Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes first impressions of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 8 Pro storage bugs, Pixel 9 details leak, Honor Magic V2 goes global, OnePlus 12R surprise, Nokia patent dispute resolved, two new sizes for Pixel Watch 3.
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).
First Impressions of the Galaxy S24
Following the Galaxy Unpacked event and the Samsung Galaxy S24 family launch, the first reviews and impressions are coming in. Many of them are focusing on the Galaxy UI software suite in the handset. Forbes’ David Phelan looks at the translation features on a recent trip.
” The Translate feature, where you make a phone call to someone who uses a different language, is very neat. Initially, I worried that the opening gambit, where the person you’re calling hears a message saying, in their language, “Hello, this message is being translated and live captioned,” could be confusing, but we soldiered on. Booking a table at a restaurant was straightforward and quick. There were a couple of phrases which didn’t quite make it through the translation machine intact, but I ended the call confident my booking had been made.”
(Forbes).
Pixel 8 Pro’s Latest Storage Bug
Google is facing the return of a bug similar to a previous storage bug with the latest Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro update. It’s seriously hitting user data:
“After updating to the January 2024 Google Play system update (which is different from the January 5, 2024 security update/patch), users report not being able to access data stored in internal storage across all apps. This results in various cascading issues, like not being able to play downloaded audio/video files or take new pictures, while the Files app appears empty. Other apps refuse to work.
Google has confirmed [they are] “aware of this issue and are looking into it.””
(9to5Google).
Pixel 9 Design Leak
Staying with the Pixel, Google’s next handset, design details of the presumptively-named Pixel 9 Pro have leaked. And it looks a bit like a phone that starts with an “i”:
“Per the reputed leakster, the Google Pixel 9 Pro will come with a circa 6.5-inch flat display, which is smaller in comparison to its predecessor. The search engine giant will equip the smartphone with a centered punch-hole cutout to house the selfie camera. The renders confirm that the Pixel 9 Pro will sport thin bezels on all four sides of the display.”
(MySmartPrice).
Honor’s Magic V2 Goes On European Sale
Following an early preview at Berlin’s IFA show last September, the Honor Magic V2 is now on sale in Europe. Priced from £1699/€1,999, Honor is leaning into the thin design and low weight of the handsets and is looking to make the closed form factor match the expectations of a regular “candybar” phone, while still retaining the internal screen and dynamic hinge:
“[The Honor] Magic V2 is the thinnest inward foldable smartphone that HONOR has introduced to date, weighing only 231gr and measuring just 9.9mm 1 thick when folded. It features a new generation of Silicon-Carbon-Dual-Battery with an average thickness of just 2.72mm, which achieves a high capacity of up to 5,000mAh in the space of a thin and light foldable flagship body.”
(Honor).
OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R Launched
With a spectacular launch in India, OnePlus has launched it’s 2024 handsets. The OnePlus 12 will carry the flagship standard, yet it’s the OnePlus 12R that feels closer to the “Never Settle” and “Flagship Killer” of earlier years. Delivering last year’s flagship specs at a competitive price should attract a new audience
“Otherwise, the OnePlus 12R feels a little bit familiar… notably in the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 16GB of memory and 256 GB of storage, the curved display, and the offset circular camera island. It feels remarkably like last year’s OnePlus 11 specifications and design.”
(Forbes).
Oppo And OnePlus 5G Patent Dispute Ends
Alongside the launch of the OnePlus 12 and OnePlus 12R, OnePlus (represented by Oppo) has come to an agreement in a long-running patent royalties dispute with Nokia over 5G technologies:
“Under the agreement Oppo will make royalty payments, along with catch-up payments to cover the periods of non-payment,” Nokia said in a statement. “The agreement resolves all pending patent litigation between the parties, in all jurisdictions.”
(Reuters).
And Finally…
As well as the Pixel 9 details, details on the next Google wearables have also leaked. The replacement for the Pixel Watch 2 is not just the Pixel Watch 3, but two different sizes of Pixel Watch:
“People are quite attuned to the size of objects worn on the wrist. While the Pixel Watch works well for some, others find it to be too small. In the case of wearables, a bigger watch case often allows for better specs, including a larger battery and more room for sensors. On smartwatches, larger displays can provide a meaningful upgrade in terms of what you can see, do, and interact with.”
(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!
