Surprising Samsung Galaxy Leak, OnePlus 8T Launch, Google Pixel 5 Reviews

Looking back at seven days of news and headlines around the world of Android: This week’s Android Circuit features an early release date for the Galaxy S21, the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G we tested, the OnePlus 8T launch, and the tiny Sony Xperia 5 Me discussed the future of honor and how to hum a musical quest.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many things that have happened around Android over the past week (and the weekly Apple News Digest can be found here).

The early arriving galaxy S.

Samsung has a relatively predictable schedule for its flagship Galaxy S smartphones. Although there were suspicions that the South Korean company would attempt an earlier release, the Mobile World Congress anchor point has remained in mid-February for a launch and retail release in early March. Will that be the case for 2021? Maybe not. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly reports:

SamMobile elaborates on sources in Samsung’s home country of South Korea reporting that mass production of key components will begin next month. The motivation for this accelerated release is believed to be a combination of poor sales of the company’s flagships for 2020 and those low demand that will then release production lines so Samsung can accelerate its plans.

“Needless to say, there is a critical difference between when a phone is announced and when it is sold. Even if Samsung announces the successor to the Galaxy S20 (tentatively referred to as both the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S30), it may still not make it to the New Year. ”

More here on Forbes.

Here are some pixel thoughts

Google’s Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G smartphones were put under the microscope this week ahead of their retail release. As with many manufacturers, Google’s Pixel rollout was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but the units are here now. Was it worth the wait?

Guardian’s Samuel Gibbs took a closer look at the Pixel 5 and noticed the basics approach, but has questions about the choice of processor in the flagship handset:

“The Pixel 5 is Google’s top smartphone, but it doesn’t have a top processor. Instead, it uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G, a 5G-enabled top-to-mid-range chip that recently went on to sell for $ 379 on OnePlus Nord and the cheaper £ 499 Pixel 4a 5G. Most flagship smartphones use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 865 chip or something similar, which is almost twice as fast on paper.

“In the real world, the Pixel 5 never felt sluggish or slow in everyday use. However, when I took many photos in quick succession, the camera would take longer after the capture due to lower performance. Gaming performance has also been reduced, but not to a level most will notice. ”

Meanwhile, the Pixel 4a 5G brings much of the features of the Pixel 5 to a lower price point and expands the Pixel 4a offering, including the highlighted 5G, as well as a bigger screen. Oliver Cragg for Android Authority:

“You had to make concessions to get below $ 500, but almost all of the compromises are justified. The main exception is the 60 Hz display. While wireless charging, water resistance, and premium materials are all “flagship” features, the lack of a 90Hz refresh rate is arbitrary.

“However, the positive results outweigh any problems. There are the expected highs. The software is the best Android offering while the camera wipes the floor with other competitors in the price range. But there are also the little extras that make the Pixel 4a 5G feel special. This includes the comprehensive audio suite, the appealing feel and the exclusive pixel apps and services. ”

OnePlus’ traditional October T time

This week the newest OnePlus handset was unveiled. The traditional T update arrived in October, although strangely enough the OnePlus 8 Pro has no problems. Instead, with an independent update of the vanilla number handset in the form of the OnePlus 8T. Not much has changed in the past six months, but there are some notable differences. I took a closer look at the 8T earlier this week and highlighted the fast charging system used by OnePlus:

“A real area of ​​improvement compared to both summer devices is the quick charge functions. This has long been one of OnePlus’ branding associations, so the return of Warp Charge branding is no surprise. By using two batteries, a With a total power rating of 4500 mAh, more power can be used for faster charging. This 65 corresponds to 65 watts, which in practice is fifty percent empty in less than fifteen minutes and one hundred percent empty in forty minutes.

“The theory here is that OnePlus users would prefer to charge wired power for a short period of time rather than recharge all day. And if you’re looking for the fast wireless charging alongside the Qi charging from the 8 Pro, you’re out of luck. OnePlus has decided that the 8T will only be charged by cable. ”

Read the full report here on Forbes.

OnePlus management changes

OnePlus’ co-founder Carl Pei’s resignation has been officially confirmed by the Shenzhen-based company. He writes in the OnePlus forum: “I’m looking forward to taking some time out to decompress and meet my family and friends. And then follow my heart as to what comes next. ”Ben Schoon reports:

“According to various reports, Carl Pei and Pete Lau, the founders of OnePlus, didn’t get along very well, and it seems that something related to OnePlus North has pushed things over the edge.”

“In any case, it’s hard not to be impressed by what Pei did when he was at OnePlus. Not so subtly supported by BBK and Oppo, the company started off relatively dark and grew quickly on the back of avid device enthusiasts with affordable prices and top-notch specs. In the past few years prices have increased significantly, but phones have gotten better and better too. ”

More at 9to5Google.

Sony Xperia 5 II rated

Sony’s Xperia range of smartphones has always adopted the concept of smaller phones that have similar specifications to the larger cell phones. The Xperia 5 II, with its 6.1-inch 21: 9 OLED screen, isn’t quite the old Xperia Compact, but it’s closer than most. Eric Zeman sums up the handset:

“The Sony Xperia 5 II is a smaller, lower-cost version of the Xperia 1 II. It offers most of the powerful features in a more convenient and portable size. It’s an ideal choice for media enthusiasts, gamers, and budding photographers and cameramen, even at its $ 949 price point. ”

Read the full review on Android Authority.

Honor emanating from Huawei

Is Huawei preparing to sell its Honor smartphone brand? That’s the fascinating report from Reuters this week. Julie Zhu puts the question in the foreground:

“Digital China, the main distributor of Honor phones, has emerged as the frontrunner, but other potential buyers include Chinese electronics maker TCL and rival smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp.,” people said, declining to be identified since the conversations were confidential.

Huawei, the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker and number 2 smartphone maker, declined to comment, as did TCL. Digital China and Xiaomi did not respond to requests for comment. The Honor brand was founded by Huawei in 2013, but the company operates largely independently of its parent company. ”

How a sale of Honor would interact with the inclusion of current parent Huawei on the US company list is an open question.

And finally …

Everyone gets a song stuck in their head and not quite sure what it was? Well, Google has (hopefully) an answer to that as it launches “Hum to Search” in the Google Assistant. Chaim Gartenberg reports:

“Google says the feature uses its machine learning models” to convert the audio into a number-based sequence that represents the melody of the song “that can then be compared to existing songs. The company states these models are available on a variety of sources, including people singing, whistling, or humming, as well as studio recordings. “Things like instruments and voice quality are removed to focus only on this numerical sequence. Consequently, the search hum feature should work whether you have a tone -deaf or perfect pitch. ”

More on the side.

Android Circuit brings together the latest news from the Android world here on Forbes every weekend. So don’t forget to follow me so you won’t miss any coverage in the future and of course check out the sister column in Apple Loop! You can find last week’s Android Circuit here. If you have news and links about Android Circuit, get in touch!