Android Circuit: Galaxy Ring Details Published, Spotify’s Big Change, New Pixel Technology

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including key Galaxy Z Fold 6 decision, Galaxy Ring details, Galaxy S24 discounts, Poco F6 review, new Nothing Phone (2a) released, Google’s Tensor Mobile change, and Spotify’s big change.

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.

TSMC And The Tensor

The current series of Tensor Mobile chipsets designed by Google includes Samsung architecture and a number of technologies from its Exynos platform. That still leaves the Pixel tied to the Galaxy at a hardware level. Looking ahead to next year’s Pixel, Google is looking away from Samsung to a new partner which will change the underlying nature of Tensor and the Pixel platform:

“The Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro, which is already under development under the codename “Laguna Beach”, will be a completely independent Google design based on ARM for the first time and will also be manufactured at TSMC in Taiwan in the future, at least according to an entry in an import-export database, which has been broken down and explained by developer Kamila Wojciechowska, who writes for Android Authority.

(NotebookCheck).

Key Galaxy Z Fold 6 Specs Revealed

South Korean publication The Elec reports on Samsung’s decision to equip every Galaxy Z Fold 6 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset. It’s a decision that the community will welcome:

“While the Exynos has better battery endurance, Snapdragon performance is stronger—around six percent ahead of the Exynos in terms of CPU performance and twenty percent ahead with 3D performance. That’s a trade-off that the community has expressed a desire for over many years of Galaxy releases, with one poll on SamMobile putting support for Snapdragon over Exynos at 83 percent.”

(Forbes).

Galaxy Ring Details

Samsung’s foray into the wearables market with a smaller device continues. The Galaxy Ring was previewed at January’s Galaxy Unpacked event, and it is expected to be revealed at July’s Unpacked. Ahead of that, the ever-reliable FCC certification process has confirmed specs on the fitness tracker.

“Depending on the measurement that buyers pick, the battery size will differ. Ring size 5 will come equipped with the smallest battery at 17mAh, for example, while ring size 12—the largest—has a 22.5mAh powerpack. The report also mentions the Ring’s charging dock but doesn’t dive into details about charging speeds.”

(Forbes).

Multiple Galaxy Discounts

Samsung continues to push sales of the Galaxy S24 platform, presumably trading some of the margin for market share. UK consumers have a raft of intersting deals this week, including some outside of the S24 family that will boost the Galaxy brand:

“These are huge discounts, especially for the Galaxy S24 phones which only launched in January. Smartphone manufacturers tend to clear existing stock to make way for a new handset. Considering that Samsung is gearing up for its summer Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris on July 10th, where it will likely release the Galaxy Z Fold 6, that might explain these sudden, deep, price cuts.”

(Forbes).

Poco F6 Review

The latest mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi’s subsidiary brand Pco has arrived. Like most mid-range handsets, the F6 has to decide where to compromise and where to push for the best specs. The GSMArena team review the handset to see what decisions have been made:

“The Poco F6 may not be the real flagship killer you are looking for, but it gets pretty close and tries to specialize in certain aspects. For instance, the handset offers an excellent viewing experience, good speakers, unmatched performance in the segment, reliable, sustained performance and fast charging. In a way, the Poco F6 seems like a solid multimedia/gaming device on the cheap… However, the mediocre battery life and okay-ish camera quality keep us from giving the device a higher score. “

(GSM Arena).

Nothing (2a) Special Edition

There’s nothing like a mid-cycle colour refresh to revitalise the phone. Given the stark nature of Nothing Tech’s handsets, bringing more than a splash of color to the Nothing Phone (2a) helps the mi-range mobile stand out:

“We are very happy to unveil Phone (2a) Special Edition. The first product to explore our palette of the primary colours; red, blue and yellow. Its overall aesthetic references some of our design heroes from the past, whilst creating a new expression for a smartphone. Elevating a functional device into a striking piece of art.”

(Nothing Tech via Forbes).

And Finally…

Sometimes it’s the small things that completely throw you. When that small thing is one of the most popular apps on Android, tweaking the icon so it looks at least different, if not plainly wrong, Given Spotify isn’t strictly following the icon design guide, it’s causing some upsetting effects:

“While most applications use darker icons on lighter backdrops, Spotify flips this, making its icon darker and the three lines within lighter (the opposite is true in dark mode). The result is, no matter how you have your Android home screen laid out, Spotify’s icon sticks out among the rest of your apps. It’s either an eye-catching shade of green without a break between it and your wallpaper, or a mismatched pair of colors compared to the rest of your Material You-supported icons.”

(Android Police).

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!