Android annual overview 2020: summarized the most important news

The year 2020 is – finally – almost over. It was an eventful year in which the corona virus received all the attention. However, there was also plenty of news in the smartphone world. Consider the rollout of the 5G network, the new smartphones, Android 11, eSIM and so on. We list everything for you in the Android Annual Review 2020.

Annual overview 2020

The year started off quietly; corona was still a long way from our bed show. In the following months, the corona virus received more and more attention, and we saw that again in the telecom world this year. The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was canceled, after a manufacturer always dropped out over a fairly long period. However, there was also plenty of other news. In the Android Annual Review 2020 of DroidApp, we list the most important news per month for you once again.

January

Samsung kicked off the first month of the year with a series of announcements. We saw the Galaxy A51, A71, the S10 Lite and the Note 10 Lite. In addition, OnePlus came with its first Concept One with sleek design and disappearing cameras. It was also the end of provider Robin Mobile, which became Budget Mobile. Not only did we say goodbye to that, due to a lost lawsuit we also said goodbye to the French brand Wiko in the Netherlands, which can no longer be sold here.

February

The most important news of February was the cancellation of the Mobile World Congress. After more and more manufacturers and parties had previously withdrawn their participation in the annual telecom fair in Barcelona, ​​it also seemed better for the organization to cancel the event for 2020. In 2021, the fair will be held in June; so is the planning now. Yet there was still plenty of news. Samsung showed the new Galaxy S20 series and the Galaxy Z Flip. Sony showed the Xperia 1 II and Xperia 10 II. Google Maps now shows the maximum speed in the app and last but not least; Android 11 was released unexpectedly. There was also some nice news; a man with 99 phones was able to influence the traffic information in Google Maps.

March

In March, Oppo announced its new Find X2 series; consisting of the regular model and the Pro. The Huawei P40 series was also announced online, the big difference with previous P series was that they were not equipped with the Google services. Still because of the US sanctions. Where various providers already offer unlimited, you can only choose a Red Unlimited bundle at Vodafone since March. Nokia showed the Nokia 8.3 5G which only became available much later.

April

In the fourth month of the year, OnePlus came with the 8 series, consisting of the regular 8 and the 8 Pro. At Facebook we saw the new care emoji being added and Motorola came up with the presentation of the Motorola Edge. The Dutch Data Protection Authority came up with an overview in which video calling apps were compared. Services such as video calling via Zoom and WhatsApp are much more popular due to the Corona virus, but there are major differences in privacy.

May

OnePlus was in the news in May. With the color filter camera of the OnePlus 8 Pro you could see through things. Poco also presented the Poco F2 Pro and Nokia released the Nokia 5.3. With the Appie app from Albert Heijn it has been possible to save your purchase stamps digitally since May. Xiaomi got into the news negatively for collecting user data on a large scale.

June

What kind of news could we expect in June 2020? In terms of news, there was nothing specifically that really stood out that month. Except that Vodafone started with eSIM this month. In addition, more explanation was given as to why weather apps were a lot less reliable around that period.

July

In July, T-Mobile and KPN in the Netherlands started rolling out the 5G network. In addition, OnePlus started an offensive in the more affordable segment, and it came with the OnePlus Nord. Xiaomi had a big announcement for Europe with the Redmi 9 series, among others. Furthermore, the Routines in the Google Assistant became available.

August

For the seventh year in a row, we published our extensive research on the best weather app. We have been conducting research for six months. You can read all results in the weather app test 2020. Samsung kicked off the month with a big announcement with the Note 20 series, Tab S7 and Galaxy Watch 3. There was also other big news from Samsung; different devices will be updated with Android updates for three years. We hope that many manufacturers may follow. Furthermore, the CoronaMelder app was released, Fortnite maker Epic Games was completely ready with the policy of Apple and Google and the EISA Awards 2020-2021 were presented.

September

Google had a big announcement. Here we saw the new Chromecast with remote control, the Nest Audio and new Pixels. Of course we have to wait much longer in the Netherlands for the new Chromecast and we do not have to expect the Pixels here. Samsung came out with the Galaxy S20 FE and Galaxy Z Fold 2, the company’s third foldable smartphone.

October

In the tenth month of the year, Oppo showed its new Reno 4 series and at OnePlus we saw the OnePlus 8T. Huawei presented its stylish Huawei Mate 40 Pro and Instagram celebrated its tenth anniversary. In this month, Google started rolling out the new icons for the various Google apps. After the Nokia 8.3 5G was announced in March, the device was finally actually shipped in October.

November

Last month we presented our own awards on DroidApp. In the article about the DroidApp Awards 2020 you will find the 10 best smartphones of 2020, because you cannot choose one winner, we think. You can read why in the article. There was also news about Google, which will stop the unlimited free storage space from next year. Furthermore, the Poco M3 was announced and Instagram rolled out the terrible interface to the apps. Honor was sold in order to circumvent the trade sanctions against Huawei and at Nokia two devices ‘from the past’ were given a new look.

December

In December it was announced that WhatsApp will no longer support all Android versions. OnePlus also confirmed that it will come with its own smartwatch in 2021. Qualcomm and Google are now working together to make it possible for manufacturers to provide Android devices with OS updates for four years. Nokia presented the Nokia 5.4 and Android Auto is officially coming to the Netherlands and Belgium. Xiaomi announced its Mi 11 smartphone for China, which we will probably see in Europe soon.

As every year, many lists appeared; the Year in Search 2020 overview from Google, Spotify annual overview 2020, Spotify Wrapped with your own hit list and the YouTube annual overview 2020. We published the indispensable apps according to the DroidApp writers and the most interesting smartphones of 2020 according to the authors.