Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including a new hinge for the Galaxy Z Fold 6, Samsung’s significant Galaxy S24 update, Honor’s Porsche-inspired foldable, surprise Pixel 8 sales, Nothing Phone (2a) launch confirmed, LineageOS reaches Android 14, and a preview of the Galaxy Ring.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
A New Hinge For The Galaxy Z Fold
Will the Galaxy Z Fold 6 come with a new hinge design? A recently awarded patent to Samsung shows a design that has fewer moving parts but also reduces strain on the screen thanks to the hinge that has several home positions with detente helping to hold the handset open. Will this be part of 2024’s foldable?
” If Samsung takes this route for the Z Fold 6, you will have a foldable handset with some preferred positions. I’d suggest that these will be in the fully flat position when open, a 90-degree corner to echo a form used in Samsung’s marketing materials, and possibly at 120 degrees to offer a comfortable viewing angle for multimedia.”
(Forbes).
Samsung’s Significant Galaxy S24 Update
Meanwhile, several software issues that have cropped up in the new Galaxy S24 family will be addressed with the release of the first significant update. With it will be user settings to counter Samsung’s decision on the display defaults, which many believed was a faulty display rather than an active choice:
“The update, which will begin rolling out to the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus and S24 Ultra on Feb. 22, will allow users to adjust the display’s vividness level with a slider under the display settings. That addition is particularly important considering users have complained in Samsung’s user forums and on Reddit about the current vivid setting appearing too washed-out.”
(CNet).
Honor Magic V2 RSR Review
Honor’s Magic V2 folding phone has already seen a release in China, followed by a global release earlier this year. Now the Chinese company is pushing into the luxury market with a special edition of its latest foldable… the Porsche Design Honor Magiv V2 RSR. Let’s start with that name:
“Porsche (a name everyone recognises) and Design work together—Porsche Design is part of the Porsche SE holding company. Its most famous work is the Porsche 911 sportswear, and it’s this lineage Honor uses to modify one of its Magic smartphones, namely the second version of the V design. In Instead of being gauche and adding 911 at the end, it has plumped for RSR, which is RennSport Rennwagen, the competitive version of the 911 that’s not street legal.”
(Forbes).
Pixel 8’s Surprise Sales
As the debut handset for Android 14, Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro had first mover advantage. Still, their place in the market is easily usurped by the latest releases from the likes of Oppo, OnePlus, and Samsung. What’s a company to do? Get some special offers into the retail stores as quickly as possible:
“After launching yet another surprise sale for the Pixel 8 last week to U.S. buyers, Google has now extended the promotion to shoppers in the U.K. The Google U.K. store has slashed the price of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro by £150 $(189.44) and £100 ($126.29) respectively. This is a short-term offer that started on February 9th and runs for nine days until February 18th.”
(Forbes).
Nothing Tech Confirms New Phone Launch Date
The Nothing Phone (2a) is expected to aim towards a wider market than the young company’s first two handsets… That does mean trimmed-down specs, but also means a lower price… think of the old marketing phrase of “flagship killer” and you’re close to the philosophy.
“And now we know the release date: Tuesday, March 5. The reveal takes place at 11.30 a.m. London time, which is 6.30 a.m. Eastern. There’s not much more detail yet, though Nothing has said, “Fans of the brand will be able to watch along with fresh eyes live at nothing.tech/pages/event.”
(Forbes).
LineageOS 21 Released
One of the most popular open-source variants of Android—and one that can be installed as a replacement OS on many smartphones—is LineageOS. The team have now released version 21… the first to be based on Android 14:
“…we have been working extremely hard since Android 14’s release last October to port our features to this new version of Android. Thanks to our hard work adapting to Google’s largely UI-based changes in Android 12/13, and Android 14’s dead-simple device bring-up requirements, we were able to rebase our changes onto Android 14 much more efficiently.”
(Lineage Blog).
And Finally…
Tucked away at the end of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event were several advances in health tracking, culminating in the reveal of the Galaxy Ring, although with very few details. That changed this week, as Forbes’ David Phelan had a hands-on (or is that “fingers-on”?) with exciting peripheral, and a chance to think about what it could offer:
“Samsung was tight-lipped about exactly what metrics the Ring will measure. Sleep tracking seems a given, and perhaps blood oxygen monitoring. The Korean FDA has approved Samsung’s techniques for monitoring sleep apnea, so it’s likely that this will be a goal for the Ring as well.”
(Forbes).
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!
