This week’s Android headlines; Android news from Google I/O, AI scam screening, improving Google Search, Pixel Tablet special offers, Pixel 8a reviews, Galaxy Z Fold 6 cut back, Sony Xperia 1 VI review, no ChromeOS on Android, and more...
Pixel Tablet
Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the Android news from Google I/O, AI scam screening, improving Google Search, Pixel Tablet special offers, Pixel 8a reviews, Galaxy AI for all, Galaxy Z Fold 6 cut back, Sony Xperia 1 VI review, and no ChromeOS on Android.
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.
Google I/O News
There is much to be going on from Google’s I/O Îeveloper conference this week, so let’s focus on those that impact mobile. The biggest is likely the updates Gemini Nano, the on-device AI platform Google will launch for Android later this year, starting with availability on the Pixel series:
"In the future, activating Gemini will show Dynamic Suggestions. This will use Gemini Nano to understand what’s on your screen. For example, if you activate Gemini in a conversation talking about pickleball, suggestions might include “Find pickleball clubs near me” and “Pickleball rules for beginners… The next major update to the on-device foundation model is Gemini Nano with Multimodality, specifically “sights, sounds and spoken language.” This will launch on Pixel “later this year.”
(9to5Google).
AI Phone Wins
A number of the AI advances will be seen in the next version of Android and contribute to the user experience. One picked out on stage was the ability to use Google Gemini to help screen calls and detect scams.
"Google is working on new protections to help prevent Android users from falling victim to phone scams. During its I/O developer conference on Tuesday, Google announced that it’s testing a new call monitoring feature that will warn users if the person they’re talking to is likely attempting to scam them and encourage them to end such calls."
Changing Google Search
Given how much search and presenting accurate results drive the smartphone experience, the changes Google will be making with Gemini to search is going to have an impact on every Android owner, even if they don’t directly use Google Search:
“In the era of Gemini we think we can make a dramatic amount of improvements to search,” Reid said in an interview with WIRED ahead of the event, referring to the flagship generative AI model launched late last year. “People’s time is valuable, right? They deal with hard things. If you have an opportunity with technology to help people get answers to their questions, to take more of the work out of it, why wouldn’t we want to go after that?”
(Wired).
Pixel 8a and Pixel Tablet Special Offers
Google is leaning into the Pixel 8a and Pixel Tablet special offers, with the expected rash of bonuses for those pre-ording the mid-range 8a smartphone. But it’s the Pixel Tablet that has caught the attention of many… a $399 trade-in discount on a $399 tablet is something special
"As it stands, Google is giving away a $100 store credit with all Pixel 8a pre-orders and if you have a Google One subscription, you will be able to claim 10% back in store credit. The company is also offering some respectable trade-in deals with every Pixel 8a purchase… But the real deals are saved for Google’s Pixel Tablet. The company is offering serious money for very old tablets as trade-in value. For example, a 7th generation iPad, which was released in the glorious pre-pandemic year of 2019, will net you $399 off the Pixel Tablet, which itself costs $399"
(Forbes).
Pixel 8a Review
Speaking of the Pixel 8a, how does the new handset stack up against its biggest rival, Google’s own Pixel 8? Rather well, as I found out it in my review:
“While the Pixel 8a specifications are lower than those of the Pixel 8 Pro, the core specs are similar to those of the vanilla Pixel 8, namely the Tensor G3 chipset, 8GB of RAM, and 128 GB or 256 GB of storage. That 8GB of RAM could be an issue in the future in terms of headroom for memory-intensive AI routines. I wonder if future software updates may force more AI features into the cloud in the Pixel 8a compared to the higher-specced Pixels."
(Forbes).
Samsung’s Galaxy Feature Boost
Following the Galaxy AI launch in January, Samsung rolled out it’s AI software to the Galaxy S24, with a promise to roll it down the portfolio during 2024. That process continues this week with older Galaxy phones picking up the new software
"The headline news about this update is that Samsung’s formerly S24-exclusive suite of AI features will now work on phones that are up to three years old. These devices will get Circle to Search, Chat Assist, Interpreter, Live Translate, Note Assist, Transcript Assist, Browsing Assist, Generative Edit, Edit Suggestion and AI-Generated Wallpaper. Samsung has also confirmed that the older Galaxy S21 series, Flip 3 and Fold 3 handsets will only get two Galaxy AI features: Circle to Search and Chat Assist."
(Forbes).
Samsung Cuts Back Z Fold 6 Plans
Where there was one folding Glaaxy, it was thought there would be three. Reports suggest that Samsung's plans to offer both a premium and a price-conscious version of the Galaxy ZFold 6 have been cut back. Why?:
"The first is the lack of differentiation between the Z Fold 6 FE and the folding smartphones it would challenge. The Z Fold 6 FE could be seen as a mere copy of its competitors with nothing to challenge the current designs.
"The second issue is the uncertainty around market conditions. While price would be one consideration, is there enough differentiation between the Z Fold 6 and the Z Fold 6 FE to prevent one model from cannibalizing the other's sales?"
(Forbes).
Sony Xperia 1 VI Review
While never quite breaking through, Sony’s Xperia smartphones have always looked to stand out from the crowd. With the high price of the 1 VI, can it still manage that? The GSM Arean team review the handset to find out:
"Starting at around €1,400, the Xperia 1 VI is one of the most expensive devices of the bunch, asking even more than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. For the extra few hundred bucks, though, you get superior battery life, further zoom reach with the telephoto camera, a tad faster charging and arguably better speakers too. However, The iPhone 15 Pro Max beats the Xperia in every other aspect - camera quality, display brightness, raw performance, sustained performance and potentially build quality."
(GSM Arena).
And Finally...
The hopes of dual booting your smartphone between Android and ChromeOS looked to be a fun option that Google was not only exploring but implementing. Alas, it was little more than a tech demo, and we’re unlikely to see it available for the public:
"“And so then we were like, ‘we need to do a demo, what would be really cool?’ ‘Let’s put Chrome OS in there, that would be really funny!’ Like, like, could that really work? And it works! But that’s as far as it went. It’s a tech demo. What we’re excited about is the virtualization technology.”— Dave Burke, VP of Engineering for the Android Platform, speaking on the Android Faithful podcast."
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!
