Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest Galaxy S23 leaks, Samsung’s SnapDragon decision, OnePlus confirms OnePlus Pad, smartphone sales fall, Android 13’s successful roll-out, Google plans old app block, fast pair for phones, and a potential phone from Coca-Cola.
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 Case For The Galaxy S23
“More Galaxy S23-series official case colors and designs have shown up online through leaked renders. They reveal clear cases, colored silicone cases, and S-View Flip Covers for both the rounder Galaxy S23/S23+ and the boxier Galaxy S23 Ultra. The renders… also reveal screen protectors for the Galaxy S23 series, and they offer a closer look at some of Samsung’s design decisions for 2023, ie, the circular rear-facing cameras.
(SamMobile).
Samsung Prepares A Snapdragon For Everyone
Samsung’s upcoming family of Galaxy S23 smartphones looks more and more likely to be powered by the latest SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 system on chip across all global variants. That’s going to provide a continuity of hardware the platform has not seen in a long time:
“A new report from Daum adds further confirmation that Samsung will be using the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all global models of the Galaxy S23, S23+, and S23 Ultra. This has been expected for months, but only seems more certain as we approach the official launch.”
(via 9to5Google).
OnePlus Pad preview image
OnePlus Press
OnePlus Sneaks Out Pad Images
We have our first official look at the OnePlus Pad – the first tablet from OnePlus – this week as teaser images showed up on official landing pages for the company’s upcoming Feb 7th event. What can we expect?
“In the official pictures, we can see a big round camera bump, which looks just like the one on the OnePlus 11. If you zoom in, you can see there’s a single camera lens and an LED flash, but cameras aren’t that important on tablets. It’s also very green. The other picture shows the sides of the tablet, which appear to be flat aluminum. There’s even a big, flat oval on the side of the tablet, which usually signifies a side fingerprint sensor.”
(Ars Technica).
Smartphone Sales Fall Back In 2022
Data from IDC’s mobile tracker has confirmed that smartphone sales in Q4 2022 draped by 18.3 percent year on year to a shade over 300 million units.
“The drop marks the largest-ever decline in a single quarter and contributed to a steep 11.3% decline for the year. 2022 ended with shipments of 1.21 billion units, which represents the lowest annual shipment total since 2013 due to significantly dampened consumer demand, This tough close to the year puts the 2.8% recovery expected for 2023 in serious jeopardy with heavy downward risk to the forecast.
(IDC).
More Thirteen
Unlike Apple, Google does not have direct control of every Android handset to roll out an update to the OS. Changes to Android have made it easier for Google to roll out updates, and that reflects on the relatively larger rate one Android 13 adoption compared to previous versions:
“The new update is the first one since August 2022, just before the release of Android 13. In the last five months, Android 13 has made it to 5.2% of devices, including those from Samsung, OnePlus, Sony, and, naturally, Google. The slightly older Android 12 and 12L also increased their usage share from 13.5% to 18.9%. Overall, about half of all Android devices are running Android 11 or higher.”
(Extreme Tech).
No More Apps For You
Tucked inside the latest build of the Android Open Source Project are changes that could make it significantly harder to sideload Android apps from older versions of Android. Currently, Google has a Play Store requirement that apps address Android 12 or higher. While side-loading apps from outside the Play Store is possible now, this change would make it far harder to do so with Android 14:
“The goal is obviously to help stop the spread of malware, at least on Android phones, which is often done through the sideloading of outdated apps. Google will apparently initially block apps targeting older Android versions. The threshold will then be gradually raised to Android Marshmallow, with the minimum requirements expected to be updated as newer Android versions are released.”
(Android Central).
Set Up Your Phone With Your Phone
Google is preparing to expand Fast Pair. Currently, this AndroidOS feature allows peripherals to quickly connect and set themselves up with your phone. Tucked away in the latest build is a clue to what is coming up next… fast pairing to set up another Android phone:
“Based on what we can piece together, when your current Android phone detects a nearby device that hasn’t been set up yet — whether a replacement phone or a new tablet — it will activate Fast Pair just like headphones can do today. From there , depending on what specific device you’re trying to set up, you’ll be walked through installing the relevant app for moving your data. For example, in the case of a Samsung device, you would install the Samsung Smart Switch app.”
(9to5Google).
And Finally…
There are a wide range of smartphone manufacturers, and there have been many partnerships throughout the years (for example, OnePlus’ partnership with the McLaren F1 racing team). But some people think there may be a new name joining us… Coca-Cola. Is this “The Real Thing” ?
“A number of Twitter accounts have been sharing an apparent press render of a Coca-Cola smartphone, but the earliest appears to be from prolific leaker @UniverseIce. While looking very much like a vinyl skin applied to an existing device, it appears that Coca -Cola is partnering for the first time on a smartphone project.”
(9to5Google).
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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