any kind, and doesn't see this changing anytime soon.

The?Android 5.0?Lollipop?update for the?Galaxy S5?has been rolling out since January, but has been troubling users?with?bugs, battery drain?and crashes. Samsung has now admitted that the S5 Lollipop update has its share of problems?and has vowed to fix them by rolling out a series of micro-updates. Read on for the full story, and all the other news about the Galaxy S5 Android update.

Galaxy S5 Android update: when will my Samsung phone get Lollipop??/ c ANDROIDPIT

In early May, Samsung said on its UK Twitter page:

"Our engineers are currently sending out micro updates to help resolve any issues caused by the update. Thanks for your patience".

When users asked for more exact details, Samsung said it would tackle the "reported issues" caused by the update - which included crashes, overheating, and fast-draining battery. Samsung said that the "micro-updates" have already begun rolling out to devices, but that many users will have to wait for the updates to get approval from their carriers before receiving them.

If the problems on your Galaxy S5 are proving too much to cope with, then Samsung has advised users to factory reset their S5s. If you think that Lollipop pretty Material Design interface just isn't worth the hassle due to its pile of problems, then you can read our guide on how to downgrade your Galaxy S5 back to Android KitKat.

Have you had problems with Lollipop on your S5? Will you wait for the fixes or go back to KitKat? Let us know in the comments.

Is Lollipop on your Galaxy S5 broken? Samsung says fixes are on the way. / c ANDROIDPIT

AT&T Galaxy S5 update

AT&T?is the last major US carrier to deliver the?Android 5.0 Lollipop update to its Galaxy S5 owning customers, announcing its roll-out?plans via its ATTCares Twitter account. Head?to your settings > about phone > software update page to download it now.

T-Mobile Galaxy S5 update

T-Mobile Galaxy S5 owners can upgrade to?Android 5.0 Lollipop OTA right now. The update comes in at around 940 MB, so make sure you're on Wi-Fi when you download it.?

Verizon Galaxy S5 update

The Galaxy S5?Lollipop update is also available for?S5 owners on the Verizon network?(SM-G900V). The update apparently arrived in two bundles, upgrading the Verizon Galaxy S5 firmware to build number?VRU1BNLC.

Sprint Galaxy S5 update

Sprint?followed hot on Verizon's heels, pushing out the update?OTA for the US Galaxy S5?(model number SM-G900P). To check to see if the update is waiting for you, just go to Settings > About Phone > Software Update.

The Sprint?changelog is pretty minimal, featuring:

Android OS update to v5.0 LollipopEnhanced VoWiFi UILumen tool bar removed

The Galaxy S5 Lollipop update has been available in the UK and Europe for a while, but a?recent?patch brought back mute mode to the quick-settings menu. This feature had been removed when Android 5.0?first arrived?(as Lollipop doesn't have a standard silent mode), but made a return with the Galaxy Note Edge running Android 5.0.1.?The upgraded Lollipop firmware for?the Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F) rolled out?with build number?G900FXXU1BOB7.?

Mute mode returns to the Galaxy S5 with the latest firmware patch from Samsung. / c ANDROIDPIT

The Galaxy S5 LTE-A Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update hit unlocked and carrier-branded?devices in South Korea with?model number SM-G906S. This bodes well for the international version?Galaxy S5 LTE-A as well, with?model number?SM-G901F which surely can't be far away either.

Updated by Robert Zak on May 4, 2015

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( Labels: Android, broken, fixes, GALAXY, Lollipop, promises, Samsung, update ) Read more

Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update: has it been cancelled?

Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update: has it been cancelled?

Loie Favre 2015-05-04T09:48:25Z21 hours ago Loie Favre Loie Favre found her way to her present passion for Android and smartphone technology after experiencing an epiphany when she held her Galaxy Note 2. From that point onwards, you can find her with her nose buried in countless Android apps and different smartphone models, and thanking her lucky stars that she gets to work at something she loves.

Android 5.0 Lollipop might not make its way to the Galaxy Note 2 at all, the latest speculation suggests.?Samsung Poland confirmed that Lollipop would arrive on the?Note 2 in February. However, the latest information suggests that this is not the case any more.?Find out all of the latest Galaxy Note 2 Android update news below.??

When will the Galaxy Note 2 get Android 5.0 Lollipop? / c ANDROIDPIT

Samsung Poland confirmed?that the Galaxy Note 2 would?receive the?Android 5.0 Lollipop update, despite that the device is more than two years old. This was?several months ago, and now?SamMobile?is speculating that the update won't?arrive after all.

The Samsung news site highlighted?that no?Lollipop builds for the Note 2 have landed?on Samsung's servers -- something which is likely to have happened if the update was in progress?-- and also that Samsung Gulf?has confirmed that it won't be released in a?Facebook conversation.

We were skeptical about the initial Twitter comment from Samsung Poland, given that we?were still yet to hear confirmation from any other source, and so we must be equally critical of Samsung Gulf's comments.?That being said, if you were to ask us right now whether we expect the Galaxy Note 2 Android Lollipop update to be released, the answer would likely be no.??

We'll update the list below if and when?the Note 2 update hits the US. For now, it's looking bare.

T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2?Android update

The T-Mobile Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has not been released yet. As soon as it is,?we'll update this article.

AT&T Galaxy Note 2 Android update

The AT&T Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has not been released yet. As soon as it is, we'll update this article.

Verizon Galaxy Note 2?Android update

The Verizon Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has not been released yet. As soon it is, we'll update this article.

Sprint Galaxy Note 2?Android update

The Sprint Galaxy Note 2 Android 5.0 Lollipop update has not been released yet. As soon as it is, we'll update this article.

Are you desperate to get Lollipop on the Galaxy Note 2? Or are you still happy with Android KitKat? Let us know in the comments below.?

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Android 5.0 Lollipop update: which phones will get it and when?

Android 5.0 Lollipop update: which phones will get it and when?

Loie Favre 2015-05-04T23:00:00Z8 hours ago Loie Favre Loie Favre found her way to her present passion for Android and smartphone technology after experiencing an epiphany when she held her Galaxy Note 2. From that point onwards, you can find her with her nose buried in countless Android apps and different smartphone models, and thanking her lucky stars that she gets to work at something she loves.

Android 5.0 Lollipop?is continuing to?roll out and?we've gathered?all of the information on?which phones will get?the?update?and when.?We've broken down our list by manufacturer, so scroll through?to find your OEM and look for your specific device below.?

Find out when your device will receive the Android 5.0 Lollipop update.?/ c ANDROIDPIT Nexus 4 - available now - all thing Nexus 4 update relatedNexus 5 - available now?- all things Nexus 5 update relatedNexus 6 - Android Lollipop out of the box - all things?Nexus 6 update relatedNexus 7?(2013) - available now -?all things Nexus 7 (2013) update relatedNexus 7 - available now?- all things Nexus 7 update relatedNexus 9 - Android Lollipop out of the box - all things Nexus 9 update relatedNexus 10 - available now When will Android Lollipop come to your device? / c ANDROIDPIT Moto E - available now?- all things Moto E update relatedMoto E (2015) - available now?Moto G - available now - all things Moto G update relatedMoto G LTE edition - in line for Android 5.0 update soonMoto G (2014) - available now - all things Moto G (2014) update relatedMoto X - coming soon - all things?Moto X (2013) update relatedMoto X (2014) - available now - all things Moto X (2014) update relatedDroid Turbo - expected to go straight to Android 5.1

Motorola has now made it even easier to determine if and when your device will get the Android 5.0 Lollipop update thanks to a dedicated page on the official Motorola website. As of yet, Motorola device owners are unable to see an exact date of the update, only that it will or will not arrive on their device. Hopefully more info will be added in the near future.

Motorola's devices were some of the first to receive Lollipop. / c ANDROIDPIT HTC One M7?- available now - all things HTC One (M7) update related??HTC One M8 - available now?- all things?HTC One (M8) update relatedHTC One mini - update cancelled.HTC One mini?2 - update cancelled.?HTC One Max -?promised for update, no hard scheduleHTC One M7?GPE - available nowHTC One M8 GPE - available now - all things HTC One (M8) GPE relatedHTC One M9 - Android Lollipop out of the box - all things?HTC One M9 update?relatedOther HTC devices expected to make the update include the Butterfly 2, Desire 816 and Desire 820, Desire Eye, One (E8) and possibly the Desire S. The HTC One M8 is now running Android Lollipop. / c ANDROIDPIT Galaxy Note 4?- available now - all things?Galaxy Note 4 update?relatedGalaxy Note Edge?- available now?- all things Galaxy Note Edge update relatedGalaxy S5?- available now?- all things Galaxy S5 update relatedGalaxy?S5 Mini?- confirmed for Q2 2015Galaxy Alpha?- update due ''early 2015''Galaxy S4?- available now?- all things Galaxy S4 update relatedGalaxy S4 Mini -?no available information, expected to be updated thoughGalaxy S4 GPE?- available nowGalaxy S6 - Android Lollipop out of the box - all things Galaxy S6 update relatedGalaxy Note 3?- available now?- all things Galaxy Note 3 update relatedGalaxy Note 2 - update cancelled?- all things Galaxy Note 2 update relatedGalaxy Tab Pro?8.4?- no available informationGalaxy Tab?Pro?10.1?- no available informationGalaxy Tab Pro?12.2 - available nowGalaxy?Tab S 8.4?- available nowGalaxy?Tab S 8.4 LTE - confirmed for May 2015Galaxy Tab S 10.5?- available nowGalaxy S3 - won't receive Lollipop, but you can get a custom version - all things?Galaxy S3 update related Samsung devices are receiving Android 5.0 Lollipop thick and fast.?/ c ANDROIDPIT LG G Pad 8.3 GPE - available nowLG G3?- available now (incl. US) - all things LG G3 update relatedLG G3 Stylus?-?no available informationLG G2?- available now?- all things LG G2 update relatedLG G Pad 8.3?-?no available informationLG G2 Mini?-?no available informationLG G Flex?-?no available informationLG G3 S- available nowLG G3 Beat - expected soonXperia Z Ultra GPE - available now?Xperia Z3?- available now - all things Xperia Z3 update relatedXperia Z3 Compact?- available now - all things?Xperia Z3 Compact update relatedXperia Z3 Tablet Compact?- available nowXperia Z Ultra?-?available nowXperia Z1?-?available now - all things Xperia Z1 update relatedXperia Z1 Compact -?firmware has been certified, rollout imminentXperia Z2?- available now - all things?Xperia Z2 update relatedXperia Z2?Tablet?- available nowXperia ZL?-?coming soonXperia ZR?-?coming soonXperia Z1S?-?coming soonXperia Z3v?-?coming soon There are many Samsung fans out there eagerly awaiting Android Lollipop. / c ANDROIDPIT ZenFone4 - May?2015ZenFone5 - May 2015ZenFone6 - May 2015ZenFone 5 LTE - available nowPadfoneS - June 2015The new PadFone Infinity - June?2015

For everything else relating to Android?Lollipop, head over to our what you need to know about Android 5.0 Lollipop page.?

Which device are you waiting for the Android 5.0 Lollipop update on?

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7 reasons why KitKat is better than Lollipop

7 reasons why KitKat is better than Lollipop

David Nield 2015-05-05T01:00:01Z6 hours ago David Nield David is a freelance technology journalist who has been writing about Android apps and gadgets since the earliest days of the platform. He spends most of his time experimenting with phones, tablets and most other types of tech, particularly if it's Google-related.

Wanting an upgrade to the latest version of Android is understandable — after all, in theory it should be the one with the best features and the fastest performance. In practice?though, that's not always the case, and there are several reasons why you might want to hold off on a Lollipop upgrade.

Lollipop is here — but is KitKat better? / c AndroidPIT

That's if you have the option of course: Your handset might not be getting Lollipop, or it might have been waiting for a very long time. Whatever the situation, here are seven areas where we think Android 4.4 KitKat beats out Android 5.x Lollipop — let us know if you agree in the comments.

Lollipop brings its Project Volta optimizations and promises of a better battery life for your device, but that doesn't necessarily work out in the real world: In the tests run by GSM Arena, the Nexus 5 and the LG G3 actually suffered from worse battery life after the upgrade. At the very least check the benchmarks for your handset before pushing the upgrade button.

Your battery might do better on KitKat. / c AndroidPIT

As you may know if you've searched through the feature lists, Android Lollipop brings notifications to the lock screen — that means anyone picking up your phone can see your alerts (though sensitive content can be hidden). If you want a more streamlined, less cluttered lock screen, then you're better off sticking with KitKat for the time being.

Android KitKat: For a cleaner lock screen. / c AndroidPIT

Google has made some tweaks to the way multitasking works in Lollipop which may or may not be to your tastes. Each browser window and open document counts as an extra pane on the multitasking screen, so it gets more crowded more quickly, and the open apps stay open even after a reboot so you can't quickly clear everything out from the memory.

The old-style multitasking screen. / c AndroidPIT

One of the most baffling decisions made by Google in Lollipop was the removal of the silent mode shortcut — accessed by a long press on the Power button — that let you quickly mute your phone. You can of course mute a Lollipop handset but it's a much more complicated process and the old Power shortcut has been cut for no apparent reason.

The silent mode option is missing in Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as far as OS design goes but not everyone is happy with Lollipop's revamped navigation buttons and the white apps drawer that you can't edit without installing an alternative launcher. The Material Design has been widely heralded as an improvement by most, but for some it looks a little garish and cartoonish.

The white apps drawer in Android Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

If you're a fan of lock screen widgets then you won't like the Lollipop upgrade — they're no longer supported. Why Google decided to give them the chop isn't clear, but maybe the new lock screen notifications have something to do with it. If there are certain lock screen widgets that you rely on, then you're better off sticking with Android KitKat for the time being.

Lock screen widgets are missing in Lollipop. / c AndroidPIT

Of course Google has been quick to update its official apps for Android, and many of the big names have done the same, but smaller and older apps can throw up bugs and complications when running with the new-look Lollipop. If a handful of your favorite apps haven't been updated to be fully compatible with Android 5.x, you might want to hold fire on upgrading.

Have all your apps been upgraded? / c AndroidPIT

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