This week's Android round-up covers seven days of news and updates from the world of Android, including the latest Galaxy S23 leaks, Samsung's SnapDragon decision, OnePlus confirms OnePlus Pad, declining smartphone sales, successful launch of Android 13, Google plans to block outdated apps, Quick Connect for phones and maybe a Coca-Cola phone.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of the many things that happened around Android this past week (and you can find a roundup of Apple's weekly news here ).
Galaxy S23 case
Other official Galaxy S23 series colors and designs have surfaced online through leaked renders. They reveal clear cases, colorful silicone cases and S-View flip cases for the round Galaxy S23/S23+ and Galaxy S23 Ultra. ... also reveals screen protectors for the Galaxy S23 series, and they offer a closer look at Samsung's 2023 design decisions, particularly the circular rear cameras.
(SamMobile).
Samsung makes Snapdragon for everyone
It seems that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 phones will be powered by the latest SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 system in all global variants. This will provide hardware durability that the platform has not seen in a long time.
Daum's new report also confirms that Samsung will use Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 in all global Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra models. This has been expected for months, but seems more certain as we get closer to the official release. ".
(via 9to5Google).
OnePlus hides road pictures
This week we got our first official look at the OnePlus Pad, OnePlus' first tablet, as teaser images appeared on the company's official event launch pages on February 7th. What can we expect?
In the official images, we can see a large circular camera module similar to the image of the OnePlus 11. If you zoom in, you can see that there is a single camera lens and an LED flash, but not many cameras. It is also very green. Another image shows the sides of the tablet, which look like flat aluminum. There is also a large flat oval on the side of the tablet, which usually belongs to the side where the fingerprint sensor is installed.
(Ars Technica).
Smartphone sales will decline in 2022
Data from IDC's mobile tracker confirms that smartphone sales fell 18.3% year-over-year to just over 300 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022.
The decline was the largest ever recorded in a single quarter and led to a sharp decline of 11.3% for the year. 2022 ended with shipments of 1.21 billion units, the lowest annual shipment number since 2013 due to strong consumer demand, inflation and significant curbs. Economic uncertainty These headwinds for this year seriously threaten the 2.8% recovery projected in 2023, creating significant downside risks to the outlook.
(IDC).
thirteen more
Unlike Apple, Google does not have direct control over every Android device to update its operating system. Changes to Android have made it easier for Google to release updates, reflecting the relatively higher adoption rate for Android 13 compared to previous versions.
The new update is the first since August 2022, just before the release of Android 13. Over the past five months, Android 13 has reached 5.2% of devices, including devices from Samsung, OnePlus, Sony, and of course. 12 and 12 have also increased slightly. Utilization increased from 13.5% to 18.9%. Typically, about half of Android devices are running Android 11 or later.
(More than enough).
More apps for you!
The latest version of the Android Open Source Project contains hidden changes that can make it much harder to download Android apps from older Android versions. Currently, Google has Play Store requirements for apps targeting Android 12 or higher. While it's now possible to download apps outside of the Play Store, this change will make things more difficult with Android 14;
Of course, the goal is to at least help stop the spread of malware on Android phones, which is often done by downloading older apps. Google will block apps that target older versions of Android from the start. It will then gradually increase the limit. Upgraded to Android Marshmallow with minimum requirements and should be updated as new versions of Android are released.
(Android Center).
Install your phone using your phone
Google will expand Fast Pair. Currently, this AndroidOS feature allows devices to quickly connect and set up your phone. The latest project has a hint of what's to come... a quick pairing to set up another Android phone;
From what we've been able to piece together, when your existing Android phone detects a device nearby that hasn't been installed yet, whether it's a replacement phone or a new tablet, it will trigger Fast Pair just like current headphones, depending on the device. if you choose to install it, you will be prompted to install the appropriate software to transfer your data. For example, for a Samsung device, you would run the Samsung Smart Switch installer."
(Google 9 to 5).
Finally...
There are various smartphone manufacturers and there have been many collaborations over the years (eg OnePlus' partnership with the McLaren F1 racing team). But some people think a new name could join us... Coca-Cola. Is this the "real thing"?
A number of Twitter accounts have shared press releases showing off the Coca-Cola smartphone, but the oldest seems to be from leaker @UniverseIce. Coca-Cola is collaborating on a smartphone project for the first time.
(Google 9 to 5).
Android Circuit collects the latest news from the world of Android on Forbes every weekend. Don't forget to follow me so you don't miss any future news and of course read my sister column Apple Loop. You can find last week's Android Circuit here, and if you have any news or links you'd like to see on Android Circuit, get in touch.
