Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes the leaked Galaxy Z Fold 4 camera, news on the OnePlus 10, Google’s iOS to Android tool, the Pixel Smartwatch design revealed, the importance of the Pixel 6a, reviewing Android in Windows, and Microsoft’s latest Android update.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).
The Fold Ultra Comparison
Samsung is expected to debut its premium camera in the latest foldable smartphone. The Galaxy Z Fold 4, due up this summer, is going to sit alongside the flagship S22 Ultra, according
“According to tipster Dohyun Kim, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will bring a completely new primary camera sensor. The upcoming foldable phone, which will launch in the second half of this year, is rumored to feature a 108MP primary camera. It could be the same 1/1.33-inch camera sensor used in the Galaxy S22 Ultra. If this information is correct, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 could offer a meaningful improvement in image quality.”
(SamMobile).
Belgrade, Serbia – December 24, 2021: New Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 5G mobile cellphones are shown as … [+]
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The Ten Finally Arrives
Notably by its absence as the OnePlus 10 Pro launched first, specs and details around a potential OnePlus 10 handset have been picked up. While Qualcomm and MediaTek system on chips are both present, the other specs look solid:
“OnePlus is currently in the early stages of testing and it’s likely we will see the OnePlus 10 launching in the second half of 2022. The OnePlus 10 features a 6.7-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display that offers support for a 120Hz refresh rate. In all likelihood, the vanilla OnePlus 10 will also feature LTPO 2.0 backplane technology which can adapt the refresh rate between 1Hz to 120Hz depending on the kind of content being played on the screen.
From iOS To Android
Previous unlisted but available in Apple’s App Store, Google has now made the app “official” and it is both listable and discoverable in the App Store
“As reported, the app supports all the same data types as does Google Drive. Before, Google’s suggested process for moving to Android from iPhone involved having users back up their contacts, calendar, photos and videos via the Google Drive iOS app before changing devices. The new Switch to Android app does the same thing, but offers a “faster, more streamlined” experience, Google says.”
(TechCrunch).
Google’s Definition Of A Smartwatch
With Google’s I/O event on the horizon, many are expecting the launch of the Pixel smartwatch at the event. Presumably powered by wearOS, this would be the first ‘own brand’ wearable from Google that it will hope defines the market in much the same way as the Pixel smartphones:
“As a device that’s been literally years in the making — and widely anticipated for even longer — Google’s first own brand wearOS device, a.k.a. the Pixel Watch, is most certainly the unicorn of the wearable space. Codenamed Rohan… the round-faced, digital-crown-equipped watch is finally starting to break cover, with a reveal (if not full-on release) expected in the near future.
(91mobiles).
The Importance Of The Pixel 6a
How important is a mid-range, mid-specced Pixel 6a? If you’re used to playing Specifications Top Trumps, then not very. But with the success of handsets like Samsung’s Galaxy A12, and the slow sales of Google’s premium handsets, is the market ready for a mid-range handset that brings Google’s new technology to an affordable price? And can that disrupt the space?
“The one area where Google’s seen some manner of meaningful commercial success is in the midrange realm — with its Pixel “a” line of devices. But the most recent Pixel “a” phone, the Pixel 5a, sells for $450. With the high-end Pixel 6 flagship of the moment costing only a cool 600 smackers, $450 suddenly doesn’t seem like such a bargain anymore.”
Reviewing Android On Windows
Windows 11’s long awaited ability to run Android applications has arrived. Unsurprisingly it’s not using the Google Play Store, instead, Microsoft has turned to Amazon’s Android App Store which reduces the number of apps available (it’s likely your favourite will be missing). As for the core offering… it needs work:
“Unfortunately, Android apps are infamous for poor big screen support — that’s why Android 12L exists, after all. So when opening the Washington Post app on my PC (it’s one of the few mainstream services on the Appstore, thanks, presumably, to its owner), I wasn’t surprised to see a small window taking up less than a fourth of the display. Nor was I shocked to find it asking me to “swipe to continue” on a device without a touchscreen.”
And Finally…
Microsoft continues to build out its Android app suite with an update to its Authenticator app. Curiously, the added feature feels like it should already be there. Still, expectations are now being met:
” Microsoft’s Authenticator app is now one step closer to rival services such as Bitwarden with a new feature (via OnMsft) that helps you generate passwords automatically. We’ve seen similar features from other password managers before, but this is the first time Microsoft has included a password generator within its Authenticator app.”
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course read the sister column in 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 in Android Circuit, get in touch!
