Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest Pixel Fold leaks and benchmarks, FCC confirms Galaxy S23 Ultra details, the launch of iQOO 11 Pro, news of Nothing Phone (2), Google Maps absorbs Waze and Android development of Thunderbird continues.
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).
Leaked Pixel Crease Design
Not much has been confirmed by Google about its next Pixel Fold, but a double hit of leaks this week makes things a little clearer. The first is the aspect ratio, and this is perhaps the most curious. Rather than the thin, folded design of the Galaxy Z Fold or Honor Magic, Google is opting for a more Surface Duo-style dual-laptop look:
“…the Pixel Fold is considerably wider and has a squarer aspect ratio than the Galaxy Z Fold 4… In the past, one of the biggest design issues with the Galaxy Z Fold series has been the screen narrow coverage. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 has solved this problem to a reasonable extent, but it seems that Google has gone too far in the other direction. The Pixel Fold may be too wide for a smartphone and could prove unwieldy/.”
(SamMobile).
Benchmarked Pixel Fold
We’re also taking a closer look at what will be at the heart of the Pixel Fold, and this is where it gets a bit more interesting, if not mainstream. The Pixel Fold will feature Google’s latest Tensor G2 chip technology – it may not win the raw tests, but the machine learning potential will be high:
“The Geekbench 5 listing (shared by TheGalox (opens in a new tab)) for an unknown “Google Felix” device shows results for a phone using a Tensor G2 chip, 12GB of RAM, and Android 13, as does the Pixel 7 Pro. It scores slightly worse than the Pixel 7 Pro in the single-core part of the test, although it does slightly better in the multi-core test.”
(Tom’s guide).
A man walks past an ad for the Samsung Galaxy S22 smartphone at the company’s Seocho … [+]
FCC docs confirm S23 Ultra details
Not to be outdone in the leak stakes, the ever-reliable FCC documentation confirms the Galaxy S23 ultra’s charging and battery potential, and there’s something missing. About 20 watts fast charging:
“The FCC describes the Galaxy S23 Ultra as capable of 25W fast charging, a 20W downgrade on the Galaxy S22 Ultra. to distinguish between Plus and Ultra models. Instead, it’s harmonized charging wattages across its entire Galaxy S line, although it’s unclear why at this point. Potentially, Samsung has dropped support of 45 W due to its instability.
(NotebookCheck).
Launch of iQOO 11 and 11 Pro in China
Industry watchers have been waiting for it for some time, but iQOO’s latest handsets have been launched, featuring high specs alongside Qualcomm’s high-end system-on-chip:
“iQOO has unveiled its new flagship lineup in China and Indonesia after much speculation and leaks. It includes the iQOO 11 and 11 Pro mobile devices. So, the Pro version adds 200W charging, as well as the Snapdragon 8 Gen chip 2 from Qualcomm, a 144 Hz refresh rate display and the Vivo V2 ISP processor.
(GizChina).
No phone (2) “See you soon.”
Nothing Tech broke into the smartphone market with the Nothing Phone (1) this year. Right now it doesn’t look like the first in a stream of smartphones, with co-founder Carl Paid writing on Twitter that the focus is on a smaller wallet and maximizing what’s already there:
“Phone (2) is not launching anytime soon. We are focused on doing some things well and we will not produce dozens of products a year like many others. Phone (1) is our focus main. We’re cooking up something really awesome in terms of software, Android 13 and beyond.”
Google consolidates mapping services
Following the purchase of mapping company Waze, Google ran it as a separate unit. This is no longer the case and the Waze team will now be part of the Android Auto experience going forward.
“The Geo division will absorb more than 500 employees from Waze, which was otherwise independent from Google since its acquisition in 2013 and has maintained a distinct culture. Waze offers an Android Auto experience, though we’re waiting for it to support the split-screen redesign. , while it has just announced an Android Automotive app that will be more widely available next year. Meanwhile, Google services, like YouTube Music, integrate with Waze for in-app audio controls.
(Google 9to5).
And finally…
There are many email solutions. With Mozilla’s purchase of K-9 Mail, the popular independent email client is being transformed into Thunderbird for Android through significant engineering time and a development process that takes as much feedback as possible. This week’s comment topic is about the messaging preview layout:
“The road to bringing you a great Thunderbird email experience on Android devices starts with K-9 Mail, which joined our family earlier this year. And we’ve been busy improving K-9 Mail as we prepare for its transition. to Thunderbird for Android in Summer 2023. Last week, we showed you the new Swipe actions in K-9 Mail 6.400. Today it’s something even more exciting: a completely redesigned message view!”
(Thunderboard / Mozilla).
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!
