Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes an unsurprising Galaxy S24 leak, new camera for Pixel 8 Pro, Qualcomm’s gaming success, a new future for gaming hardware, Razer Edge reaches Europe, Oppo Reno 10 5G launched, and Android’s bête noire is the iPhone SE.
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).
Samsung’s Lack Of Surprises
It’s a fun leak that leaks out a lack of anything new to leak. Which sums up this week’s details on Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series. Certainly, the broad specs are going to follow 2023’s path:
“The Galaxy S24 series might not hold any surprises regarding storage. The Ultra model will top out at 1TB of storage. And we can also confirm that the base Galaxy S24 and the Galaxy S24+ will not enjoy this luxury. They will offer a maximum of 512GB of storage, similar to the Galaxy S23 and S23+.”
(SamMobile).
New Camera, Who’s This?
Mixing the new features of Android 14 with the debut of Google’s flavour of the smartphone OS with the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro gives the software the best platform to demonstrate what’s new. And one thing that will be new is the camera app.
“Kamila Wojciechowska has revealed screenshots of a revised Google Camera app, which will reputedly debut in time for the releases of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. …Google has improved the visual delineations between photo and video modes by adding a small toggle that sits beneath the app’s various camera modes. For some reason, the company has also switched the gallery and front-facing/rear-facing camera shortcuts, which may have become muscle memory at this point for Pixel regular”
(Notebook Check).
Snapdragon Benchmarking Success
There are specific functions that high-end graphical apps and games look for, and one is raytracing. If it can be supported in hardware, the performance benefits are significant. So, the new raytracing benchmarks for mobile chipsets are both welcome for all and especially welcomed by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon team:
“… two of three mobile chipsets that currently support hardware raytracing seem able to handle not just ray traced reflections but lighting, particles, and post-processing too at close to playable frame rates. But perhaps the most significant news here is that Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones, which we initially worried would be pretty sluggish, are right near the top of current ray tracing performance metrics following an update.”
(Android Authority).
Qualcomm’s New Gaming Chip
Qualcomm has also launched a chipset designed for handheld gaming devices. The G Series will focus on delivering the unique demands placed on hardware from AAA titles running on the platform:
“Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. announced the all-new Snapdragon® G Series handheld gaming portfolio, built to meet the unique performance and feature demands of dedicated gaming devices. The new Snapdragon G Series unlocks a range of options for playing the most sought-after games, offering boundless ways to play virtually any game, anywhere.”
(Qualcomm Press Release).
Razer Edge Arrives In Europe
Following a US release earlier this year, gaming lifestyle company Razer has released its Android-based gaming console in Europe. The Razer Edge will not ship with a 5G option; only the Wi-Fi model has made it over the Atlantic. The rest of the specs remain the same:
“As a recap, the Razer Edge is an Android-based gaming handheld powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 processor, and paired with 6GB of LPDDR5 RAM in the Wi-Fi model. The device also comes with 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage, expandable by up to 2TB using a microSD card. It features a 6.8-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2400×1080 pixel resolution and 144Hz refresh rate.”
(XDA Developers).
Oppo Reno 10 5G Launched
The latest smartphone from Oppo is now on sale. The Reno 10 5G sitting in the mid-range space beloved by many. At just under £400, it has some solid specs and a decent camera setup:
“The camera situation is completed by a 64-megapixel main sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera with a 112 degree field of view. The selfie camera is 32-megapixels and offers an f2.4 aperture. In terms of connectivity, there’s Bluetooth 5.3/LE, Wi-Fi 6, a dual nano SIM slot, NFC, 5G and support for IR remote. Right now it runs on ColorOS 13.1 based on Android 13, but updates will be forthcoming for up to four years Oppo says.”
(Trusted Reviews).
And Finally…
For all the talk of mid-range Android handsets, their capabilities, and finding the best fit for your needs, one upcoming mid-range smartphone will offer a unique challenge… Apple’s iPhone SE:
“If you ever considered buying an iPhone, or upgrading from an old model but couldn’t because of how expensive current iPhones are, the alleged iPhone SE 4 will undoubtedly attract your attention, while putting Android alternatives like the vanilla Pixel flagship, Nothing Phone, and Galaxy FE in a tricky position.”
(Phone Arena).
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!
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