I am known for my strong views on mobile technology, online media, and the effect this has on the public conscious and existing businesses.
Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the launch of the Pixel 8a and some hands on thoughts, Pixel Tablet ’s new price, Android taskbar improvements, Huawei Pure 70 Ultra goes global, HMD Pulse Pro reviewed, and Samsung’s popular victory.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days.This week, Google announced the mid-range version of the Pixel 8 family. The Pixel 8a offers a smaller design, a brighter display, and 2024’s de rigueur AI capabilities: "Our refined A-Series design feels even better in your hands with rounded edges, a matte back and an aluminum frame. Its durable design can handle slips, spills and dust, making Pixel 8a the most durable A-Series phone yet. Plus, its new Actua display is 40% brighter than Pixel 7a’s, and the faster 120Hz refresh rate makes scrolling smooth."An early look at the Pixel 8a has allowed several reviewers to talk about the key points of the model, especially the vibrancy of the screen: "A display can make or break your smartphone experience. The Pixel 8a delivers one of the best from Google I've seen. Besides having near-symmetrical bezels on all sides and a flat design that should make applying screen protectors a breeze, the 6.1-inch Actua display passed my initial eye test, delivering vibrant colors and more than enough resolution for its size."Also launched was a tweak to the Pixel Tablet. It is now available without a bundled dock, offering a nice discount to those who don’t need the home-automation-styled speaker and stand arrangement: "It's been a year since Google released the Pixel Tablet, a clever new riff on Android tablets that included its own magnetically attaching speaker dock. Now, Google is selling the Pixel Tablet on its own without its clever magnetically charging speaker dock for $100 less."Quietly rolling out in the next update to Android is an improved Alt-Tab task switcher for large-screened Android devices, which, yes, includes the Pixel Tablet that may see a new keyboard that makes this feature more noticeable: "Somehow, this change slipped under everyone’s radar until today, which suggests there aren’t a lot of folks out there using a physical keyboard with their Pixel Tablet. That could change soon, though, since Google is rumored to be relaunching its Pixel Tablet alongside a new pen and keyboard accessory. The way Android 14 handles Alt+Tab is a dramatic improvement over Android 13 and comes right in time for the relaunch of Google’s tablet."Huawei has taken some time to return to the premium Android smartphone market. The Pura 70 range is now going global, including the flagship Pura 70 Ultimate. Forbes’ David Phelan has spent some time looking over the Pura family: "Of the three models, the Ultra is the standout. It has plenty of innovations, most notable of which is the 50-megapixel camera measuring a full one-inch in size, something almost unheard of in cameraphones and is something that beats the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra. To make this work, there is a unique motorized mechanism which extends and retracts as needed. There are two other cameras, a 40-megapixel ultra-wide and a 50-megapixel telephoto."branching away from the Nokia brand, the Pulse family of phones is HMD’s first “own brand” product. Targeted towards the budget market while favouring easily repairable components for DIY fixes at home, is the Pulse Pro a good phone? "The manufacturer has given the chassis a stylish design, but a little more sturdiness would’ve been nice. The speaker offers okay sound, the battery lasts pretty long, and the display is fairly bright and doesn’t make use of PWM. However, the phone’s performance, in particular, didn’t quite impress; there are much faster alternatives in this price category."Samsung takes the crown for the most popular Android smartphone in Q1 this year, with the S24 Ultra not only sitting atop the charts but posting more sales than last year’s S23 Ultra. If only those pesky iPhones weren’t in front on the overall chart: "Counterpoint Research reports that the most popular smartphones in Q1 2024 were, unsurprisingly, iPhones. The iPhone 15 Pro Max, 15, and 15 Pro made up the top three each with roughly 4% share. iPhone 14 was next at 1.9%. But past that, Galaxy S24 Ultra broke into the top five with 1.9%, making it the most popular Android phone so far this year. This time last year, Galaxy S23 Ultra was at just 1.3% and one spot behind the Galaxy A13 which held 1.9% of the market in Q1 2023." 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,, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language or threats of any kindContinuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejectedAttempts or tactics that put the site security at riskProtect your community.
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