Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes new screen technology and biometrics from Samsung, leaked Galaxy S9 and Note 9 hardware, Google fixing some Pixel 2 issues, Nokia 8 moving to Oreo as Samsung works on software issues, OnePlus 5T’s Lava Red edition, and Google’s solution to the emoji cheeseburger.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).
Samsung Turns The Screen Around
If a smartphone is going to be truly bezel-free (as opposed to the marketing speak version of bezel-free) then the screen is going to have to wrap round all of the sides, and reach the back plate of the device. It looks like Samsung has worked out how to achieve this for a future device. Gordon Kelly reports:
Popular Dutch tech site LetsGoDigital has the scoop having uncovered a brand new Samsung WIPO (World International Property Office) patent which details how the company will build a completely bezel-less phone. And this is not ‘bezel-less’ like the meaningless marketing terms being thrown around by smartphone companies today. This is zero bezels, no notch, nothing.
The patent (WO/2017/204483) shows exactly how Samsung will achieve this. The company plans to use “bent areas” on the main display so it can curve 180 degrees around the top, bottom and sides of the smartphone.
Samsung’s Fingerprint Secrets
How will you verify your identity on 2018’s Android devices? There’s more proof that Samsung is working hard on improving the ease of use of its fingerprint sensor, as a patent this week exposed a method of reading a fingerprint that is built into the main display assembly. I’ve taken a closer look at how Samsung could manage this:
The international patent was submitted in April 2017, while the Korean patent was filed during 2016, showing that this is a long-standing goal of Samsung’s design team. With smartphone design trending towards larger screens and smaller bezels (or curved edges that tuck the bezel out of sight) the beloved fingerprint sensor has generally been pushed to the back of the machine. It is a suitable surface from an engineering point of view but ergonomically tricky to get a comfortable fit for every user.
Apple’s solution on the iPhone is to switch to facial recognition. Samsung’s solution appears to be getting a fingerprint sensor that works in the main screen area.
But Is This an S9 or Note 9 Fingerprint Sensor?
The question now is when Samsung can roll out the new sensor. Although the ambitious choice would be to push it for the Galaxy S9. Given the reveal at CES is just over a month away the technology should be more widely leaked if it was going to be implemented. Forbes’ Gordon Kelly reckons the Galaxy S9 will miss out:
Given Samsung was long expected to fit the Galaxy S8 with an in-screen fingerprint reader, the news this technology has subsequently run late for both the Galaxy Note 8 and now the Galaxy S9 a year later will be a bitter pill to swallow for many. Especially with patents making it clear Samsung has been hard at work with on this for some time. So fingers crossed for the Galaxy Note 9.
The second announcement ETNews has is less surprising. Its sources confirm Samsung will have no rival to the iPhone X’s Face ID 3D facial recognition system in the Galaxy S9. Instead the report claims Samsung will continue with the combination of an iris sensor and (less accurate and secure) facial recognition using the front camera. Whether this will annoy Samsung fans or see them nonplussed given the fingerprint reader is at least retained, remains to be seen.
Google Prepares Fix For Broken Pixel 2
Following reports of Google’s new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL handsets suffering from random reboots, Mountain View has been looking for a fix. The issue has been found and an update is expected in the near future that will correct the problem Chaim Gartenberg reports:
Fortunately, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users will have one less thing to worry about soon, as Google has announced that it has identified a problem causing the phones to randomly reboot. It will be issuing a fix “in the coming weeks…” That could come either bundled as part of a monthly security update (which sometimes include Pixel fixes) or a future Android software release.
Nokia 8 Receives Full Android Oreo Update
Following a presumably successful beta period, Finnish start-up HMD Global is rolling out the Android 8.0 Oreo update to its flagship Nokia 8 handset. Josh Levenson reports:
The Android 8.0 Oreo upgrade transports a number of much-requested features, including adaptive icons, circular emoji and notification channels, with the most notable addition being support for Picture-in-Picture (PiP).
Announced back in September, the Nokia 8 is HMD Global-owned Nokia’s most impressive flagship smartphone to date, packing a 5.3-inch IPS LCD display, a Snapdragon 835 CPU, 4/6GB of RAM and a 3,090mAh battery.
Samsung Still Working On Oreo Bugs
Staying with Android Oreo, Samsung is still working out the bugs in its implementation of the update for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus handsets. Ben Schoon reports on the third iteration:
This latest beta update doesn’t introduce any crazy new features or redesigns, but rather improves on what’s already available with Oreo on the S8. That’s to say, it fixes a lot of issues that beta testers have noticed.
The lengthy change log… mentions fixes for incoming call and camera errors, as well as fixing latency that can be spotted throughout many areas of the software. It specifically calls out lag when unlocking via the fingerprint sensor, and when using Samsung’s keyboard, both areas that would certainly be irritating if they extended to the final build.
OnePlus 5T Goes Red For China
Although the OnePus 5T was only available at launch in Midnight Black, it picked up a record-breaking level of initial sales. If you want a dash of color, the latest edition might be for you. But only if you are in China. I look at the new option available from OnePlus:
Cosmetic changes aside, the Lava Red 5T is the same as the regular OnePlus 5T, which means it comes with a dual lens camera, facial recognition for unlocking, and the 18:9 ratio screen that dominates the front of the handset.
The Lava Red version of the 5T has arrived less than two weeks after the initial launch. Whether it becomes available to the wider international markets in time remains to be seen.
And Finally…
You might recall the arguments over the hamburger emoji and CEO Sundar Pichai promising on Twitter to drop everything to fix the problem. Well, Android 8.1’s Developer Preview 2 has some culinary delights for you all:
Android Oreo’s 8.1 Developer Preview 2 doesn’t change a whole lot, but it does bring quite a few welcome tweaks to the OS. One of those is a slightly refreshed set of emojis including the cheeseburger, beer, and cheese.
As many pointed out a few weeks back, Google’s cheeseburger emoji put the cheese at the bottom of the burger as opposed to how it generally is in real life, and other emojis as well. Now, Google orders it the correct way — bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, patty, bun.
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!
