Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes a Pixel 8 Pro sighting, Samsung’s Galaxy Fan Edition innovation, Nothing (2) details, OnePlus Nord 3 launch, Honor 90’s stunning camera, Redmagic’s next step, and the best Google Android app ever.
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 digest here).
Blink And You’ll Miss The Pixel 8 Pro
Images purporting to be of the upcoming Pixel 8 Pro were posted on Reddit over the holiday weekend and promptly deleted. But not before we get a closer look at the exterior design, the rounded corners, and the changes to the all-important camera system:
“The camera system is reported to include a 50MP main sensor, 64MP ultra-wide, and a 5x telephoto lens. You can see that odd temperature sensor under the flash as well, and the cameras all within a single window unlike the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro that featured telephoto lenses on their own.
(Reddit via Droidlife).
The Fan Editions Are Not Dead
For many, the Galaxy S21 Fan Edition was an excellent distillation of the then flagship. Samsung isn’t finished with the handset yet, as it prepares the FE handset for a re-release in the Indian market:
“Going by these specs, it looks like the Snapdragon 888-powered variant of the Galaxy S21 FE 5G that will launch in India will be the same version that’s available internationally. It’s also worth pointing out that the training material compares the Galaxy S21 FE 5G with the OnePlus 11R. It also means that the Galaxy S21 FE 5G will be priced similarly to the OnePlus 11R, which starts at INR 39,999 (around $487).”
(SamMobile).
Nothing (2) Has A Domestique
Ahead of the launch of its second smartphone next week – the titular Nothing (2) – It looks like Nothing Tech will update its wireless Ear (2) buds with a stunning black color variant:
“But there is a good chance that it may be announced alongside the release of the Nothing Phone 2, which is set to make its debut next week. When it comes to the Phone 2, Nothing has been on a roll recently, sharing a lot of details like its specifications, with the phone being powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, larger battery at 4,700mAh, new Glyph Composer, and more.”
(XDA Developers).
What Lies Behind The OnePlus Nord 3 5G?
With the launch of the OnePlus Nord 3 5G, I had the chance earlier this week to ask OnePlus President about the ethos behind the handset and what it means to be a mid-range handset in the OnePlus portfolio:
“It has the same ethos we had when we first started the company, and later when we first launched the OnePlus Nord series. We believe flagship technology does not need to come with flagship prices, and that smartphones should be designed with the user firmly in mind… OnePlus Nord 3 gives you pretty much everything you could ask for in a 2023 mobile phone, and it does it at an affordable price.”
(Forbes).
Honor 90 European Launch
Following a Chinese launch last month, Honor has released the mid-range Honor 90 worldwide. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, which should offer solid all-round performance, but the attention of many will be on the 200-megapixel main camera.
“Of course, more megapixels don’t necessarily mean better camera performance. But in the right scenarios, it offers the possibility of more detailed photographs. The Honor 90’s camera software can also bin as many as 16 pixels together to create pixels that are effectively 2.24μm in size in order to collect more light and produce 12-megapixel images. The big question is how Honor’s camera software will choose to process the resulting images.”
(The Verge).
One More Step For Redmagic Gaming
Nubia has released an ’S’ version of its latest gaming handsets in China. The Redmagic 8S Pro (reviewed here on Forbes) builds on the 8 Pro, offering more speed, more performance, and an improved gaming experience. An international release is expected shortly.
“The major change on the S-model is that it uses the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2, a faster version of the 8 Gen 2 chip that powered the 8 Gen 2. The Plus version boosts the prime core from 3.2GHz to 3.36GHz and increases the GPU clock speed from 680MHz to 719MHz. What this means is that the 8S Pro should have 5% higher CPU and 5.7% higher GPU performance.”
(GSM Arena).
And Finally…
There are countless Android apps out there, but Google has many of the key apps expected by users. Which are their favourites? Abner Li looks at the Google Play store rating for Google’s suite of apps, and one of the top-rated apps … will surprise you:
“The top-rated Google-made apps come in at 4.7 [including] Play Books at 2.26 million reviews. This app is fundamentally solid and reliable for reading as well as listening to audiobooks. It just got a new icon and better library management when long-pressing on covers. While it has a Material You homescreen widget, it otherwise lacks an M3 design and is still firmly in the Google Material Theme era. It was updated for the Pixel Tablet with a navigation rail, and hopefully, a new bottom bar, search field, and Dynamic Color are on the way soon. “
(9to5Google).
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!
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