This is Android Central’s weekly news release, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week’s biggest tech stories. This is where we dive into the headlines that provide the latest developments contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, we got a first-hand look at some of the coolest tech on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Android Central’s Derrek Lee and Nick Sutrich attended the event to discuss everything the tech world has to offer in the coming months. In addition, MWC also released OnePlus Watch 2, Xiaomi 14 series, Galaxy Ring close-ups, etc.
OnePlus Watch 2 is here
Read the full review here.
The wait is finally over as OnePlus launched its most anticipated smartwatch on February 26 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The Watch 2 is the first OnePlus watch to run on Wear OS 4 and promises up to 100 hours of battery life. Smart Mode, despite changes to its operating system.
However, Android Central’s Harish Jonnalagadda, who tested the wearable, said that in real-world use, with “always-on mode enabled,” I only had less than three days of use before having to charge the smartwatch. . Therefore, you can use it for two days or more without having to think about charging the smartwatch.
Beyond the batter, the watch features a 47mm stainless steel chassis that’s built to withstand the rigors of daily life while looking elegant. The watch comes with 19 watch faces installed out of the box, but the included watch faces have limited customization options beyond the ability to change colors.
Jonnalagadda gave the watch a 4.5-star rating, saying the company hit the mark on design, impeccable battery life, Wear OS 4, and 32GB of internal storage. Having said that, he felt as if his watch was being held back a bit.
Jonnalagadda added: “I can’t help but feel that OnePlus is being overly ambitious and not considering its own interests. Just using Wear OS 4 instead of a dual-system design would make this smartwatch more attractive.”
Victory for all Android phones!
Read the full story here.
We would like to say that this is a given. The Pixel 8 series won the “Best Smartphone” award from the GSMA at this year’s Mobile World Congress. This is Google’s first win and the first time an Android phone has won in this category since 2021.
The Pixel 8 series competes with the iPhone 15 Pro series, Samsung Galaxy S23 series, OnePlus Open and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5.
The GSMA’s award criteria states: “The Best Smartphone Awards combine outstanding performance, innovation and leadership, with the world’s leading independent analysts, journalists and influencers identifying the best smartphones on the market between January and December 2023. The smartphone is evaluated and determined.”
hello galaxy ring
Read the full story here.
After quickly showing off the new wearable device at the Unpacked event in January, Samsung went all out at this year’s Mobile World Congress, showing off the Galaxy Ring.
The ring is available in platinum silver, gold and ceramic black, and in nine sizes. The ring does everything a wearable should, such as tracking sleep using heart rate, movement, and breathing.
Samsung didn’t reveal much about the ring’s specifications, but South Korean news outlet Financial News reported that Dr. Hon Pak, head of Samsung’s digital health team, told reporters at a press conference that the Galaxy Ring’s battery can last about 5 to 9 hours. . sky. It’s definitely a bold claim; however, when we contacted the company, they simply said, “It’s still in development and not a final version.”
The ring’s compatibility remains a mystery, with Pak adding that Samsung is working on making the Galaxy Ring compatible with Android phones that aren’t Galaxy devices. However, whether iOS users can play with the ring remains a mystery.
Xiaomi launches new Series 14 globally
Read the full story here.
The Mi 14 series was launched in China as early as October, and it was announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that the Mi 14 will be available globally.
In terms of design, Xiaomi stuck to the square, iPhone-like style of the Mi 13. The device comes with a 6.36-inch 1200 x 2670 AMOLED screen. It is one of the first smartphones to come with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and Xiaomi HyperOS user interface. The phone comes with a Leica-branded 50MP main sensor, a 50MP telephoto camera (75mm), and a 50MP ultra-wide-angle camera.
In addition to the standard version, the company also launched the Mi 14 Ultra in China on February 22 and made it available globally soon after. The phone comes with four 50MP cameras: a standard 50MP 1-inch primary sensor, a telephoto lens with 3.2x optical zoom, a periscope with 5x optical zoom, and an ultra-wide-angle lens with a 122-degree wide field of view. The 14 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and has a battery capacity of 5,300mAh.
Talk about owning a robot dog
Check out our list of cool tech at MWC here.
Let’s just say it’s missing a few tail waggles! TECNO Dynamic 1 is a robot dog on display at MWC, showing off its stunts and interacting with passers-by. Derrek Lee, who watched the dog in action, said: “Not only does Dynamic 1 look really cool, but its movements are also surprisingly fast and smooth.”
Dynamic 1 features a high-performance chipset and an array of sensors that help it detect its surroundings. It can be controlled via smartphone, controller, or voice commands, and the 15,000mAh battery promises to keep it running for up to 90 minutes at a time.
These are some of the biggest stories of the week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth watching this week: