Looking back at seven days of news and headlines in the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest Galaxy S23 leak, Samsung’s SnapDragon decision, OnePlus Pad confirmation, declining smartphone sales, Android 13 rollout The success of Google’s plan includes: Blocking outdated apps, fast pairing of phones, potential Coca-Cola calls.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many things that happened around Android last week (and our weekly Apple News Digest can be found here).
case for galaxy s23
“More Galaxy S23 series official case colors and designs have been revealed online through leaked renders. They are clear cases for both the rounder Galaxy S23/S23+ and the boxier Galaxy S23 Ultra. , revealing a tinted silicone case, and an S-View flip cover.rendering… also revealing the screen protector for the Galaxy S23 series, and revealing some of Samsung’s design decisions for 2023, namely the circular Let’s take a closer look at the rear camera.
(Sam Mobile).
Samsung prepares Snapdragon for everyone
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S23 smartphone family looks more and more likely to feature the latest SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 system-on-chip across all global variants. This provides hardware continuity that the platform hasn’t seen in a long time.
“A new report from Daum further confirms that Samsung will use Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all global models of the Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, which has been expected for several months. An official announcement.”
(via 9to5Google).
OnePlus Pad preview image
OnePlus sneaks out pad images
This week we got our first official look at OnePlus’ first tablet, the OnePlus Pad.
“In the official photos, we can see a big round camera bump that looks similar to the OnePlus 11’s. If you zoom in, you can see that there is a single camera lens and an LED flash, but the camera is not. It’s important with tablets. It’s also very green. Other pictures show the sides of tablets, which look like flat aluminum. It shows the fingerprint sensor on the side.
(Arstecnica).
Smartphone sales to decline in 2022
According to data from IDC’s mobile tracker, smartphone sales in Q4 2022 are on track to exceed 300 million units, up 18.3% year-over-year.
2022 will end with shipments of 1.21 billion units, representing the lowest annual shipments since 2013 as consumer demand plummeted. Inflation, and economic uncertainty. The end of this tough year seriously jeopardizes the expected 2.8% recovery in 2023 and poses significant downside risks to forecasts.
(IDC).
Moreteen
Unlike Apple, Google does not have direct control over all Android handsets to roll out OS updates. Changes to Android make it easier for Google to roll out updates. This reflects the relatively high adoption rate of Android 13 compared to previous versions.
“The new update is the first update since August 2022, just before the release of Android 13. In the past five months, Android 13 reached 5.2% of devices, including devices from Samsung, OnePlus and Sony. The slightly older Android 12 and 12L also saw an increase in usage 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
The latest builds of the Android Open Source Project contain changes that can make sideloading Android apps from older versions of Android significantly more difficult. Google currently has a Play Store requirement that your app supports Android 12 or higher. While it’s currently possible to sideload apps from outside the Play Store, this change makes this much more difficult in Android 14.
“The goal is obviously to stop the spread of malware on at least Android smartphones. This is often done through the sideloading of older apps. After that, the threshold will be gradually raised to Android.The minimum requirements for Marshmallow will be updated as new Android versions are released.”
(Android Central).
set up phone on phone
Google is preparing to expand Fast Pair. Now, this AndroidOS feature allows you to quickly connect and set up your peripherals with your smartphone. Hidden in the latest build is a clue of what’s next… Fast pairing to set up another Android phone:
“When your current Android phone detects a device nearby that hasn’t been set up yet, whether it’s a replacement phone or a new tablet, it activates fast pairing just like your current headphones do. From there. Depending on the specific device you’re trying to set up, you’ll be directed to install the associated app to move your data, for example, for Samsung devices, install the Samsung Smart Switch app.”
(9to5Google).
And finally…
There have been many different smartphone makers and many partnerships over the years (OnePlus’ partnership with the McLaren F1 racing team, for example). But some think there might be a new name to join… Coca-Cola. Is this “real”?
“Many Twitter accounts have shared apparent press renderings of Coca-Cola smartphones, but the earliest appears to be by prolific leaker @UniverseIce. It looks like a vinyl skin applied to an existing device. Although it looks like Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola is partnering for the first time on a smartphone project.”
(9to5Google).
The Android Circuit rounds up news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me for future coverage. And of course, read the Apple Loop sister column. You can find last week’s Android Circuit here. If you have news or links you’d like us to cover at Android Circuit, let us know.