Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes Google’s confirmation of the Pixel 2, the OnePlus 6 specifications, A look ahead at the Galaxy S9 Mini and Note 9, three reasons to love the S9 camera, Nokia’s three new Android handsets arriving in India, and John Legend’s Pixel 3 video shoot.
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).
Thoughts On The Galaxy Note 9
Much more likely to appear this year is the Galaxy Note 9. Samsung’s phabelt is a regular on the annual schedule with an appearance late in Q3 the norm. The big question about this year’s mobile is where the fingerprint sensor will hide - on the rear, the side, or under the glass screen - but there’s more to the phablet than the biometrics. Zach Epstein reports on the latest leaks:
According to rumors, Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 9 will feature specs similar to the Galaxy S9+ along with a design similar to the Galaxy Note 8. The phone is expected to be powered by either a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset or an Exynos 9810 chipset depending on region, and it’ll sport a refreshed Super AMOLED display that will undoubtedly be among the best the world has ever seen. The biggest remaining mystery is likely whether or not the phone will feature an in-display fingerprint sensor; some reports have said it will, while others state that Samsung is still running into manufacturing difficulties and will have no choice but to keep the fingerprint scanner on the back of the Galaxy Note 9.
Google Confirms Pixel 3
It might not tell us much, but the latest code drop from Google has confirmed the Pixel 3. The highly anticipated follow-up to the Pixel and Pixel 2 is expected to be available in October and be one of the first commercial devices to ship with Android P. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly has more details:
Google published a new commit on its Android Open Source Project pages which gave the game away:
Cherrypick “Add device config to decide which Auto Selection Network UI to use.” This change added the config because the HAL V_1_2 only supports Pixel 3, and the new Auto Selection Network UI is based on HAL V_1_2. So we set the flag to decide which Auto Selection Network UI should be used based in the device type.
This Is The OnePlus 6
More details about the upcoming OnePlus 6 have come out this week, and the specifications (as expected) are pushing the limits of a modern smartphone. Ashley Carman reports:
…the OnePlus 6 will feature a 6.2-inch display, a Snapdragon 845 processor, and 8GB of RAM with up to 256GB of storage, potentially with 64GB and 128GB versions available, too. The phone also might include dual, rear-facing cameras with one 12-megapixel sensor and a 20-megapixel sensor, as well as the company’s Dash Charge fast charging
The one thing this leak isn’t completely clear on is pricing, since it isn’t evident what currency the figures are in. At the very least, the pricing details for the OnePlus 6 appear to be quite low relative to the price of the iPhone X and Galaxy S9 Plus listed on the chart. While OnePlus’ phone prices have been rising over time, it’s still known for selling flagship-quality phones at lower prices than other manufacturers.
Will There Be A Galaxy S9 Mini?
After the successful launch of the Galaxy S9, Samsung is gearing up for the close relatives of the S9 to appear through the year. This week online benchmarking tools reported the visit of the Galaxy S9 Mini. The Mini sub-brand name that has been absent from the portfolio for some years. Will 2018 see a solid mid-range S handset from the South Koreans, or is this a more acceptable ‘Galaxy A’? James Rogerson reports:
However, we're still not entirely convinced that this even is the Samsung Galaxy S9 Mini, as Samsung hasn't launched a mini model since the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini. Indeed, it hasn't needed to, as the company's A range fills a similar spot in the market.
Plus, the name Galaxy S9 Mini isn't actually used anywhere in the benchmark, all we have is the model number, so it's possible this is a different phone altogether.
If Samsung really does have a Galaxy S9 Mini in the works we'd expect to hear more about it soon, but don't hold your breath.
Three Good Reasons To Love The Galaxy S9 Camera
Samsung’s Galaxy S9 may be the smaller of the two South Korean flagships, but the focus on the camera is as valid to this handset as it is to the S9 Plus. I had the chance to take a closer look at the smartphone to find out the three key imaging features, starting with the variable aperture lens:
Given the small physical size of the camera assembly, pretty much every smartphone has a fixed aperture lens (unlike your larger digital SLR cameras). The Galaxy S9 brings a variable aperture to the modern-day smartphone. With the ability to shift between f/2.4 and /1.5, the camera software will widen the aperture to allow in more light as required at night or in dark areas, while the narrower aperture will help ensure that daytime shots in bright environments will not be over exposed.
In the past limiting light has been down to ISO (the sensitivity of the sensor) and the shutter time (the amount of time the light has to land on the sensor). Now Samsung has a tool widely used in larger cameras, but in the smartphone form factor.
And Finally…
Musical legend John Legend has announced that his latest music video (for ‘A Good Night’) has been filmed on a mix of Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets. Abner Li reports:
The music video for “A Good Night” just premiered early Friday morning, and Legend sat down with Google for an interview about the song and creative process. There is also a behind-the-scenes video showing the process, with several Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL units being used. The phones can be seen in both handheld and giant steadicam rigs with a third-party camera app being leveraged.
Legend said the decision to shoot with a Pixel was born out of how “the camera is amazing,” and how he and his team “were fascinated by the idea of using a smartphone to film a big budget music video, a video that brings the smartphone dating experience to life.”
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!
