Taking a look back at seven days of news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the fight between Samsung's Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, the leaked details of the Galaxy Note 5, details on the third-generation Moto G for 2015, ComScore's US market share data, a release date for Fallout Shelter on Android, Sony's bizarre naming policy on the Xperia Z4, Google's branding battle with Microsoft, and the new emoji avalanche hitting Gmail.
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).
Galaxy S6 And Galaxy S6 Edge Fight Between Themselves
As you'll read later in this week's 'Android Circuit', Samsung's flagship pairing of the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge has proven to be a strong factor in Android's US market share numbers for the last quarter. But with two handsets so closely matched on specifications and capability, is there a clear answer as to which of the two South Korean handsets you should pick?
Gordon Kelly and I sat down with both devices to work out the answer - and we've managed to respectfully disagree. I argued that the Galaxy S6 delivers everything you expect a modern smartphone to deliver, and is the complete competent package:
There’s no doubt that the Galaxy S6 Edge looks to be the more advanced of the two handsets. The curved edges on both sides of the screen are unique in the smartphone world (with only the Galaxy Note Edge’s single curved edge in late 2014 coming close). The idea of a second display on the edge of the device is an attractive one.
But the phone as a whole needs to be practical, and it needs to be useable in the real world. This is where the Galaxy S6 Edge falls down for me.
But it's the strength and promise of the screen that Kelly prefers:
Both are stunningly bright, vivid and with jaw dropping colours that aren’t overly exaggerated as has been Samsung’s want in the past. Which wins out? This divides opinion, but I found myself preferring the Galaxy S6 Edge.
While purists argue the curved edges slightly distort video and notifications in the corner bar (and they do), I love the ‘infinity pool’ bezel-less effect they bring to photos and video which makes them appear to be floating in air. The curve also fits perfectly in with the side swipe in gesture of Google’s Material Design apps which feels great.
And let’s be blunt: physically the Edge display looks amazing, everyone asks you about it and there’s nothing else which looks like it. These factors seal it for me.
Which would you choose? Which did you choose? Your comments are welcome.
Galaxy Note 5 Leaks And Disappoints The Fan Base
Samsung is expected to announce the next Galaxy Note in September, and French site Nowhereelse.fr has some early pictures of the hardware. It's clear that Samsung is going for a uniform look across the portfolio, as the Note 5 looks much like a larger Galaxy S6 than an iteration on the Note 4. Many of the features that made the Note range stand out have been sacrificed to bring the styling of the next Note closer to the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge:
The images show a handset which mimics almost all the major design changes introduced with the Galaxy S6: aluminium frame, glass back, upgraded fingerprint sensor, bottom edge speakers and the more angular lines of the S6’s superb camera.
In theory this should be good news (the Note range has needed more premium build materials while the other added features are welcome) but this overlooks one huge fact: Galaxy Notes are primarily productivity devices
The stylus remains, but will Samsung sell enough handsets to new customers looking for fashion to make up for the fans who prized the functionality of the device over looks?
Moto G Leak Shows No Changes Made By Motorola
Motorola's Moto G was a revelation when it was first launched in 2013. It coupled the style and power of the Moto X flagship but on a low- to mid- range budget. The following year saw the handset's second generation and while it retained the same broad specifications the software tweaks saw the Moto Go (2014) outperform the first generation handset.
Details on the third generation handset have leaked, and the Moto G (2015) looks... remarkably like the 2013 and 2014 handsets. While it jumps to a 64-bit architecture, everything else is remarkably similar.
Like any sequel to a sequel to a good film, there is a law of diminishing returns at play. The third edition of the Moto G mimics the hardware profile of the first model in 2013, which is great for keeping the cost down, but not great at providing a similar experience in software. The Moto G was within touching distance of the competition’s flagships when it arrived. While last year’s second generation model raised eyebrows by running with the same specifications, improvements in software glossed over the changes and kept the Moto G in contention as one of the best handsets of the year.
Consumers expect a new model to have more power and flexibility, not the same specifications as two years ago. The Moto G (2015) now feels more like the Moto E (2013) did... underpowered and not able to support cutting edge Android apps for the two-year life of a typical mobile contract.
ComScore US Data Shows Android Falling Back Against Apple
ComScore's latest data on smartphone marketshare makes for interesting reading,. While the rush of Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge sales has allowed Samsung to maintain its presence in the US market, Android numbers are down 0.7%, while iOS has jumped up 1.8%. Android Headlines puts the numbers into contest:
Apple remains dominant in the U.S. market and in line with the platform share, saw their market occupation increased from 41.7 percent up to the already noted 43.5 percent. Interestingly though, the slight decrease for Android overall did not seem to affect second place Samsung who saw a 0.1 percent increase moving from 28.6 percent up to 28.7 percent. LG saw a decrease from 8.3 percent down to 8.2 percent while Motorola saw a slightly larger 0.2 percent decrease from 5.1 percent to 4.9 percent. HTC were the biggest losers (comparably speaking) and saw a 0.3 percent drop from 3.8 percent down to 3.5 percent.
What's In A Name, Sony?
When the online world can share views, reviews, and opinions on the latest smartphones around the world, who would decide that the best marketing campaign would be to give its flagship smartphone a different name in different territories? That would be Sony, gearing up to sell the Xperia Z4v, The Xperia Z4, and the Xperia Z3 Plus... and all of those names represent the same handset!
It gets even more confusing when you realise that the strong European markets get the older model number for the latest handset, while the secondary handsets, such as the Xperia Z4 Compact, will carry the prime designation.
Why Sony didn’t stick with ‘Xperia Z4′ for this generation is beyond me. I know that the mobile division in the Japanese company is going through a tough time at the mount, with some serious cuts to the workforce. There were indications that the division was up for sale, so it’s perhaps understandable that some of the management team could be distracted from the long-term strategy. But it’s not excusable.
Sony’s flagship Xperia handsets have been some of the smartest Android handsets that I’ve reviewed over the last few years. The hardware should be challenging Samsung’s Galaxy handsets every step of the way, and it had the potential to challenge and overcome the iPhone. Instead strategic decisions over marketing, price, and distribution have weakened the Xperia offering.
But the recent decisions from Sony are crippling the changes of the latest flagship to get any market traction.
Well played, Sony, well played.
Fallout Shelter Ready For Android 'Next Month'
Following its successful release on iOS, Bethesda's Pete Hines has given hope to Android fans of Fallout looking to play the nuclear shelter time-management game in the near future. Tech Radar reports:
So far, Android owners have been left out in the cold (nuclear winters can be tough), but it now seems that Fallout Shelter is going to arrive on the platform in August, according to a response Bethesda’s Pete Hines gave to a fan question on Twitter.
Hines told the fan that the game is coming along nicely, and that while there is no official release date, Fallout Shelter for Android “should be out next month.”
Whether there will still be an appetite for 'the best waste of time this year' will be one that many marketeers will be watching with keen interest.
Google's Branding Battle With Microsoft
Should Google be afraid of Microsoft's moves to establish its now Cloud based services? Perhaps not, but the inclusion of branded splash screens on Google's own cloud-based Android apps does feel like a step to reinforce the branding of Mountain View's online services. With the reintroduction of splash screens as a 'cool thing to do' in the Material Design style guide, Google has lost no time to take its own advice on using the screens to reinforce a brand and product:
For me this is about the battle to be the cloud service provider that is uppermost in the consumer’s mind. Cloud storage companies such as DropBox are on the rise, and with extra services including photo and data backup can be seen as a commercial threat to Google.
Microsoft’s renewed focus on the cloud has led to it releasing software on Android and iOS that makes use of its own cloud services. Last week’s release of Office for Android smartphones increased the pressure from Microsoft on the competition. A reminder that Google is behind many of the popular acts on an Android smartphone builds affinity and association between the user and Mountain View. That the apps involved are in direct competition with Microsoft’s Office and Outlook based applications is not an accident.
OnePlus Goes Virtual For Potential 4 GB Launch
Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus looks set to debut one of the first Android smartphones to sport 4 GB of RAM. Online benchmarking tests have noted the increased memory size, along with three model numbers - which likely represent three different storage capacities. Chance Miller looks at the revealed specifications on 9to5google.
Further more regarding the OnePlus 2, the A2003 variant has appeared in the GeekBench benchmark database. The benchmark results of the device show that it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor clocked at 1.55GHz and features an impressive 4GB of RAM. The device received a single-core score of 1189 and a multi-core score of 4731. Some have speculated that the A2003 model of the device might be a more affordable variant with cheaper materials and a lower processor clock speed, but that’s unconfirmed at this point.
All the details will be revealed in a 'virtual reality' press launch taking place on July 27th. You'll need to pick up a VR headset, but OnePlus is using Google Cardboard, so you can request a free headset (plus shipping) direct from its website.
This is the first time this has ever been done, and, it’s not going to be just a regular ol’ product launch. You’re going to want to experience it, and to help you out, we are releasing our very own Cardboard. It’s based on Cardboard 2.0, but with some notable improvements. But, don’t think of this as a product; we’re losing money to bring you our new, improved cardboard. In fact, we’ll be giving them away for free (+ shipping). This is an initiative to push VR technology forward and make it more accessible.
And Finally...
Google has brought out a substantial number of new themes for web-based users of Gmail. Writing on the Gmail blog software engineer Gaurav Vijay notes not just the addition of the new themes, but also support for a wide range of emoji:
Your inbox is home to some of your most meaningful and entertaining messages—from that acceptance letter, to those throwback photos—so we think it’s important for Gmail to feel just as personal (and fun!). That’s why we offer lots of ways to customize your experience—from inbox categories, to email formatting, to shareable selfies—and why today we’re expanding your options with additional themes, and emoji.
Android Circuit’ will round-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!
