Android Circuit: Samsung's Folding Success, Pixel 8 Pro's Hot Sensor Leaks, Google's Android Dashcam Revealed
Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week's Android Circuit includes Pixel 8 Pro's new sensor, Samsung's foldables winning again, the heart of Phone (2), OnePlus Pad going on sale, Oppo's battery powered reward, two folding phones with one design, and Google's new personal safety features leak.
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).
Pixel 8 Pro's Hottest Update
With the Pixel 7a launched, attention turns to the next flagship, the presumptively named Pixel 8 Pro. T details reveal Google is including a new sensor for the camera… a thermometer:
"One thing that is different though is the addition of a new sensor just below the LED flash. This is a dedicated infrared thermometer sensor that will be used to measure the temperature of your body. This sensor is similar to what most contactless thermometers use. In the video, we can see a clear demonstration of how the built-in thermometer in the Pixel 8 Pro works."
(91mobiles).
People walk past an advertisement for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 smartphones at the ... [+] company's Seocho building in Seoul on January 7, 2022, after South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics expected its operating profits for the fourth quarter to soar 52.5 percent. (Photo by Jung Yeon-je / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images)
AFP via Getty ImagesSamsung And The Foldable Market
While manufacturers push for foldable to be the "next big thing" during 2023, the initial rush to pick up foldable devices has slowed. Samsung retains the lion's share of the market, but it faces a challenge from the likes of Oppo and Honor. As more devices at more competitive price points reach consumers, will Samsung retain its number one spot?
"Samsung maintained the lead above all other foldable phone manufacturers. However, its Q1 shipment share fell to its second-lowest level yet, at 45%. During the same quarter, the 2nd largest foldable phone brand, shipment-wise, was Oppo. The latter OEM captured a share of 21%. (via )"
(SamMobile via @DSCCRoss).
Inside Nothing
Nothing Tech founder Carl Pei has confirmed the chipset that will drive the company's next smartphone; the Nothing Phone (2) will have the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor at its heart. This should offer more performance, an improved image signal processor for photography, and better battery life:
"There has been a lot of discussions ever since we announced that Phone (2) will have a Snapdragon 8 Series chipset. Well, here's some news - it's going to be the premium-tier powerhouse Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1. A clear upgrade from Phone (1). "
(Carl Pei / Twitter).
OnePlus Pad On Sale
The OnePlus Pad is now on sale in the UK, with a number of discounts on the peripherals available as you purchase the Android tablet. The Pad is a competent tablet, although the applications to make it a unique offering will be released later this summer. If you want to get in before then, here are the details:
"Global technology brand OnePlus today announced the open-sale of OnePlus Pad and OnePlus Pad accessories in the UK. Available today via oneplus.Com, OnePlus Pad is offered in Halo Green with 8GB RAM / 128 GB and is priced at £449. OnePlus also announced the open-sale of all OnePlus Pad accessories, including the OnePlus Stylo (£99) and OnePlus Magnetic Keyboard (£149), OnePlus Folio Case (£59)."
(OnePlus Store).
Folding Partners
OnePlus' move to take on the foldable smartphones market later this year will bring with it both a 'Fold' and a 'Flip' styled phone. And there's going to be a less than surprising echo in the handsets of its sister brand Oppo:
"OnePlus is launching its first-ever foldable smartphone in Q3 this year. The company had teased the OnePlus Fold earlier giving us a glimpse at its design which looked like a book-style form factor. Now, tipster Yogesh Brar has exclusively told 91mobiles that the OnePlus Fold will indeed feature a book-style folding design, and it will also look exactly like the OPPO Find N3, another upcoming foldable.
(91mobiles).
Oppo's Battery Powered Reward
Staying with Oppo, its Battery Health Engine has picked up a SEAL award for sustainability. The Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership Awards, naturally promote sustainable technology. Extending the battery life of its phones both on a single charge and over thousands of charges, lie behind the recognition: innovative initiatives that positively impact the environment.
"Based on OPPO's customized battery management chip, the Smart Battery Health Algorithm, and Battery Healing Technology, the Battery Health Engine can maintain the battery capacity of OPPO smartphones by as much as 80% of its original value after as many as 1,600 charge-discharge cycle"
(Seal Awards via FastCompany).
And Finally...
Lurking inside a beta of Google's Personal Safety app is a new function. It may already be available as a third-party app, but Google looks set to bundle a dashcam into builds of Android:
"Inside, our team managed to enable a new feature called "Dashcam" that, as the name suggests, records video (and audio, optionally) while you are driving. If your phone is mounted in the right spot, the recording should provide helpful information in the event of an accident or other unexpected situation."
(9to5 Google).
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!
Android Apps On Windows Shouldn't Be So Sluggish After This Update
© Future nullWindows Insiders have an update to install for the Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11. The update adds package verification, which scans apps for viruses before installing them. It also adds the option to configure how much memory is assigned to WSA. The latter should result in better performance of Android Apps on Windows 11, as long as a system has the spare memory to accommodate.
On the flip side, you could reduce how much RAM Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 uses if your PC is getting bogged down. Running Android apps on a PC can hog up your system's memory. Depending on the PC you have, it may be worth limiting how much RAM WSA can use at once.
Here's what's new for Windows Subsystem for Android, as outlined by Microsoft:
Microsoft continues to improve Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11 at a fairly regular pace. Last month, Insiders gained a new "Partially running" system setting that allowed WSA to run while using less resources while still being able to launch apps quicker than when set to "As needed" mode. That update paired with this week's update should result in a better overall Android experience on Windows.
The ability to scan apps for viruses before they're installed is also a welcome addition. The Amazon Appstore is relatively limited compared to the Google Play Store, causing many to sideload Android apps onto Windows 11. An added layer of security should protect PCs from viruses.
If you're new to WSA, make sure to check out our guide on how to get started with Android apps on Windows 11.
Android 14 Played A Surprisingly Small Role In Google's I/O Keynote
© Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge This year's I/O keynote featured a lot of AI and very little about the next version of Google's mobile OS.There was a chilly marine layer hanging in the air above the Shoreline Amphitheater, but the danceable beats thumped on in spite of it. Dan Deacon was playing a set that had something to do with AI, followed by a person in a duck costume dancing on stage. Not the kind of spectacle you're typically expecting before you've even had your second cup of coffee, but that's Google I/O, baby.
I/O is, of course, the company's yearly developer conference, and it officially kicked off on Wednesday morning when CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage, headlining a two-hour presentation that was almost entirely centered on AI. We got a preview of what's coming to Google Search, Gmail, and Photos, along with an unappetizing, photo-realistic image of pizza fondue. It was all AI, top to bottom. We were reassured, again and again, that Google is being responsible with its AI implementation and that the company is taking steps to make sure the technology doesn't end life on the planet as we know it.
But what we didn't hear much about — in fact, barely earned a mention on stage — is I/O's usual guest of honor: Android. Namely, Android 14, which is in beta now and is expected in the fall. There's plenty about the apps and services that run hand-in-hand with Google's mobile operating system, but the platform itself gets very little time in the spotlight.
That's a major shift from previous years. As recently as 2019, the next Android version (at that time, it was going as Q) commanded a dedicated 10-plus-minute segment in the keynote highlighting new features. In 2023? Android 14 is mentioned almost in passing an hour and a half into the keynote as new lock screen customization options are highlighted. Earlier in the program, we got updates on item tracking and a heads-up on unknown tracker alerts that will work with Apple's AirTags. But these things were framed as updates coming to the Android ecosystem, not as Android 14 features.
That's not an accident. I asked Sameer Samat, VP of Android ecosystem, why Android 14 specifically got so little airtime. He said that as Google has implemented ways for Android devices to receive updates outside of a once-a-year platform upgrade, like Play System and app updates, it's become necessary to frame things a little differently. "So this year, we thought it's important to show people what's new in Android from a user experience standpoint, regardless of the OS version. While some features that we announced will launch with Android 14, many will arrive in people's hands through these continuous updates," he says.
Rather than lumping together a lot of new features in an OS upgrade that will roll out slowly (or not at all) to certain devices, the company is sprinkling features throughout the year as updates to Google Photos or Gmail. That's a good thing, and it's a side effect of Google's efforts to solve the familiar problems of Android's fragmentation. Google has more levers to pull now to get feature updates and security fixes to Android phones faster. It just means fewer of those features getting built into big-numbered versions of the OS.
It also means that what's leftover isn't terribly exciting. Android 14 has been in beta for a while now, and so far, highlights include updates that I'd classify as nice-to-haves: a different look for the back navigation arrow, support for a new backward-compatible HDR image standard, and lossless audio over USB headphones. Not bad, but not the kind of stuff that gets people jazzed up during a keynote.
Google has more levers to pull now to get feature updates to Android phones faster
There's also the fact that the smartphone market has achieved a kind of maturity that means year-over-year upgrades are less exciting than they once were. See also: basically every device announced last year. Device makers, including Google, are shifting the focus to the earbuds, watches, and tablets that they sell and how they all work together to make our lives easier — so the sales pitch goes. Phones just aren't the stars of the show anymore, and neither is the software they run on.
That's how we got to this year's I/O keynote, which was as much a hardware launch and AI pep rally as it was a software showcase. After the main keynote ended and Pichai walked offstage, we were encouraged to stay in our seats for the next session: the developer keynote. Little tubs of snacks were distributed as a bribe to keep us in our seats.
Still, the majority of the crowd headed for the exits. We were there for the Fold announcement or to see how Google was responding to the pressure of Microsoft's AI developments. Smaller sessions later in the day covered Android in depth, but on the company's biggest stage, it played nothing more than a supporting role.
