With a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes Samsung’s confirmation of a new foldable Galaxy, featuring the Galaxy S22 FE, Honor claims China’s first place, more Google I / O details, Android 13’s new features, Pixel Watch confirmed, and Nothing launches its Android launcher.
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 summary here).
Samsung’s foldable tro
While this should come as no surprise, Samsung on this week’s earnings call has not only confirmed that new foldable devices will be launched in the near future, but that the South Korean company will continue to work hard to make foldable a significant mainstream mobile category:
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“VP of Samsung mobile business Kim Sung-koo hinted at the upcoming foldable smartphones.” We are currently all hands on deck in terms of preparing the new foldable model scheduled for launch in the second half, “he said.
“He also added that Samsung is looking to make foldable smartphones a ‘mainstay next to the Galaxy S’ series in our business.” This shows how serious Samsung is about foldable smartphones and how it views them as a growth opportunity. for its business.
(SamMobile).
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January 3, 2022, USA, Las Vegas: Samsung unveils new Galaxy S21 FE 5G smartphone at CES i … [+]
dpa / picture alliance via Getty Images
The Missing Galaxy S22 Fan Edition
Although the schedule for the main Galaxy S flagships is set for mid-February, it has been a bit more hit and miss with the latest “Fan Edition” versions, with the Galaxy S21 FE arriving a few weeks before the S22 rollout. So it comes as no surprise that there are no signs of the Galaxy S22 Fan Edition in Samsung’s portfolio mix for the rest of the year:
“The S22 FE will not be released this year, according to a domestic source. There is no development firmware available and there is no AP information from the development team. This is equivalent to previous Galaxy Note models not being released. If a phone is released the same year, development firmware and AP be known. “
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(via Reddit).
China’s market is falling as honor claims top ranking
Honor has won first place in the Chinese smartphone market, beating Oppo and Apple. The figures come in the latest Canalys, which also notes declining year-on-year sales by 18 percent to 75.6 million units in the last quarter:
“Honor reached the top for the first time, sending 15.0 million units with a fantastic growth of 205%. Oppo (including OnePlus) remained in second place with 13.9 million units shipped as it continued its brand transition. Apple remained in the top three after a strong 4th quarter last year.Vivo and Xiaomi completed the top five with 12.2 million and 10.6 million units, respectively.
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(Canalysis)
Xperia returns
Sony has confirmed that their latest Xperia smartphone will be announced on May 11th. Although the name is still officially hidden, many expect the mysterious handset to be the Xperia 1 IV:
“The company’s mobile division announced that it will hold an event on May 11, where we will see the next episode of the Xperia series. The accompanying teaser video, linked to below, makes it pretty clear that we need to have a Xperia 1 IV (brand four) though we could also get new Xperia 5 and Xperia 10 phones.
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“We’ve already seen renderings of the Xperia 1 IV, which feature a familiar design language with flatter sides than last year’s Xperia III. The phone is also expected to offer the very latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset along with a 6.5-inch screen and a quad camera with what looks like a dedicated periscope module. “
(GSM Arena).
Next is Google I / O
Ahead of its I / O Developer Conference, Google has released a seminar plan that provides a better idea of what will be discussed and focused on as part of the conference:
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“Where things get potentially exciting for Android fans is what’s new in Android Keynote. Google will no doubt review the main tone with details about Android 13. But what’s new in Android keynote will probably take more of a deep dive into all the new bits in the Android world.This includes Android 13, Jetpack Tooling, Performance, “and more!” according to the Google I / O website.
“After the Android keynote, several ‘What’s New’ keynotes will be held throughout the day across a range of topics. Including Firebase, Flutter, Web, AR, Google Play, Chrome OS, Google Home and finally Google Pay.”
(Android headlines).
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All the new features in Android 13
Android 13’s first beta was released this week and is available for Pixel devices from Pixel 4 to Pixel 6 Pro. Abner Li has taken a closer look at the offering to showcase the new features and UI designs coming to new smartphones later this year.
“Beta 1 of Android 13 is available today and will be most people’s introduction to Google’s next major OS version. We dive into today’s release of Android 13 Beta 1 to find out what new features have been added. ..Google is planning six milestone releases in the coming months before the consumer launch later this year for Pixel phones and other devices. “
(9to5Google).
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Google Docs Confirm Pixel Watch
Thanks to the eternally wonderful Bluetooth certification, we have more confirmation that a Google smartwatch is coming soon. There is not much to go after in the archiving, but there is an archiving and it can continue with “here it comes!” pile:
“We have not yet seen any official news or teasing – including an actual launch date – although a Google I / O announcement seems likely. But as we know, devices must undergo various certifications before being released. Pixel Watch appears to have approval from the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG), which pushes it closer to its all-too-inevitable release. “
(Android Police).
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And finally…
Nothing Launcher, from the exciting name Nothing, has been released in the Google Play Store. Prior to the launch of the first Nothing smartphone, the company offers an early look at the design signals it will bring to software through the launcher, and a Nothing Discord to talk about the beta launcher..
“Nothing launcher is pretty minimalist in terms of launchers. It pairs nicely with Android 12’s Material You engine, though there are no Material-style icons or widgets that can pair with the rest of the interface. Nothing’s’ tailored” widgets are cyber-futuristic, I suppose? They come out that way with the pixel-and-digit motif. Psycho. Is the Nothing standard wallpaper supposed to scare me into buying one of these smartphones? “
(Google Play Store via Gizmodo).
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Android Circuit collects the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Do not forget to follow me so you do not miss any coverage in the future, and of course read the sister column in the Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have news and links you would like to see featured in Android Circuit, please contact us!