Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 secrets, Galaxy S23 FE confirmed, the Pixel’s sales success, Pixel Watch 2 leaks, Oppo and Honor tablets, OnePlus Open delay, and Windows 11’s new Android upgrade.
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).
Why Samsung Stuck With Its Original Folding Design
Those looking for changes between Íamsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 5 and last year’s Z Fold 4 would be hard-pushed to spot any. The real difference is the hinge, arguably the only change. Why has Samsung resisted change? Because the phones need to be clearly Samsung phones:
“Now that other companies are jumping on the foldables bandwagon, the worst thing Samsung can do is make a Z Fold or Z Flip that looks generic. Apple knows this about design, and that’s why it put a notch on the iPhone X when Android phone makers leaned into hole-punch and pop-up selfie cameras… It may not be a popular reason, but the taller and narrower Z Fold 5 and window-shaped cover screen on the Z Flip 5 can be easily picked out in a lineup.”
(Inverse).
New Galaxy S23 Model Confirmed
Samsung is preparing to launch the Galaxy S23 Fan Edition in India. With the paperwork filed and confirmed by the BIS (Bureau Of Indian Standards), Samsung’s SM-S711B/DS, previously flagged as the S23 FE, is cleared to go on sale.
“The listing means that Samsung has received the go-ahead from the Indian certification authorities to launch the Galaxy S23 FE in India. This model number appeared in Geekbench’s database in the past, revealing that it is equipped with the Exynos 2200 processor, 8GB RAM, and Android 13. It confirms that the South Korean firm will launch the Exynos version of the Galaxy S23 FE in India.”
(SamMobile).
The Pixel’s Latest Success
The latest numbers from Counterpoint Research show US smartphone sales dropping in 2023. The year-on-year for the second quarter saw a 24 per cent fall, with almost every brand dropping down. There was one winner, though… Google’s Pixel.
“Pixel shipments in the US grew by 48% year-over-year in Q2, the only major brand that managed to do so. That’s still a mere 3% of shipments over the quarter, but that’s also during a time where only a single Pixel device actually launched. The Pixel 7a launched in mid-May, a little over halfway through the quarter. Pixel Fold also launched, but just three days before the end of Q2 on July 27.”
(9to5Google).
The New Wrist View
The upcoming Pixel Watch 2 will ship with several new watch faces that present not just the time but relevant digital details to the users. We now have a closer look at them; the new faces are built around four families Accessible faces, the Arc chronometer, Bold digital faces, and Bold analogue faces. But there’s more:
“All the watch faces come with various colors to pick from, but Google will add even more ways to customize the look. The Pixel Watch 2 will ship with Wear OS 4 and dynamic theming, which can extract colors from the active watch face and apply them around the UI of the watch. We can also confirm that the boot animation will use the same dynamic colors too, just as Google Pixel phones already do.”
(Android Authority).
Comparing The New Oppo And Honor Tablets
As Google pushes the tablet and large-screened devices market (and Samsung asks everyone where they’ve been), consumers are acing more options from various manufacturers. Oppo and Honor have both released affordable tablets; which one will work for you? Lewis Painter pitches the Oppo Air against the Honor Pad 8. It’s going to be a close call:
“While the Honor Pad 8 has a larger display and faster charging than the Oppo Pad Air, it’s not a clear-cut win; the Oppo Pad Air is much lighter than the Honor Pad 8, and the combination of a smaller display and identical resolution delivers a more pixel-packed display.”
(Trusted Reviews).
Opening A Short Delay
Following confirmation of its name, the OnePlus Open might arrive a little later. Noted reporter Max Jabor suggest that the company is switching display suppliers, which will naturally have an impact on shipping dates:
“[OnePlus] Open Launch got pushed back a bit, but no worries the delay is actually good in a way Open was supposed to have a BOE screen but turns out it was [thumbs down emoji] new panels are from Samsung.”
(9to5Google).
And Finally…
Windows support for running Android apps is set for a graphical improvement. The latest preview of the software subsystem includes support for the powerful Vulkan API, used by many Android titles:
“That cross-platform graphics API is an open standard that allows GPUs to access graphics and compute. Vulkan API already works on Windows and Linux, so it’s a natural evolution to see it supported on Windows Subsystem for Android on Windows 11, which is based on Windows Subsystem for Linux.”
(Windows Central).
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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