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Taking a look at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week's Android Circuit includes Samsung's new folding smartphone, a refreshed Note 9, problems with the Pixel 3, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro in the UK, BlackBerry Key2 LE reviewed, latest OnePlus 6T details, and the battery advantage of Android's dark mode.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).
Samsung Galaxy Radical Unveils F Folding Smartphone
Galaxy S10 flagship, but this week Samsung unveiled its first folding smartphone screen. Folded, the Galaxy F uses a phone UI, but it's not in the box. It's not an ultra thin device when closed, but the transforming handset has the wow factor. The big question now is when it will go down, and when will developers and reviewers get a chance to closely examine the technology.
Foldable phones promised the screen of a small tablet in a pocket-sized device. At the unveiling in San Francisco, Justin Denison, a senior vice president of mobile product marketing, showed a prototype 18.5cm (7.3in) diagonally.
Samsung did not give media or developers a chance to touch or see the device up close.
More at The Guardian.
DJ Koh, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics, arrives onstage for a product launch event (Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images)Getty
Here Comes A Refreshed Note 9
Sales of the Galaxy Note 9 are less than last year's Note 8 phablet, but that's just a bit of a pressure for the second wave of Note 9 handsets going on sale. Samsung is turning to a trusted technique to boost the attractiveness of the handset. Here come the brand new colors:
The new look comes from noted source Evan Blbad and his @evleaks Twitter account. He presented the image of a white pearl Note 9 to his readers with a note for the Photoshop experts to take a closer look … and the consensus is that this looks to genuine.
I can not be a shop-sleuth, but it's clear that Samsung is looking for a boost in sales of the Note 9, and a new 'special edition' and color scheme is a favored tactic.
More here on Forbes.
Got tipped on this. Eagle-eyed Photoshop detectives, what say ye? pic.twitter.com/KXp4inQtL2
– Evan Blbad (@evleaks) November 4, 2018
Google's Pixel 3 Power Problems
Users of Google's latest smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, are reporting a number of issues around charging, and the handsets when asked to charge while in use. It's not universal, but there are enough reports to be wondering what is going on. Ben Schoon reports:
Typically speaking, charging of any kind can cause your phone to run over, but these Pixel 3 overheating reports are certainly a cause for concern. Apparently, when the device is most often charging and performing, it can heat up dramatically. In many instances, video calls to the audience, but others report a simple video stream to the issue.
More at 9to5Google.
Xiaomi Arrives In The UK with Mi 8 Pro
Chinese powerhouse Xiaomi can have many brands, but the starting point is its business smartphone – both in software and hardware. Expanding out of China and India into Western markets, the company has launched its operations in the UK. I'm spending some time with the Mi 8 Pro, and it's a powerhouse. Here's the baseline specs:
Let's face it, the table stakes for a flagship device make for a great phone. The Mi 8 Pro has the requisite SnapDragon 845 system on chip, a dual camera setup (two 12 megapixel cameras), facial recognition for unlocking, a 6.21inch AMOLED display with a notch that looks exactly like that on the iPhone XR, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. The presenter is the same – the in-display fingerprint reader.
Read more on the launch strategy and the new handset here.
BlackBerry Key2 LE (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
BlackBerry Key2 LE Review
I reviewed the latest BlackBerry Mobile handset from TCL earlier this week. The Key2 is a 'budget' version of the Key 2 handset launched this year which launched at £ 579 here in the UK. The LE? That's £ 200 cheaper at £ 379. Key2 is the key visual feature, but the real winning area of the Key2 LE is the price:
If you badume the Key2, then it becomes a little bit clearer. This is the handset for 'the staff' while 'the management' gets the all-up Key2 with fewer compromises in the hardware.
Because I'm pretty sure that, beyond some die-hard fans of the brand name – the Key2 would be an incredibly difficult handset to see on the high street, with teenagers and twenty somethings brought up to ridiculous speeds on capacitive screens wondering why on earth they would need a physical keyboard.
You can read the full review here.
Making Things Clear About The OnePlus 6T
Two points to note on the OnePlus 6T this week. First up is the business model used by the Shenzhen-based company. As the 6T went on sale, the OnePlus 6 was nowhere to be seen. And that's by design:
Unlike other smartphone manufacturers, OnePlus no longer operates a portfolio line-up of handsets. There is no budget entry-level model, there is no affordable mid-range, there is no flagship, there is no more flags-than-flagship handsets … there's just the single current handset. While there are variants of the device (especially with different colors and marketing tie-ins) there is only one core, and that core is updated every six months.
While it might be a year ago, the more iterative process means that the owners of the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 5T and arguably the OnePlus 5 are still using competitive handsets which are receiving regular software updates.
More on the OnePlus business model here on Forbes. JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, modder Zack has been opening up the 6T to get a personalized back cover on the smartphone.
And Finally …
With the rise of OLED screens in Android smartphones, especially at the technology is more prevalent at mid-and low-end devices, the impact of having every pixel throw out bright white light is being noticed in battery tests. The simple answer is to have bright colors on the screen, so Google's push to promote the use of dark themes in app UIs. Chris Burns reports:
Google admitted on stage today that they'd made a bit of a mistake. Not recently, but over the past several years. Since Google's Material Design initiative started, they'd been pushing the white color, encouraging designers to use their primary color for all apps and interfaces.
… Luckily, as Google revealed this week, the proverbial Dark Fashion can make a big difference in how much power all the apps need in Android. Google will likely continue to release Dark Mode in their apps through the future – just so long we need to recharge our batteries.
More at SlashGear.
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Do not forget to follow me in the future of Apple Loop! Last week's android Circuit, get in touch!
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Taking a look at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week's Android Circuit includes Samsung's new folding smartphone, a refreshed Note 9, problems with the Pixel 3, the Xiaomi Mi 8 Pro in the UK, BlackBerry Key2 LE reviewed, latest OnePlus 6T details, and the battery advantage of Android's dark mode.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).
Samsung Galaxy Radical Unveils F Folding Smartphone
Galaxy S10 flagship, but this week Samsung unveiled its first folding smartphone screen. Folded, the Galaxy F uses a phone UI, but it's not in the box. It's not an ultra thin device when closed, but the transforming handset has the wow factor. The big question now is when it will go down, and when will developers and reviewers get a chance to closely examine the technology.
Foldable phones promised the screen of a small tablet in a pocket-sized device. At the unveiling in San Francisco, Justin Denison, a senior vice president of mobile product marketing, showed a prototype 18.5cm (7.3in) diagonally.
Samsung did not give media or developers a chance to touch or see the device up close.
More at The Guardian.
DJ Koh, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics, arrives onstage for a product launch event (Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images)Getty
Here Comes A Refreshed Note 9
Sales of the Galaxy Note 9 are less than last year's Note 8 phablet, but that's just a bit of a pressure for the second wave of Note 9 handsets going on sale. Samsung is turning to a trusted technique to boost the attractiveness of the handset. Here come the brand new colors:
The new look comes from noted source Evan Blbad and his @evleaks Twitter account. He presented the image of a white pearl Note 9 to his readers with a note for the Photoshop experts to take a closer look … and the consensus is that this looks to genuine.
I can not be a shop-sleuth, but it's clear that Samsung is looking for a boost in sales of the Note 9, and a new 'special edition' and color scheme is a favored tactic.
More here on Forbes.
Got tipped on this. Eagle-eyed Photoshop detectives, what say ye? pic.twitter.com/KXp4inQtL2
– Evan Blbad (@evleaks) November 4, 2018
Google's Pixel 3 Power Problems
Users of Google's latest smartphones, the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, are reporting a number of issues around charging, and the handsets when asked to charge while in use. It's not universal, but there are enough reports to be wondering what is going on. Ben Schoon reports:
Typically speaking, charging of any kind can cause your phone to run over, but these Pixel 3 overheating reports are certainly a cause for concern. Apparently, when the device is most often charging and performing, it can heat up dramatically. In many instances, video calls to the audience, but others report a simple video stream to the issue.
More at 9to5Google.
Xiaomi Arrives In The UK with Mi 8 Pro
Chinese powerhouse Xiaomi can have many brands, but the starting point is its business smartphone – both in software and hardware. Expanding out of China and India into Western markets, the company has launched its operations in the UK. I'm spending some time with the Mi 8 Pro, and it's a powerhouse. Here's the baseline specs:
Let's face it, the table stakes for a flagship device make for a great phone. The Mi 8 Pro has the requisite SnapDragon 845 system on chip, a dual camera setup (two 12 megapixel cameras), facial recognition for unlocking, a 6.21inch AMOLED display with a notch that looks exactly like that on the iPhone XR, 8 GB of RAM, and 128 GB of internal storage. The presenter is the same – the in-display fingerprint reader.
Read more on the launch strategy and the new handset here.
BlackBerry Key2 LE (image: Ewan Spence)Ewan Spence
BlackBerry Key2 LE Review
I reviewed the latest BlackBerry Mobile handset from TCL earlier this week. The Key2 is a 'budget' version of the Key 2 handset launched this year which launched at £ 579 here in the UK. The LE? That's £ 200 cheaper at £ 379. Key2 is the key visual feature, but the real winning area of the Key2 LE is the price:
If you badume the Key2, then it becomes a little bit clearer. This is the handset for 'the staff' while 'the management' gets the all-up Key2 with fewer compromises in the hardware.
Because I'm pretty sure that, beyond some die-hard fans of the brand name – the Key2 would be an incredibly difficult handset to see on the high street, with teenagers and twenty somethings brought up to ridiculous speeds on capacitive screens wondering why on earth they would need a physical keyboard.
You can read the full review here.
Making Things Clear About The OnePlus 6T
Two points to note on the OnePlus 6T this week. First up is the business model used by the Shenzhen-based company. As the 6T went on sale, the OnePlus 6 was nowhere to be seen. And that's by design:
Unlike other smartphone manufacturers, OnePlus no longer operates a portfolio line-up of handsets. There is no budget entry-level model, there is no affordable mid-range, there is no flagship, there is no more flags-than-flagship handsets … there's just the single current handset. While there are variants of the device (especially with different colors and marketing tie-ins) there is only one core, and that core is updated every six months.
While it might be a year ago, the more iterative process means that the owners of the OnePlus 6, the OnePlus 5T and arguably the OnePlus 5 are still using competitive handsets which are receiving regular software updates.
More on the OnePlus business model here on Forbes. JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, modder Zack has been opening up the 6T to get a personalized back cover on the smartphone.
And Finally …
With the rise of OLED screens in Android smartphones, especially at the technology is more prevalent at mid-and low-end devices, the impact of having every pixel throw out bright white light is being noticed in battery tests. The simple answer is to have bright colors on the screen, so Google's push to promote the use of dark themes in app UIs. Chris Burns reports:
Google admitted on stage today that they'd made a bit of a mistake. Not recently, but over the past several years. Since Google's Material Design initiative started, they'd been pushing the white color, encouraging designers to use their primary color for all apps and interfaces.
… Luckily, as Google revealed this week, the proverbial Dark Fashion can make a big difference in how much power all the apps need in Android. Google will likely continue to release Dark Mode in their apps through the future – just so long we need to recharge our batteries.
More at SlashGear.
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Do not forget to follow me in the future of Apple Loop! Last week's android Circuit, get in touch!
