Android 13’s Developer Preview 1 is now available. This preview isn’t like the public beta that’s available for everyone — instead, it’s aimed at developers and some enthusiasts.
Google plans to launch several Android 13 releases in the coming months before the official version hits its Pixel smartphones and other manufacturers’ devices in the latter half of the year. For those Pixel enthusiasts with either a Pixel 4 (XL), Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5, Pixel 5a (U.S. only), Pixel 6, or Pixel 6 Pro, 9to5Google has released a step-by-step guide on how to install the preview.
If you’re not a developer, you’ll only have to wait two more months for the public beta of Android 13.
Find out what’s new in the next version of Android, from 🔐 privacy features like 📷 photo picker, to developer updates like 📱 themed app icons, 🎛️ programmable shaders, and more.
Here’s a list of some of the new features included in the update:
Users who are on a guest profile can access installed apps from the main profile.
Silent mode disables keyboard haptics and other vibrations.
Typically you can invoke the Google Assistant by holding the Home button (when using three-button navigation). Now you can disable this feature.
There’s also a Photo picker to help protect the photo and video privacy of users. It offers a standard and optimized way for users to share both local and cloud-based photos securely.
There’s a new UI when you are looking at your output devices and there’s a volume slider.
There are also new themed app icons extending ‘Material You’ dynamic colours beyond Google apps to all icons.
Android 13 introduces several new runtime permissions for nearby Wi-Fi devices.
There are changes in the Quick Settings, which allows developers to create their own custom tile for the notification shade
It’s also worth noting that Google has confirmed the dessert name for Android 13 — Tiramisu. While Google doesn’t use dessert names anymore publically, the convention still exists for internal use.
Since Google re-branded Android three years ago, the company has avoided using dessert brands, though the unique names still live on. For example, Android 10 is Queen Cake, Android 11 is Red Velvet Cake and Android 12 is Snow Cone.
If you’re a part of the Android 13 Developer Preview, head into Settings > About Phone and tap on the Android version to check this out yourself.
Warner Bros. has confirmed that Harry Potter: Magic Awakened will come to Android and iOS in North America later this year.
Developed by Chinese tech company NetEase, the free-to-play game was first launched last year in select Asian markets. Magic Awakened is set 10 years after The Deathly Hallows and features appearances from characters like Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Neville Longbottom, Rubeus Hagrid and Professor McGonagall.
In terms of gameplay, Magic Awakened mixes card collecting with an MMORPG framework. Specifically, cards are based on classic Harry Potter spells and can be earned via a “gacha” system. Outside of card-based battles, Magic Awakened will let players create their own Hogwarts student, attend lessons and play Quidditch through a simplified touch-to-dodge system.
Those interested can pre-register on Google Play or the official Magic Awakened website for special in-game rewards. If Magic Awakened doesn’t sound up your alley, Hogwarts Legacy, a AAA action-RPG for consoles and PC, is also set to release later this year.
Square Enix’s Pixel Remaster series takes the first six Final Fantasy games from the NES and SNES eras and gives them a visual update. Specifically, the games feature updated pixel character designs from Kazuko Shibuya, the original Final Fantasy pixel artist.
Other enhancements include a rearranged soundtrack overseen by original Final Fantasy VI composer Nobuo Uematsu, auto-battle options and a bestiary.
The first five Pixel Remasters all launched on mobile and Steam last year. Square Enix hasn’t yet confirmed any console releases.
Originally released on the SNES in 1994, Final Fantasy VI tells the story of a young girl with mysterious powers named Terra as she gets swept up in a rebellion against a ruthless empire. VI is widely considered to be one of the greatest games ever made, making the Pixel Remaster release particularly exciting for fans.
As always, the handsets are available in a variety of colours. The S22 and S22+ are available in ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green’ and ‘Pink Gold,’ as well as Samsung exclusive colours’ Gray,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Violet’ and ‘Light Blue.’
The Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, comes in ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Burgundy,’ and Samsung exclusive colours’ Gray,’ ‘Light Blue,’ and ‘Red.’
While all three of these phones are flagships in their own right, the S22 Ultra is the star of the show with a different form factor than the other devices in the line.
Samsung Galaxy S22
Samsung Galaxy S22+
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Display
6.1-inch Flat Dynamic AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display, HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
6.6-inch Flat Dynamic AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display, HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz), HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green’ and ‘Pink Gold’ as well as Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Violet’ and ‘Light Blue.’
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green’ and ‘Pink Gold’ as well as Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Violet’ and ‘Light Blue.’
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Burgundy,’ and Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Light Blue,’ and ‘Red.’ & S Pen with 2.8 m/s latency
Display
Samsung Galaxy S22
6.1-inch Flat Dynamic AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display, HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Samsung Galaxy S22+
6.6-inch Flat Dynamic AMOLED, 1,080 x 2,400 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display, HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
6.8-inch Curved Dynamic AMOLED, 1,440 x 3,200 pixels, 20:9 aspect ratio, 120Hz display (variable 1-120Hz), HDR10+, 240Hz Touch Sampling in Games
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green’ and ‘Pink Gold’ as well as Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Violet’ and ‘Light Blue.’
Samsung Galaxy S22+
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green’ and ‘Pink Gold’ as well as Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Cream,’ ‘Violet’ and ‘Light Blue.’
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Colours: ‘Phantom Black,’ ‘Phantom White,’ ‘Green,’ ‘Burgundy,’ and Samsung exclusive colours ‘Gray,’ ‘Light Blue,’ and ‘Red.’ & S Pen with 2.8 m/s latency
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is this year’s top-tier S series device. First off, the device looks like a fusion of the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and the S21 Ultra — a perfect combination of the two smartphones. The handset features up to 1TB of memory, up to 12GB of RAM and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor.
What’s most notable about the Galaxy S22 Ultra is it includes the fan-favourite S Pen. This new S Pen supports 2.8ms latency, which should make it feel very smooth. Additionally, the S Pen features a more advanced version of handwriting that can digitize your messy handwriting into easy-to-read notes, and it works with up to 88 languages.
Further, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra features a 6.8-inch display that offers a 1440 x 3080-pixel resolution and 120Hz variable refresh rate that can reduce to 1Hz when looking at static images. Additionally, it supports a 240Hz touch sample rate when gaming. A touch sample rate or touch-sensing refers to the frequency at which the smartphone tracks the movement of your finger. Typical devices have a 60Hz touch sample rate, which tracks the screen every 16.6ms, while, for example, the iPhone 13 series features a 120Hz touch sample rate that cuts the time by half.
The 240Hz reduces this to 4.15ms, which should make it seem like the handset reacts instantly to each touch.
Camera-wise, the S22 Ultra sports a 108-megapixel primary shooter with an f/1.8 aperture, a 10-megapixel telephoto shooter with 10x optical zoom with an f/4.9 aperture, another 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom with an f/2.4 aperture, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide shooter with a 120-degree field-of-view, and lastly, a 40-megapixel selfie shooter with an f/2.2 aperture.
The S22 Ultra’s low-light videography and photography have improved thanks to pixels that are 1.23x bigger than the S21 Ultra’s, allowing the camera to capture more light, according to Samsung. The bigger pixels combined with the company’s multi-frame exposure technology should allow the S22 Ultra to capture bright high-resolution images even in low-light. Alongside this technology, the company’s AI reportedly processes 4x more data to sharpen details and reduce noise in low-light images.
There’s also a new auto-framing feature for videography that can detect people within five meters and track up to ten people for better group shots. When you tap a specific person’s face the video automatically shifts and adjusts to keep the subject in the centre.
Samsung says it has upgraded its ‘Portrait mode’ by improving its AI Stereo Depth Map and making depth photos pop in a more natural way. There’s also better studio lighting that should improve selfies, and portrait photos now work at night.
Additionally, Samsung has improved its manual photo-taking mode, allowing users to export 16-bit raw images. Finally, the handset sports a 5,000mAh battery and 45W wired charging and 15W wireless charging.
In a sense, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22+ are in a different ballpark than the S22 Ultra. Both phones look similar to last year’s S21 and S21+ and lack the S22 Ultra’s S Pen stylus.
The S22 features a 6.1-inch FHD+ display, whereas the S22+ offers an S22+ FHD+ panel. Both devices sport a 120Hz refresh rate with a 240Hz touch sample rate when gaming.
Both phones only sport 8GB of RAM, up to 256GB of storage and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. Additionally, the devices offer Android 12 and One UI 4.1, 5G, LTRE and Wi-Fi 6E for the Galaxy S22+ and the Wi-Fi 6 for the Galaxy S22.
Additionally, the handset sports a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 120-degree field of view. There’s also a 50-megapixel primary shooter with an f/1.8 aperture, a 10-megapixel telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom and f/2.4 aperture, and lastly, a 10-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.
The S22 sports a 3,700mAh battery, 25W wired charging and 15W wireless charging. On the other hand, the S22+ features a 4,500mAh power cell with 45W wired charging like the S22 Ultra and 15W wireless charging.
From what we know so far, Samsung is expected to unveil its latest S Series flagship devices, which include the S22, s22+ and S22 Ultra, along with the Tab S8 series, which includes the Tab S8, Tab S8+ and the Tab S8 Ultra.
Samsung dropped the Galaxy Note line last year, and it’s unlikely we’ll see it back this year. Consequently, Samsung’s top-tier flagship, the Galaxy S22 Ultra, is likely to include a Note-like design, an S-Pen, and top-of-the line specifications, while the other S22 and S22+ are expected to sport a design similar to its predecessors.
The company can also come out with a limited-edition Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3, or updates for its latest Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic, though we haven’t heard of any rumours surrounding those products.
Whatever might be the case, you can follow along with MobileSyrup’s coverage of the event on our homepage as well as on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram or check the showcase out for yourself on Samsung’s YouTube page, Samsung’s website or from the stream embedded below at 10am ET/7am PT.
In 2022, we’re expected to see a variety of smartphones from notable players in the industry like Samsung, Apple, Google and more. For example, next week Samsung will almost certainly show off its anticipated Galaxy S22 series.
In 2021, several pretty cool smartphones appeared on the scene. I’m a big fan of foldables, so getting my hands on devices like the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 was pretty exciting. I was also thrilled by the Oppo Find N’s unique form factor that offered a more traditional aspect ratio on its cover display.
Konami’s Yu-Gi-Oh! Master Duel has launched on Android and iOS.
The free-to-play competitive card game debuted on PlayStation 4/5, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch and PC on January 18th.
This is a notable launch for Android and iOS, given that the previous Yu-Gi-Oh! mobile game, Duel Links, features a streamlined version of the popular trading card game (TCG). Master Duel, meanwhile, plays exactly like the real game, featuring the same rules and cards (at least, 10,000+ of them). Unlike Duel Links, though, this isn’t based on the popular Yu-Gi-Oh! anime adaptations.
Master Duel also features cross-play and cross-saves between the different versions of the game. If you’re a new or lapsed player of the TBG, the game also offers various tutorials to ease you in.
Of course, as with most free-to-play mobile games, Master Duel features in-app purchases. Specifically, you can spend real money to buy in-game currencies used to unlock new cards and other in-game content. These currencies can also be earned over time.
After revamping the YouTube Music experience by testing a new ‘Add to Playlist’ interface, Google is now redesigning the way the YouTube video player looks on Android and iOS.
When you’re watching a full-screen YouTube video on your smartphone, you normally need to swipe up to gain access to the Like/Dislike, Share, Save and Subscribe buttons. With the update, however, all these buttons have been brought forward and can be used while viewing a video in full-screen mode.
Old layout
New layout – Image credit: The Verge
The app looks the same in portrait, but the portrait mode never really needs work anyway as all the interactable buttons were available front and center, even while watching a video. The update makes the landscape mode more usable for mobile users as it eliminates the need to pull up the ‘more videos’ tab by swiping up, and relocates the section to a small floating button on the bottom right.
Comments are also viewable directly from the full-screen mode, unlike when users would previously have to exit full-screen mode, open the comments and then go full-screen again to be able to read the comments while viewing the video in landscape.
According to a statement given to The Verge, the new user interface started rolling out on Monday, January 31st for both iOS and Android devices. While the update hasn’t widely released yet, it likely should in the coming days.
Google is starting to roll out iMessage reaction support in beta for Android users that makes cross-platform messages more interactable.
The iMessage reactions — officially known as ‘tapbacks’ — normally appear as a text description of the reaction on Google Messages, but the new beta update displays the tapbacks similar to how they appear on iMessage; in the bottom-right corner of the message bubble.
What’s changed, however, is how these reactions translate from an iPhone to an Android device. Reacting to a message with a ‘Heart’ shows up as the smiley face with heart eyes emoji (😍), whereas the ‘Haha’ react would show up as the face with tears of joy emoji (😂).
Similarly, the ‘Exclamation Mark’ reaction shows up as the face with open mouth emoji (😮), and the ‘Question Mark’ reaction translates as the thinking face emoji (🤔).
The reaction feature is enabled by default on Android devices with Google Messages though it can be toggled off by going to Advanced Messages’ Settings and switching off the ‘Show iPhone reactions as emoji’ toggle bar.
The new feature is starting to show up for Google Messages beta users, though we are not sure when Google intends to roll it out widely.
Every month, Xbox adds new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.
Typically, new games join the catalogue in two waves every month, and now, Xbox has revealed the first half of February’s lineup.
Notably, Infernax from Quebec City-based indie Berzerk Studio (which we just featured this week), and Contrast from Montreal-owned Xbox studio Compulsion, are among the new Game Pass titles.
Contrast (Cloud and Console) — February 3rd
Dreamscaper (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 3rd
Telling Lies (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 3rd
Besiege (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th [Game Preview]
CrossfireX (Console) — February 10th [only includes the first single-player campaign, “Operation: Catalyst”)
Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
Skul: The Hero Slayer (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 10th
Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 14th
Infernax (Cloud, Console and PC) — February 14th
Meanwhile, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on February 15th:
Meanwhile, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate costs $16.99/month and is required for streaming (which Xbox refers to as ‘Cloud’) to mobile devices and browsers. On top of that, this tier includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, as well as subscriptions to Xbox Live Gold and EA Play.
Find out what came to Game Pass in the second half of January here.
