Looking back at seven days of news and headlines in the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit features the Galaxy S23’s SnapDragon surprise, Samsung’s huge results, Google Pixel 6a reviewed, Asus ZenFone 9 launch, OnePlus’ shock decision, camera leaks of the Pixel 7 and ten years of the Google Play Store.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many things that happened around Android in the past week (and you can find the weekly roundup of Apple news here).
The dragon awaits S23
According to Qualcomm’s earnings report, Samsung will increase its reliance on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon system on chip. CEO Cristiano Amon suggested that Qualcomm’s stake in the product would increase. While there is no suggestion that this will be 100 percent of the Galaxy S line and the upcoming S23 family, it is undoubtedly strongly suggested:
“In response to questions from analysts about further details of this deal with Samsung, Amon added that, “The way you have to think about it is that Snapdragon will power their Galaxy product line, their flagship Galaxy products. And what I can say at this stage is we were 75% on the Galaxy S22 before the agreement. You have to think we’re going to be much better than that on the Galaxy S23 and beyond.”
(SamMobile).
Samsung’s successful quarter
Samsung reported a strong quarter, with revenue up 21 percent year-over-year and operating profit up twelve percent year-over-year. The star of the show? The premium smartphone market is essentially the Galaxy S22 family.:
“Looking at sales across segments, half of the increased sales came from the Mobile eXperience (MX) division, where premium products (namely the Galaxy S22 series) were much more desirable compared to predecessors in 2021.
(GSM Arena).
RIGA, LATVIA, FEBRUARY 9, 2022 – The new Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra Android smartphone with stylus is … [+] shown for editorial purposes.
Getty
Google Pixel 6a Review
Announced at Google I/O earlier this year, the Google Pixel 6a is now on sale and comes with five years of security updates. That’s a lot of time for a mid-range phone, no doubt achievable because it runs Google’s own Tensor Mobile chip, and the company has far more control over that chip throughout its design life than any other potential vendor. Nathan Spendelow reviews the phone, starting with the big-ticket items and what they’re saying about the phone:
“Google took a leaf from Apple’s iPhone SE playbook, matching the processing power of its flagship and making cuts elsewhere. The Pixel 6a uses Google’s own Tensor chip, giving it the same processing and graphics grunt as the full-fat Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. This is backed by 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage.
(Expert reviews).
Asus ZenFone 9 compact review
This week, Asus announced its latest smartphone, the ZenFone 9. Powered by SnapDragon 8+Gen 1, with up to 16GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, this is a smartphone that follows the path of high specs. But it follows a different route in terms of size, with a relatively small 5.9-inch screen, the main feature of a small package.
“There is some inevitability of specs (so last year’s Snapdragon 888 has been updated with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 system on chip); memory and storage options are again the expected 8/128, 8/256 or 16/256 for memory and storage, and there’s more stability in the camera body.
“…Compared to the current smartphone pack, the ZenFone 9 is a small smartphone. The 5.9-inch display is designed so that the handset can fit comfortably in one hand and fit into any reasonably sized pocket. The phone is thicker than the current fashion, highlighted by the two huge edges of the camera lens.”
(Forbes).
OnePlus is removing the mute switch for the 10T
Ahead of next week’s launch on August 3, OnePlus has confirmed some more details about the OnePlus 10T, and for long-term OnePlus fans, this will raise some eyebrows. One of the key points of differentiation, the physical three-way notification slider, is being removed from the upcoming OxygenOS phone:
“The alert slider has been a staple of OnePlus flagship phones for years, offering a quick and easy way to put phones on silent and vibrate without having to touch on-screen menus. In an email interview with The Verge, OnePlus chief designer Hope Liu said that removing the slider was necessary for the 10T to have enough internal space for other components needed for “high-power charging, large battery capacity, and better antenna signal’.
(On the edge).
Sensor and selfie camera secrets from Google
Tucked away in various pieces of code are details about the sensors Google will be bringing to its new Pixel hardware.; they are selected and highlighted by Kuba Wojciechowski. And once you have an idea of the components and capabilities, you can think about how they will be used.
“…both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will use the Samsung 3J1 as the front sensor, making them capable of taking 11MP selfies… What’s more interesting about the front camera is that the Samsung 3J1 sensor, like the IMX663 before it , features Dual Pixel Autofocus (DPAF) capabilities. While DPAF is often used to create impressive portrait/bokeh photos, we’ve also learned that the camera’s depth data should also play a role in the Face Unlock system that Google is still actively developing for the Pixel series.
(9to5Google).
And finally…
It’s been ten years since the Google Play Store opened to offer a one-stop shop for Android app needs. To mark the decade, the team took a look back at their big moments:
“A decade later, more than 2.5 billion people in over 190 countries use Google Play every month to discover apps, games and digital content. And more than 2 million developers work with us to build their businesses and reach people around the world. As we celebrate 10 years of Google Play, here are 10 of our favorite milestones and features from the past decade.”
You can check out the ten moments on Google’s blog.
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here at Forbes. Be sure to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the related column in the Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured on Android Circuit, get in touch!
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