Glancing at seven days of Android news and headlines around the world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest Note 20 leaks, Google leaked its own Pixel 4a, the OnePlus Nord wide angle, Huawei banned from 5G in the UK, Microsoft’s influence on Android and confirmation of the Android 11 emoji.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many things that happened on Android over the past week (and you can find Apple’s weekly news summary here).
The problem with the Galaxy Note camera
More leaks about the upcoming Samsung phablet have given us more details on what the hardware looks like. Gordon Kelly of Forbes examines the latest design, including the unsightly camera island:
The best elements align with the stunning Note 20 Ultra image Samsung accidentally posted on its Russian website last week. These include super-thin top and bottom bezels, a small drill hole thanks to Samsung reducing the physical size of its front camera, and an upgraded version of the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 108MP camera array with a new dedicated focus sensor (very necessary) .
“The downside is that the video shows that the rear camera array is huge, seemingly sticking out of the chassis even more than the Galaxy S20 Ultra. As such, it will be impossible to use the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra on a flat surface.”
More here at Forbes.
Google Leaks Pixel 4a
Google’s next mid-range phone, the Pixel 4a, has leaked from an unexpected source … Google itself. Thanks to a list of wandering stores, we’ve taken a look at the presumably official images of the phone. Chris Welch reports:
“Where’s the Google Pixel 4A? Turns out it’s right in the company’s online store. Google seems to have mistakenly posted a picture of the Pixel 4A in its Canadian store. The text says ‘Nest Wifi,’ but uh … that’s not Nest Wifi. The phone has already been widely leaked in the past few months, but this is a direct marketing rendering from Google, and suggests that the 4A may come sometime in the near future. “
More at The Verge.
TOKYO, JAPAN – 2019/12/21: American Android consumer electronic devices developed by Google, Google … [+]
OnePlus Nord wide angle
The upcoming mid-range OnePLus Nord has a number of new features that will hopefully appeal to the target market. One of them is a new forward-facing in-camera lens that will enhance group selfies. Paul Monckton takes a closer look:
“In an official Instagram post, OnePlus confirmed today that the company’s first mid-range phone, the Nord, will ship with two selfie cameras that offer an ultra-wide field of view of 105 degrees. This ultra-wide front camera allows you snapping more people into group selfies and capturing much more of the background in solo shots without the need for a selfie stick. ”
Learn more about the details of the OnePlus Nord camera here.
UK government halts launch of Huawei 5G
Impacting all smartphone users in the UK is the government’s decision to ban telecom operators from buying Huawei 5G kit after “a technical review by the National Center for Cyber Security in response to sanctions from the United States”. In addition to the ban, any existing 5G equipment must be removed from operator networks:
“Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden told the House of Commons about the decision … that the cumulative cost of the moves, coupled with previously announced restrictions against Huawei, would be up to £ 2 billion, and a total delay for the launch of “two to three years” 5G.
“This has not been an easy decision, but it is the right one for the UK’s telecommunications networks, for our national security and our economy, both now and in the long term,” he said.
The decision does not affect the sale of devices to consumers, although with the inclusion of Huawei in the List of entities of the USA, These devices will not include the Google mobile services package, which will deny Huawei customers access to Google Play Store.
Microsoft’s influence on Android
Prior to the launch of the Surface Duo, Microsoft has been quietly working on Android code, with commitments in a number of open-source areas, including the base AOSP and the Chromium browser. He has also announced his work with Google on Progressive Web Apps, a project that could subtly change the direction of Android toward greater compatibility between devices. JR Raphael examined the problem earlier this week:
“For Microsoft, the move means that more and more applications could run in identical ways on both Windows and Android, and thus, despite the fact that it is venturing into unfamiliar territory by fully encompassing Android and directing people to their own mini ecosystem within the Google universe, can begin to deliver a surprisingly consistent experience for anyone adopting a combination of Android and Windows (a fairly common combination for business productivity and even general consumer use). “
More at Computerworld.
Microsoft Product Director Panos Panay has a Surface Duo at an event on Wednesday, October 2, … [+]
And finally…
Perhaps in the most exciting news you will read this week about communicating with small images, Google has confirmed the emoji that will appear on Android 11. Woo-hoo! Abner Li reports:
“… Google is sharing the final designs for the Android 11 characters. We previewed them last month, and the company now provides an overview of the 117 new emoji.
“There are 62 new characters, as well as 55 skin tones and gender variants, that will come to Android 11. Google with Emoji 13.0 proposed changes to the Unicode Consortium that called for” more empathetic expressions and finding opportunities to bring equity to the keyboard. ” “
More at 9to5Google.
Android Circuit summarizes the news from the Android world every weekend here at 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 on Android Circuit, please contact us!
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