This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments contributing to the digital landscape.
This week we got to see first hand some of the coolest tech that was showcased at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Android Central's Derrek Lee and Nick Sutrich were present at the event, exploring all that the world of tech is set to offer in the coming months. Additionally MWC saw the launch of the OnePlus Watch 2, Xiaomi's 14 series, a close up of the Galaxy Ring and more.
One Plus Watch 2 is here
Read the full review here.
The wait is finally over, as OnePlus launched its most awaited smartwatch at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on February 26. The Watch 2 is the first OnePlus watch to get the Wear OS 4 and promises to deliver up to 100 hours of battery life on Smart Mode, despite changes to its operating system.
However, Android Central's Harish Jonnalagadda, who got to test out the wearable, says that in the real world, and with "always-on mode enabled, I got just under three days of use before I had to charge the smartwatch." So you can go about two days or more without thinking of charging your smartwatch.
Other than the batter, the watch sports a 47mm stainless steel chassis that is meant to withstand the daily rigours of life, while looking elegant. The watch has 19 watch faces installed out of the box, however, there are limited options for customization with the included watch faces, other than being able to change the color.
Jonnalagadda gave the watch a 4.5-star rating, saying the company hit it off with the design, impeccable battery life, Wear OS 4, and a decent internal storage of 32GB. That said, he felt as though the watch was held back a bit.
"I can't help but feel that OnePlus was too ambitious for its own good, and just going with Wear OS 4 instead of a dual-system design would have made the smartwatch more enticing," Jonnalagadda adds.
A win for all Android Phones!
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We'd like to say this one was a given. The Pixel 8 series won the "Best Smartphone" award from the GSMA at the Mobile World Congress this year. It's Google's very first victory and also the first time that an Android phone has won in this category since 2021.
The Pixel 8 series was pitted against the iPhone 15 Pro series, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, OnePlus Open, and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
GSMA's criteria for the award stated, "the Best Smartphone award combines outstanding performance, innovation and leadership as determined through assessment of smartphones on the market during the period January 2023 to December 2023, by world leading independent analysts, journalists, and influencers."
Hello, Galaxy Ring
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After quickly teasing the new wearable at January's Unpacked event, Samsung went all out at the Mobile World Congress this year and showed off its Galaxy Ring.
The ring will be available in three colors: platinum silver, gold, and ceramic black, and will come in nine sizes. The ring is set to do all things that a wearable should, like tracking sleep using your heart rate, movement, and breathing.
Samsung didn't say much about the specs of the ring, a Korean news outlet Financial News reported that Dr Hon Pak, head of the digital health team at Samsung, told reporters at a briefing that the Galaxy Ring battery lasts for about five to nine days. That's definitely a bold claim to make; however, when we reached out to the company, they simply said, "It's still under development and not final."
The compatibility of the ring still remains a mystery as Pak added that Samsung is working on making the Galaxy Ring compatible with Android phones that aren't Galaxy devices. However, it still remains a mystery whether IOS users will be able to play around with the ring.
Xiaomi launches its new Series 14 globally
Read the full story here.
The Xiaomi 14 series launched in China back in October, and it was announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the Xiaomi 14 will be made globally available.
When it comes to design, Xiaomi stuck to the squared-off, iPhone-style vibe of the Xiaomi 13. The device comes with a 6.36-inch 1200 x 2670 AMOLED screen. It is among the first smartphones with the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Xiaomi's HyperOS user interface. The phone comes with a Leica-branded 50MP main sensor, a 50MP telephoto camera (75mm), and a 50MP ultrawide shooter.
Along with the standard version, the company also launched the Xiaomi 14 Ultra in China on February 22 and made it available worldwide shortly after. The phone comes with four 50MP cameras: a standard 50MP 1-type-inch primary sensor, a telephoto with 3.2x optical zoom, a periscope with 5x optical zoom, and an ultrawide with a wide 122-degree field of view. The 14 Ultra runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, with a battery capacity rating of 5,300mAh.
Talk about having a Robo-dog
Check out our list of cool tech at the MWC here.
Let's just say it was missing a couple of tail wags! The TECNO Dynamic 1 is a robotic dog that was on display at MWC, showing off its tricks and interacting with passer-byers. According to Derrek Lee, who watched the dog in action, "Not only does the Dynamic 1 look incredibly cool, but its movements are surprisingly quick and smooth."
Dynamic 1 features a high-powered chipset with a series of sensors to help it detect its surroundings. It can be controlled with a smartphone, controller, or voice commands, and the 15,000mAh battery promises to keep it going for up to 90 minutes at a time.
Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories from this week that are worth catching up on:
- Android Central's Best of MWC 2024
- Smart glasses at MWC 2024 are starting to look like science fiction
- Why AI could make app-based smartphones a thing of the past
- Motorola teases first AI-powered Android phone to challenge Samsung's AI throne
- Honor shows off Magic 6 Pro's eye-tracking tech by remotely moving a car
- Honor is getting into the smart ring and Flip-style phone game to take on Samsung
- Nothing showed off the Phone 2a in-person at MWC Barcelona
- YouTube is pulling the plug on its Kids app on Smart TVs
- Google is reportedly paying some news sites to use its AI for writing articles
- Google Maps now makes it super easy to stay on track while navigating
