Google Discover: After a few test runs, Google now seems to permanently display the weather display differently in Discover. What seems new to my American colleagues has been around for some time with me. Instead of displaying the current weather in a larger map directly above the recommended web content, the display now disappears in a small “pill” in the upper left corner.

Google reduces the visible details: not every change is good

Of course, this small change means that you immediately see a little less details. The graphic shows whether it is sunny, cloudy or maybe rainy, and we only see the current temperature. Before that, you could see the current location, the expected temperature range for the entire day and the predicted risk of precipitation.

If you want to see more about the weather with the new display, you can tap the weather pill and open the detailed weather display in the mobile Google search. Certainly enough. On the other hand, the weather pill now shows me just as little details as the Google widget on the home screen, which means that both functions cancel each other out.

Incidentally, Google Discover within the Google app should not be confused with the Discover feed on the home screen. This has not shown any weather for me for a long time.

Samsung Galaxy A52: Only a few weeks earlier, Xiaomi presented the possible Primus of this year’s Android middle class in the middle price range and was able to provide open mouths with the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Samsung counters the extremely interesting mid-range smartphone with its Galaxy A52, which comes in two versions and has even more to offer in the top model.

Galaxy A52 presented: Samsung has given the top model an extremely attractive package

Samsung does not do without modern mobile communications, but also offers the Galaxy A52 with 5G as an option. Xiaomi missed that and so far only offers its new Redmi Note 10 Pro with 4G. Of course, this also means a more powerful processor for the Galaxy A52 5G, as the Snapdragon 750G is inside. For the Samsung mobile phone, this also means a head start in terms of ISP, CPU and RAM.

Another highlight is the 120 HZ fast OLED display, there is also 6/8 GB RAM, 128/256 GB memory, a microSD slot, the classic jack and a 64 MP main camera including image stabilization (OIS!) as well as the ultra-wide-angle option. As with Xiaomi, stereo speakers are also on board. In addition, an IP67 certification and a battery with 4,500 mAh incl. 25 watt fast charging.

Of course, you can’t just say that one of the two devices is significantly better than the competitor. However, Samsung already offers the more attractive package and, above all, more comprehensible selection. The 4G variant has relatively similar hardware, but here the display has 90 Hz, the RAM is smaller and the processor has a little less thump.

Not to forget: 3 newer Android generations (12, 13, 14) and 4 years of security updates are guaranteed.

Samsung wants these prices: The Galaxy A52 costs 349 euros and the Galaxy A52 with 5G is available from 429 euros. Until then, Xiaomi had not yet communicated a German price and is therefore less transparent.

Wear OS: Not even Google seems to have planned their own devices with the smartwatch operating system, although they took over part of Fossil and recently Fitbit completely. In contrast to purchases for your own smartphones, the aforementioned acquisitions were not necessarily intended for your own devices with their own software. A rather bad signal to the rest of the industry.

In any case, Wear OS suffers massively if not even the “owner” relies on his own operating system. In recent years, some partners have also dropped out. There are currently a few small brands such as Mobvoi, the same mush of the numerous Fossil sub-brands, and Motorola is expected to have a larger portfolio this year.

Otherwise, there is little commitment to Wear OS, and the first devices from Oppo and Xiaomi do not ignite either. Especially because of the Oppo Watch, it was to be expected that the upcoming OnePlus Watch would be equipped with Wear OS. That doesn’t seem to be the case, however, reveals one of the managers before the new watch is presented.

Wear OS: Not even OnePlus is there

OnePlus relies on a real-time OS that is limited to smartwatch functions and does not support third-party apps. But it is fast and should be able to offer a long battery life. OnePlus expects a “smooth and reliable user experience with excellent battery life”. You obviously don’t trust Wear OS to do any of that.

As mentioned in the title: Wear OS has little trust and finally needs strong partners again. So it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that Samsung of all people will be back on board soon. So far, however, the South Koreans have not presented their new watches and we are eagerly waiting for the new devices.

OnePlus will present a smartwatch this March.

ASUS ZenFone: The classic smartphone buyer in Germany might not expect this manufacturer, but the next generation of ZenFone could be all the more interesting for some people. At least if you are looking for a compact Android smartphone that has a really “small” display compared to the rest of the industry. A real alternative to the Google Pixel 5?

Google is no longer the only manufacturer with 6 ″ displays

As was “leaked” early on, there will soon be an ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini. This device extends the regular model, the display of which is said to be almost 6.7 ″. For fans of handy smartphones, ASUS is planning a variant with a display of just 5.92 ″, without having to forego other advantages of modern flagship smartphones.

It still has a Samsung OLED panel with 120 Hz and a Snapdragon 888 processor under the hood. The main camera definitely has a 64 MP image sensor from Sony and is very likely to have optical image stabilization (OIS). That makes me look forward to it internally, even if I’m no longer in the mood for this price category.

ZenFone 8 Mini: Details are still pending on the rare specimen

So far we do not know whether the ASUS ZenFone 8 Mini has a flip camera like the ZenFone 7 and how precise the dimensions of the entire device are. However, I expect a high-end smartphone with the “special flip” and therefore quite decent dimensions. We’ll have to wait and see more details, including what Google is doing with display sizes this year.

Fan Edition: Last year the Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition inherited the Lite versions from the previous year and was very convincing. Samsung offered almost the same high-end hardware as the original S20 smartphones, but at a more attractive price and in a wide range of colors. In any case, it was well received, the Galaxy S20 FE has also been able to sell well in this country. A successor seems to have long been determined.

One of the most famous “leakers” of our time published a schedule from Samsung, which was probably only intended for internal purposes. It didn’t work out well though. In any case, this schedule reveals the near future of newer Samsung devices. A hot August is revealed, because an “FE Unpacked” is planned for August 19th. Behind this is probably the Samsung Galaxy S21 Fan Edition.

Fan Edition with Snapdragon platform and as a Note replacement?

This year the Galaxy S21 FE may only be available with 5G and that of course gives hope for the integration of the Snapdragon 888. Last year, Samsung had equipped the cheaper 4G model with an Exynos chip, which was not necessarily well received by the European fan base. For a variety of reasons, people prefer Qualcomm chips, which usually do a little more and are better for battery life.

It is also interesting: Samsung is planning the new Fan Edition for the period of the Note series, which may not be available this year. Or maybe never again? A popular smartphone for the mass market could fill this gap. Samsung seems to be pursuing this plan. Speaking of plan. At least on the leaked part there is nothing to read about the Note series anyway, which could “confirm” its end.

Google Pixel 5a: In the first half of the year, Google could introduce a first new smartphone for this year, the new model is most likely an a-device again. According to previous experience, it is the cheapest smartphone of the latest generation. But is it even worth waiting for this device? According to the latest and already known information, this is unfortunately not the case.

With the release of the latest preview version of Android 12, the new smartphone is also shown in the source code. There it is listed under the same code name as the Pixel 4a (5G) already had. In addition to this, the first major, tangible leak from a few weeks ago, unfortunately all of this does not sound particularly “new”. According to previous knowledge, this means a pixel 5a that is simply just a pixel 4a (5G).

Google no longer without 5G: More and more leaks suggest that the Pixel 5a has little new to offer

Already the known case dimensions allowed this conclusion, the identical code name only confirms the assumptions of some international colleagues even more. Perhaps the Pixel 5a has a slightly newer processor than the Pixel 4a (5G) and, with a bit of luck, even a 90 Hz OLED display. Compared to the regular Pixel 4a, the annual upgrade would be decent.

Google would probably not introduce a smartphone without 5G this year either.

Speaking of Pixels, this is interesting. From the Google Photos app:

We already know the Pixel 5a is basically identical to the Pixel 4a (5G), but it could even come down to the code-name: https://t.co/4GZvwCFzMy pic.twitter.com/yShZeEd6Nz

— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) March 17, 2021

Another certification appeared recently, which seems to confirm the imminent market launch of the Pixel 5a. A few days ago an insider promised the event for June 11th, although the presentation may be reduced to a simple press release. Google doesn’t necessarily make a big thing out of every idea of ​​new hardware, as is usually the case with other manufacturers.

Google: In the past 24 months, the group has built a new branding behind the most famous search engine. Most of Google’s mobile apps are now also wrapped in the familiar colors. In addition, Google is more prominent as a brand, which is at least the case on mobile devices. At least since the inevitable end of the cooperation with Huawei, Google has been giving more gas in this area.

Not only has the partnership with Samsung been tightened in many areas. Other manufacturers should also advertise the Google apps more than in the past. Nevertheless, we see the next new label at Samsung with which Google partners have to advertise their Android mobile devices. Google has not yet officially presented the new label, but Samsung is already the first manufacturer to use it for the Galaxy Tab S7, Galaxy A52 and A72.

Full throttle for your own branding: Google binds the major smartphone manufacturers to itself

Samsung of all people, one might think, looking back at the past. A few years ago, the most popular smartphone manufacturer completely refrained from even mentioning Android at its own events. Today, Samsung advertises a “super Android user experience” and highlights the popular Google apps such as YouTube, Google Maps or Google Chrome. In addition, the new label “comes with Google apps”, which probably comes from Google and not from Samsung.

We’ll probably see this label more often in the near future. Google has contracts with the Android manufacturers who deliver Google services on their devices. In addition, this label seems to be made a requirement. Let’s wait and see how this topic develops in the coming months. The severely weakened Huawei shouldn’t be happy about that.

Google Pixel 6: The next top smartphone from Google is still a few months away, but the preview version of the next Android generation doesn’t want to keep any secrets. With the new developer preview of Android 12, Google already seems to reveal where the fingerprint sensor is in the new smartphone. This year, Google seems to be taking a somewhat more modern path again, after the sensor on Pixel 5 and Co. was back in its old position.

A developer was able to discover several new classes directly in a Google app, including the one called “UdfpsControllerGoogle”, which at first glance is meaningless. Meaningless until you can decipher the abbreviation. This stands for “Under Display Fingerprint Sensor”. The relationships found indicate that this new class in the source code is not intended generically for such fingerprint sensors, but for the next pixel smartphones.

Google Pixel 6: New sensor could also indicate a major design upgrade

Of course, we still need to be careful with these discoveries and clues. None of this is officially confirmed, and things are still subject to change. Nevertheless, we and our colleagues at XDA think the timing is right. Google has been waiting for several generations of these under-display fingerprint sensors. However, the latest generation from Qualcomm is extremely fast and therefore an attractive alternative to the sensor on the back of the smartphone.

Google would hardly just move the fingerprint sensor and leave the rest of the device in the same condition as the Pixel 5. A major conversion could take place, which brings more differences to the design of the predecessor. However, due to the recent years, we do not expect the Google phones to make any major leaps in design. Much more of an optimization, perhaps to increase factors such as the battery capacity again.

One-handed operation: For several years now, some manufacturers of Android smartphones have been offering different solutions for making a smartphone easier to use with one hand. This, of course, has to do with the enormous growth that the displays in most devices have seen in recent years. Apple also has a one-handed mode, only Google slept here for several years.

At least until now, because Android 12 comes with a native one-handed mode. This already appeared in the first preview version. Now again. This time the function can even be used, so we get to see a first demo version. A video of this has long been available. As it became known before, Google’s idea is limited to simply pushing the screen content further down.

Video demonstrates: New one-handed mode for Android is very easy to use

If the function is activated, the screen content can be dragged down with a swipe gesture. Thus, the used screen is halved, everything comes closer to the thumb. Google has copied this variant from Apple. Other manufacturers shrink the entire screen content into a compact square, which can then be moved on the display and changed in size.

The currently very early version of this function does not have to show the final version. Google could be done. Or maybe make further changes based on user feedback. In our opinion, offering a one-handed mode at all is already several years overdue. Regardless of the fact that the displays of the pixel smartphones never reached the size of the competition.