Looking back at seven days of news and headlines across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest Galaxy S23 leaks, Samsung’s SnapDragon decision, OnePlus confirms OnePlus Pad, drop of smartphone sales, the successful rollout of Android 13, Google plans old app block, quick pair for phones and a potential phone from Coca-Cola.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many things that happened around Android in the past week (and you can find Apple’s weekly news digest here).
The case for the Galaxy S23
“More official Galaxy S23 series case colors and designs have surfaced online through leaked renders. They reveal clear cases, colored silicone cases, and S-View flip cases for the Galaxy S23/ Rounder S23+ and squarer Galaxy S23 Ultra 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, that’s i.e. the rear-facing circular cameras.
(SamMobile).
Samsung is preparing a Snapdragon for everyone
Samsung’s next family of Galaxy S23 smartphones looks increasingly likely to be powered by the latest on-chip SnapDragon 8 Gen 2 system in all global variants. This is going to provide hardware continuity that the platform hasn’t seen in a long time:
“A new report from Daum adds further confirmation that Samsung will use 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 certain now. approaching the official launch.”
(via 9to5Google).
OnePlus Pad preview image
OnePlus sneaks up on tablet images
We got our first official look at the OnePlus Pad – OnePlus’ first tablet – this week as teaser images appeared on official landing pages for the company’s next event on February 7. What can we expect?
“In the official photos, we can see a big round camera bump, which looks 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 the cameras don’t aren’t that important on the 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 large, flat oval on the side of the tablet, which means usually a side fingerprint sensor.
(Ars Technica).
Smartphone sales plummet in 2022
Data from IDC’s mobile tracker confirmed that smartphone sales in the fourth quarter of 2022 fell 18.3% year-on-year to just over 300 million units.
“The decline marks the largest decline ever in a single quarter and contributed to a steep decline of 11.3% for the year. 2022 ended with shipments of 1.21 billion units, which represents the lowest annual shipment total since 2013 due to significantly slowed consumer demand, inflation and economic uncertainties This difficult year-end seriously jeopardizes the 2.8% recovery expected for 2023 with a strong downside risk on forecasts.
(IDC).
more than thirteen
Unlike Apple, Google does not have direct control of every Android device to roll out an OS update. Changes to Android have made it easier for Google to roll out updates, which is reflected in the relatively higher adoption rate of 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 those from Samsung, OnePlus, Sony and , of course, 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 later version.”
(ExtremeTech).
More apps for you
The latest version of the Android Open Source Project contains changes that could make it significantly more difficult to load Android apps from older versions of Android. Currently, Google has a Play Store requirement that apps address Android 12 or higher. Although sideloading apps from outside the Play Store is now possible, this change would make it much more difficult with Android 14:
“The goal is obviously to help stop the spread of malware, at least to Android phones, which is often done by loading outdated apps. Google will apparently initially block apps targeting older versions The threshold will then be gradually raised to Android Marshmallow, with the minimum requirements expected to be updated as new versions of Android are released.”
(Android Center).
Set up your phone with your phone
Google is preparing to expand Fast Pair. Currently, this AndroidOS feature allows devices to quickly connect and set up with your phone. Tucked away in the latest version is a hint of what’s next… quick pairing to set up another Android phone:
“From what we can piece together, when your current Android phone detects a nearby device that hasn’t been set up yet – whether it’s a replacement phone or a new tablet – it will activate Fast Pair, just like headphones can do today. From there, depending on the specific device you’re trying to set up, you’ll be guided through installing the appropriate app to move your data. For example, in the case of a Samsung device, you will install the Samsung Smart Switch app.”
(9to5Google).
And finally…
There is a wide range of smartphone manufacturers, and there have been many partnerships over the years (for example, OnePlus’ partnership with the McLaren F1 racing team). But some people think a new name might join us… Coca-Cola. Is this “The real thing”?
“A number of Twitter accounts have shared an apparent press render of a Coca-Cola smartphone, but the first appears to be from prolific leaker @UniverseIce. While looking a lot like a vinyl skin applied to an existing device, it appears that Coca-Cola is partnering with a smartphone project for the first time.”
(9to5Google).
Android Circuit rounds up 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, let us know!