Android Circuit: Pixel 7 Pro excitement, OnePlus trees, Xiaomi 12T Pro reviews

Looking back at seven days of news and headlines from the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the launch and first thoughts on the Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel 7 and Pixel Watch, why Samsung is so far ahead of Google’s new European USB-C -Charging standard, Xiaomi 12T Pro reviews, OnePlus trade-in for trees and a million dynamic islands on Android.

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

Pixel 7 and 7 Pro launched by Google

Announced at its I/O event in early summer, Google has now fully unveiled the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro smartphones. The two new phones build on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro with a new chipset, an improved camera and a streamlined design. Here are Google’s thoughts on the update:

“The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro are sleek, sophisticated and built to last. In addition, the aluminum body of both phones is made from 100% recycled material.

“With a 6.3-inch display and smaller bezels, Pixel 7 is intentionally more compact than Pixel 6 – it packs more features and improvements into a smaller profile. Its new zirconium oxide blasted aluminum feels silky in the hand and you can choose from three colors to suit your personal style: Snow, Obsidian and the brand new Lemongrass.

“Pixel 7 Pro has an immersive 6.7-inch display, a beautiful polished aluminum frame, and a camera bar that’s perfectly complemented by three color options: snow, obsidian, and a new hazel color.”

Google focuses on the security of the smartphones, their “intelligence” in using AI to process personal data and of course the improvements in photography.

The change that will have the biggest impact is the new system-on-chip. We’re awaiting benchmarks for the Google Tensor G2, but the key to these chips won’t be raw performance, but their focus on processing the data for the various machine learning-based experiences on the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Ron Amadeo from Ars Technica:

“Google hasn’t claimed that the CPU or GPU is faster (I asked), but ARM promised that the G710 is 20 percent faster and 20 percent more power efficient compared to the G78 when it announced a year ago, so we All of Google Tensor’s “percent better” year-over-year claims revolve around hyper-specific single-application AI use cases, claims like Google’s text-to-speech models now run “70 percent faster and an average of 50 percent slower performance” “

ZDNet’s Jason Cipriani took some hands-on time with the two phones after the launch event, noting the new design of the iconic camera bar that makes these new phones appear as evolutions of the Pixel 6 family:

“At first glance, it could be easy to confuse last year’s Pixel 6 with the Pixel 7 and vice versa. The designs are similar, but there are some key differences. For example, the camera bar on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro is now metal, not glass, and wraps around the side of the phones instead of stopping abruptly at the edges.”

(ZDNet).

Pixel Watch opens Smartwatch Angle

Google has been supporting wearables on Android with Wear OS, but now it’s stepping it up by launching its own smartwatch, in this case the Pixel Watch. Back to the Google Blog:

“Designed with comfort and durability in mind, the Google Pixel Watch is sophisticated for a night out or a business meeting, stands up to your activities and workouts, and is comfortable to sleep in. The bold 3D circular dome glass blends seamlessly with the stainless steel body , which gives it a slim look on the wrist. It is both water resistant (up to 5 ATM/50 meters) and scratch resistant and can be worn day or night.”

In particular, Google highlights Fitbit integration (which it acquired in January 2021), but that’s not the only Google service the watch easily connects to:

“The watch will also be more openly integrated with Google services out of the box. These include Google Wallet for contactless payments, turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps, and calendar and Gmail notifications. Google Assistant and the Google Home app for smart home control. For music, Google also includes three months of YouTube Music Premium with every Pixel Watch.”

(The edge).

Where does the Pixel 6a fit in?

The Pixel line has grown, with both the 7 and 7 Pro replacing the 6 and 6 Pro launched last year. And the Pixel 6a? Not only does that remain relevant, but Google will use it as a benchmark alongside the iPhone SE to show what a Pixel can do. I put the two little phones through some comparisons earlier this week:

“…both phones rely on computer photography to enhance and process the incoming image data for better output.

“This is where the Pixel 6a comes out on top. The Tensor Mobile chip might not take the crown of benchmark king, but Google focused the design on creating a machine-learning-focused chip that enables AI capabilities… just the kind of hardware that lets you get the best possible images to have to do. Photos are comparable in good light, but once the light levels drop, the Pixel 6a’s night mode really comes into its own… and the iPhone SE’s lack of a night mode is an Achilles’ heel.

(Forbes).

Some perspectives from South Korea

The Pixel pack will certainly make a splash in the media, but will it have an equally big impact on shelves around the world? Samsung, arguably the world’s leading manufacturer of Android smartphones, is way ahead of Google. SamMobile’s Mihai Matei highlights the retail difference between the Pixel and the Galaxy:

“According to sales reports from market research firm IDC, Google has sold 27.6 million Pixel phones since the line’s launch in 2016. And as Bloomberg editor @vladsavov pointed out on Twitter, that’s 1/10th of Samsung’s sales in a single year (2021). ), meaning that at this rate, Google would need to sell Pixel phones for about 60 more years to keep up with Samsung’s 12-month Galaxy phone sales.

(SamMobile).

Common charger law passed in Europe

The European Parliament has passed long-discussed legislation on a common charging standard for mobile devices. The directive was developed to tackle e-waste and enable consumers to make more sustainable choices. Implementation is expected for the majority of covered devices, including Android smartphones and tablets, by the end of 2024

“Regardless of their manufacturer, all new cell phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, portable video game consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are cord-rechargeable are designed with a power output of up to 100 watts must be equipped with a USB Type-C connector.

(News from the European Parliament).

Xiaomi 12T Pro review

Xiaomi’s mid-cycle upgrade to the Xiaomi 12 smartphones has arrived in the form of the 12T and 12T Pro. The advance over the vanilla 12 phones isn’t significant, but there are some notable additions, like the 200-megapixel camera. Cam Bunton looks at the new handset and this super snapper:

“Xiaomi’s phone pixel merges 16 pixels into one (essentially merging them into one big pixel). This is a fairly well-known approach in the Android phone market and should mean decent low-light performance and quick focusing.

“If you choose to use all 200 million pixels, it means you can crop an image without losing much of the sharpness. We took some test shots with this mode enabled and – in daylight – it’s impressive how far you can zoom into an image before the detail falls away and looks a bit coarse.

(bag fluff).

The OnePlus 10 tree

In cooperation with the climate protection organization Ecolog, OnePlus has committed to planting a tree for every mobile phone traded in via its website. This is part of the company’s drive to find more sustainability in its business, which includes packaging design, recycling centers and longer product cycles:

“At OnePlus we are known for our community spirit and we care about our users. By giving OnePlus fans the opportunity to help the planet every time they buy a new phone, we’re helping them make a positive difference for the planet,” said Tuomas Lampen, Head of European Strategy at OnePlus. “By partnering with Ecolog as part of our broader environmental work, we hope to further reduce our impact on the world and become a more sustainable company.”

(Ecology).

And finally…

Android’s fascination with Apple’s Dynamic Island continues. Following the reveal of the iPhone 14’s punch-out skin, Android manufacturers have been asking users for their opinions… and third-party developers are hard at work. A million downloads from dynamicSpot later, there is at least one oddity about the UI element:

“… what caught our eye is that dynamicSpot has hit its first major milestone, with the Early Access app hitting over a million downloads on the Google Play Store – and also making the top 10 on APKMirror this week. Looking at the numbers, Android users seem very curious about what a dynamic island would look like on their phones.”

(Android Police).

Android Circuit rounds up the latest news from the Android world here on Forbes every weekend. Don’t forget to follow me for future coverage, and of course read the sister column in the Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit is here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see on Android Circuit, get in touch!