Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the first Pixel 9 Pro reviews, benchmarking Google’s new Tensor G4, Samsung opens up Galaxy AI, HMD turns to FC Barcelona, Honor’s thinnest foldable revealed, OnePlus Pad 2 review, and HP welcomes Google Play to its laptops.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
Pixel 9 Pro XL
Pixel 9 Pro XL Reviewed
The first reviews for the Pixel 9 family of smartphones were published this week, and with it a first look at the new generative AI tools that lie at the core of the value promise. With several issues being highlighted (including the accuracy of information and the potential for harm using the image generation and editing tools), a lot of work on these preview builds still needs to be carried out:
“I’d suggest that it’s going to take a few months for Google to get all the kinks out of the latest AI builds—the wealth of anonymized data coming back from the user base will help with this—but it’s also going to take time for users and reviewers to move away from the initial rush to play around to the point where it can be used seamlessly in everyday life, and its impact can be measured.”
(Forbes).
Google Explains Weak Tensor G4 Benchmarks
Also under the review spotlight was Google’s Tensor G4 chipset. The in-house design has been put up against the flagship chips from other manufacturers and has fallen short. Which is the point, explains Google’s product manager Soniya Jobanputra:
“More specifically, the Google executive says that the Tensor G4 is designed to “meet our use cases.” Soniya Jobanputra gave a couple of examples where the new SoC of the Pixel 9 series brings improvements. Among them are optimization for multitasking and efficiency in opening apps. As for the multitasking part, it seems that Google delivered because a video from In Depth Tech Reviews on YouTube (attached at the end) shows that the Pixel 9 Pro can easily handle heavy workloads.
Samsung Expands Galaxy AI
Samsung rolled out Galaxy AI at the start of the year as an exclusive to the Galaxy S24 handsets. Since then, it has worked to offer the software to a wider range of devices in the Galaxy S category. Now it’s going further with the Galaxy A phones from 2024 and 2023 supporting key tools such as Circle To Search:
“Samsung has announced that Circle To Search, which has been front and center in almost all Galaxy S24 marketing, will make its way to the Galaxy A55, A54, A35 and A34. The Galaxy Tab S9 FE and Tab S9 FE+ will also be updated.”
(Forbes).
Barcelona Turns Towards A Topaz Sky Blue
As part of its newly announced partnership with Barcelona Football Club, HMD has released a new colorway of the HMD Skyline phone (first reviewed here on Forbes.
“The initial three-year deal, which sees Human Mobile Devices (HMD) become a Global Partner of FC Barcelona and Official Mobile Phone Partner of FC Barcelona, is designed to raise awareness of Human Mobile Devices (HMD) – a company not yet 10 years-old but already Europe’s largest manufacturer of smartphones – primarily through digital advertising opportunities at the Olympic Stadium and then at the Spotify Camp Nou when it reopens later in the season. “
Honor’s Magic v3 Offers A Thinner Design
Honor has previewed the upcoming Magic V3 foldable smartphone. Its global launch will take place at Berlin’s IFA in the first week of September, but for now, the 4.35mm thin unfolded body is catching everyone’s attention:
“Honor slimmed down its flagship foldable by utilizing an upgraded hinge mechanism which is just 2.84mm thick and is rated at 500,000 folds. The frame is made from 7-series aluminum alloy. Even more impressively, Magic V3 weighs just 226 grams – that’s 13 grams less than the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold6 and on par with bar phones like the Magic6 Pro.
(GSM Arena).
OnePlus Pad 2 Review
With Android 15’s support for note-taking apps on the lock screen. Microsoft looks to be preparing the venerable OneNote to take center-stage as your universal multi-platform notebook,as the team at Android Authority discovered in the code of the latest beta:
“…That suggests to us that Microsoft’s still working on setting OneNote up with the permissions and roles it will ultimately need. With Android 15 still in beta, Microsoft has at least a few more weeks to get OneNote ready if it intends to have lock screen support ready for the platform’s release. Right now, our best estimate places that as happening sometime this fall.”
And Finally…
Google has announced a new Window app called Essentials. Not only will this bring several Google services to your desktop, but it will offer Google Play Games. The service is debuting on HP laptops and offers access to your mobile games through the HP Omen Gaming Hub:
“Essentials also includes Google’s Play Games app that lets you download popular Android games like Clash of Clans onto your computer. You can access Google Play Games through the Essentials app (or even the HP Omen Gaming Hub app), play games, and continue your progress on an Android device with compatible games.”
(The Verge).
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!