Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes Samsung balancing specs against battery life, the Galaxy S8’s two types of storage, a review of the S8 as a desktop, thoughts on the Pixel XL, how Microsoft exploits Android, the Note 7 returns to South Korean stores, Google getting ready to disrupt Android, and The Sims returns to your mobile.
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).
The Spec Wars Vs The Battery Wars
Samsung has set the Galaxy S8 to run at 2210x1080 pixels (HD resolution, plus a little bit more for status bars) but it can run up to 2960x1440 if required. The South Korean company may have the ‘biggest’ screen in the spec comparisons, but it rarely uses this to full capacity and has set the lower resolution to be active ‘out of the box’. Ian Morris comments on the issue:
Look at both Apple and Microsoft's mobile devices, remember Windows Phone? Well both those device ranges run on much lower spec hardware than Android devices do. It's easier, of course, when your range is smaller to keep things optimised. But even so, Windows Phone and iOS are both as slick and speedy as any Android device.
And surely that makes the whole thing pointless. Samsung has essentially equipped a phone with a screen that has a resolution so high that it's impossible to see the real benefit. To see this for yourself, take an iPhone 7 and an S8 and look at the two together - can you really see a difference? Be honest. Can you?
Galaxy S8’s Twin Storage Issue
The Galaxy S8 already has a number of variations in technical specifications thanks to the two processor families used by the South Korean manufacturer. It now looks like the Snapdragon vs Exynos choice has a further impact on the storage options, indicated by the removal of UFS 2.1 in promotional materials. Sammobile reports:
Even though Samsung advertised that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ feature faster UFS 2.1 storage chips, the company is also using UFS 2.0 storage in some variants. According to a new report from XDA Developers, Samsung might be using Toshiba’s relatively slower UFS 2.0 storage chip in the Snapdragon variant of the Galaxy S8. Moreover, the company has quietly removed the mention of UFS 2.1 storage from its official specs list.
The Galaxy S8 As Your Desktop
Using your smartphone as a computer has been a feature touted by many, including Samsung. The DeX software on the Galaxy S8 family of devices, in partnership with the DeX Dock, will allow the latest South Korean smartphone to join the army of ‘phone as desktop’ enabled models. Jason Cipriani reviews the system:
When using apps on the desktop interface, you're actually using the same Android apps you already have installed on your phone. Some apps, such as Microsoft Office Suite and Samsung's own apps, have received updates to make them compatible with the DeX platform.
Unfortunately, not all apps have been optimized to work with DeX. Instead, DeX defaults to using the standard phone version of the app. For example, using the Facebook app you will have a single column view, just as if you were looking at it on your S8.
Don’t Forget About The Pixel
While the geekerati wait on Google’s Pixel 2 smartphone (expected in October this year), the current Pixel handsets continue to pick up critical acclaim. Richard Goodwin has updated his longer look at the phablet-sized Pixel XL smartphone after a few months of use:
The visuals are pretty pedestrian. There’s nothing too eye-catching or impressive about either handset. The only real point of interest is the two-tone paneling work on the back of the device. Beyond this it just looks like a phone. Not a bad-looking phone, but nothing particularly exciting either.
But this isn’t what the Pixel XL is about. Well, that’s my opinion, anyway. I think this phone about Android and nothing else. Everything on the front, save for the annoyingly large bezels, is designed to simply get out of the way and let you get stuck into Android’s guts and features.
How Microsoft Uses Android To Win
Microsoft continues to reinvent itself in the mobile space. With the OS platform dominated by Android (and iOS picking up the second place alternative) the Redmond-based company has a different focus - push the cloud on every platform and let Microsoft be the connecting tissue and one of the personal hubs. Tom Warren met Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore to talk about the evolving strategy of Microsoft on Android:
Microsoft's new push is to convince Windows users it can help them resume activities and apps even if they're using an iPhone or Android device. The idea is simple: it doesn't matter what devices you're using in the Microsoft world as long as one of them is Windows. Microsoft has a number of different tricks to try and make this a reality, and it truly believes it can help make iOS and Android devices better as a result.
The Note 7 Returns To South Korea
Following the fiery fate of the Note 7, Samsung recalled the phablet, with a promise that it would recycle some units and refurbish other units. The latter now look ready to reach the market as the ‘new’ handsets pass certification:
Three variants of the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 – SM-N935K, SM-N935L, and SM-N935S – have received FCC certification to be launched in the Korean market. The SM-N935S is believed to be the SK Telecom variant of the refurbished Galaxy Note 7. The SM-N935K and the SM-N935L could be launched on KT and LG Uplus (LG U +) networks, respectively.
This new variant of the Galaxy Note 7 is believed to come with a smaller 3,200 mAh battery and Android 7.0.
Google Gets Ready To Disrupt Android
What comes after Android? One answer might be Google’s latest real-time OS ‘Fuchsia’. Rom Amadeo has taken a look at the latest code which now augments the command line with a clean user interface. The big questions such as ‘what’s under the hood?’ are becoming clear:
Unlike Android and Chrome OS, Fuchsia is not based on Linux—it uses a new, Google-developed microkernel called "Magenta." With Fuchsia, Google would not only be dumping the Linux kernel, but also the GPL: the OS is licensed under a mix of BSD 3 clause, MIT, and Apache 2.0. Dumping Linux might come as a bit of a shock, but the Android ecosystem seems to have no desire to keep up with upstream Linux releases. Even the Google Pixel is still stuck on Linux Kernel 3.18, which was first released at the end of 2014.
And Finally…
EA is rolling out a new Sims game for Android. Based on Sims 4, starting in Brazil. The Sims Mobile will soft launch in other territories over the next few weeks. Andrew Webster reports:
EA hasn’t revealed a lot about how the game will play, but the mobile release will be based on The Sims 4 “legacy challenge,” a set of self-imposed rules that task players with building and maintaining a family across generations. The Sims Mobile will be a free-to-play game with social elements, letting players become virtual best friends with their real-life best friends. It’ll also include typical Sims features, so you can design your own characters and customize their home.
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!
