Covering seven days of news and headlines from the world of Android, this week's Android Roundup includes Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked updates, the launch of the Galaxy S24 family, the debut of Galaxy AI, the preview of the ASUS ROG Phone 8, the Pixel 8 Pro special offer and Redmi Note. to reveal 13 and The Mystery of the Galactic Ring.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of the many things that happened in Android this past week (and you can find our weekly roundup of Apple news here ).
Galaxy Unpacked introduced three new Galaxy smartphones
The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked event is dominating Android news this week. The most important event was the presentation of three Android-based smartphones that the South Korean company is proud of: Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+ and Galaxy S24 Ultra.
"The Galaxy S24 series is changing the way we connect with the world and ushering in the next decade of mobile innovation," said TM Roh, president and head of Mobile Experience (MX) at Samsung Electronics. “Galaxy AI builds on our heritage of innovation and deep understanding of how people use their phones. We're excited to see how our users around the world are empowering their daily lives with Galaxy AI to unlock new possibilities. »
(Samsung Press).
It's about Galaxy AI
While the Galaxy S phones are the biggest ticket for consumers, most of Unpacked is devoted to Galaxy AI, Samsung's latest artificial intelligence toolkit. Samsung's James Kita spoke to Forbes about the importance of artificial intelligence for consumer devices.
“Ahead of the Galaxy S24 launch at Galaxy Unpacked, Samsung UK VP and Head of MX James Kita sat down with me to outline the vision for Galaxy AI. “In 2007, the smartphone market changed forever. In 2024, what we bring to the market with an AI phone and the Galaxy S24 will rewrite those rules.”
One feature that many in the industry have been waiting for, and which all smartphone manufacturers need to respond to, is the long-term support offered by Samsung. After the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, the S24 family will offer seven years of updates and security patches;
“This is good news for all Android users as other companies follow suit. After Samsung announced that it would extend its software support level for at least four years in 2022, OnePlus adopted the policy that year. Gone are the promising days. comes an Android update for an expensive phone, it took Google seven years of spares, security patches and OS updates to get Samsung to act or respond, but we finally got there.
(Forbes).
Pixel 8 Pro special offers
To ensure that Samsung doesn't fall for the hype of special pre-order deals on the S24 family, Google is offering store credit to those who purchase the Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro from the Google Store in the coming weeks.
The company has launched a new promotion offering a £125 ($158.59) Google Store gift card to anyone who buys a Pixel 8 or Pixel 8 Pro. The promotion runs until February 2nd and is only available to UK shoppers. For US buyers, Google slashed the prices of its two flagship phones in January, something the company has done several times since the phones went on sale in October.
(Forbes).
The gaming phone is trying to catch up with everyone
There's a side mission of sorts in the design of ASUS' latest gaming phone. Instead of focusing exclusively on gaming, the ROG Phone 8 has made several signals to capture the mainstream flagship market. There will be some minor compromises, but the strategy will be fun to follow.
“…the transition from a gamer-only device to a more mainstream device has been an ongoing process for several generations of ROG phones. If that's what it takes to get more people to see the excellent ROG Phone family, it's worth it. What's more, at its core, ROG Phone 8/8 Pro remains a gaming beast with superior hardware and industry-leading software to deliver the ultimate gaming experience.
Xiaomi has launched a new range of Redmi smartphones aimed at the lower end of the market. Leading the Note 13 series, the Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G offers a well-rounded mid-range phone.
“Redmi Note 13 Pro Plus 5G is both the flagship and flagship of this new lineup. Its advanced IP68 design includes an in-display fingerprint reader, a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 Ultra processor and a 6.67-inch 120Hz OLED with 1.5K resolution, 2712 x 1220 and a maximum brightness of 1800 nits.
(Trusted reviews).
And finally...
At the very end of the Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung announced the Galaxy Ring, a health-focused wearable device... then said almost nothing about it as the curtain metaphorically closed on the stage. But what could it be?
“At this time we can only speculate based on the health characteristics presented in the main report. Dr. According to Wiggins, the Samsung Health experiment will include the ability to track potential sleep apnea symptoms by tracking sleep patterns, blood oxygen changes and recording heart rate signals during sleep.
(ZDNet).
Every weekend Android Circuit on Forbes collects news from the world of Android. Don't forget to follow me so you don't miss future articles and of course read the corresponding column in the Apple Loop. You can find last week's Android Circuit here , and if you have any news or links you'd like to see on Android Circuit, get in touch.
I waited 8 years for this Galaxy S23 Ultra teardown…
