Tag: Android

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Mobile Syrup

The Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro review episode [SyrupCast 249]

On this week’s SyrupCast, Brad Bennett and Patrick O’Rourke grill Jon Lamont and Dean Daley about their respective Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro reviews.

The pod squad talks about how the smartphones fit into the Canadian market, their significant refreshed designs and why Jon prefers the Pixel 6 and Dean is all about the Pixel 6 Pro. If you’re interested in an hour-long conversation about the Pixel 6 series (and honestly, who isn’t, right?), this is the SyrupCast episode for you.

For more on Google’s latest Pixel devices, check out MobileSyrup’s reviews of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro.

As always, you can listen to the show on your favourite podcast platform or watch the video version on YouTube.

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Mobile Syrup

There reportedly won’t be a new Pixelbook in 2022

Pixelbook lovers are sure to be pretty disappointed by this news.

At a Qualcomm press event, Google’s retail partner manager for Chromebooks, Chrys Tsolaki, offered insight into the future of the Pixelbook line.

When asked about Google’s next Pixelbook, Tsolakisaid  “Next year [2022] there won’t be anything coming. In the future, I don’t know.”

While it’s possible that Google could launch a Pixelbook in 2023, that’s still a quite a while away. I’m surprised that we won’t be seeing a Tensor chip-powered Pixelbook next year.

Currently, the only Pixelbook you can purchase from Google is the Pixelbook Go, which the company launched alongside the Pixel 4 and 4 XL back in 2019.

Source: Droid-Life

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series will reportedly offer similar selfie camera

Expect similar selfie camera shots from Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy S22 series.

According to a leak from the Netherlands-based publication, GalaxyClub, Samsung is expected to feature the same 10-megapixel selfie sensor specs in its S22 and S22+ as it does in the S21 and S21+.

This is the fourth year in a row that Samsung’s S Series flagship has featured this sized sensor, going back as far as the S10. That said, the S22 Ultra will include a 40-megapixel selfie sensor, though this is still the same as both the S21 Ultra and S20 Ultra.

GalaxyClub didn’t provide any other information about the S22’s selfie camera, so there’s a possibility it could feature upgrades beyond its sensor size.

Based on recent leaks, Samsung’s S22 series is starting to look like another minor update to the S Series similar to the S21 lineup. With that in mind, last week rumours leaked regarding the S22 Ultra’s ability to dock the S Pen stylus, so at least one of the devices in the series could feature notable upgrades.

Source: GalaxyClub

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s Pixel 6 series may get face unlock in future update

The rumoured face unlock feature for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro may arrive in a future update, like one of Google’s regular Pixel feature drops.

According to an XDA Recognized Developer who goes by ‘Freak07’ (@mile_freak07 on Twitter), Pixel 6 devices still include code related to face unlock in the ‘PowerHAL’ config file. In a series of tweets, Freak07 said that Google added a tool for face unlock to the config file under the internal codename ‘Tuscany’ back in July.

Freak07 also shared a link to a commit about face unlock, which seems to focus on adjusting power usage to save battery.

Some readers may remember that leaked marketing material from before the Pixel 6 launch showed off the face unlock feature. However, face unlock wasn’t on the Pixel 6 series at launch. Although it’s unclear why Google didn’t include face unlock — perhaps there were too many bugs, or maybe developers weren’t able to reduce the battery hit caused by Tuscany.

Regardless, some code for face unlock remains in the Pixel 6 PowerHAL file. That could mean Google’s working on bringing face unlock to Pixel 6 phones in the future, or it could just be some leftover code from previous work on the file.

Even if Google did bring face unlock to the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, it’s not clear how it’d work. The only other Pixels with face unlock were the Pixel 4 and 4 XL, which had dedicated hardware for it. The Pixel 6 series doesn’t have that hardware, which likely means the phone would use the front-facing camera — as we’ve learned with similar attempts from other phones, camera-based face unlock isn’t exactly secure or reliable.

Source: Freak07 (Twitter), Google Git, XDA Developers Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung’s Galaxy S22 will reportedly feature Qualcomm chipset in Asian and African markets

As expected, Samsung’s Galaxy S22 variant will reportedly release in two different variants, including one with its Exynos processor and the other with a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset.

Typically, the Qualcomm variant is only available in the U.S. and Canada, but it now seems like the South Korean company is bringing the processor to other countries.

According to a leak first spotted by Max Weinbach, the Galaxy S22 Series in the U.K, Europe and South Korea will sport Samsung’s Exynos chipset. On the other hand, the S22 series in U.S., Canada, Africa and the rest of Asia, will feature Qualcomm’s still-unannounced (but very expected) Snapdragon 898 processor.

The African and non-South Korean Asian market will have three phones with the model numbers (SM-S901E, SM-S906E and SM-S908E) model numbers. According to Android Police, these phones will feature other spec differences, but we don’t know specifics yet. It’s likely we’ll see a difference in RAM and storage in these handsets.

It’s currently unclear why Samsung would launch the S22 series in Asia and Africa with a Qualcomm chipset, but it’s possible it has something to do with the ongoing worldwide chip shortage.

Source: Max Winebach, Android Police 

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung reveals new LPDDR5X DRAM memory for high-end smartphones

Samsung has announced the next step for smartphone RAM.

In a recent press release, the company revealed its new LPDDR5X DRAM that will be featured in flagship-level smartphones from Samsung and other manufacturers.

Samsung says that the LPDDR5X DRAM sports 1.3x processing speeds compared to LPDDR5 DRAM. Additionally, the company says that this new RAM uses 20 percent less power, makes the phones faster and puts less strain on the battery.

The South Korean company says that DRAM will appear in various products, including laptops, servers and cars. Further, the new DRAM sports a 14nm base, which is in contrast to the 10nm structure of LPDDR5.

We’ll likely see the new RAM in Samsung’s upcoming S series flagship, the Galaxy S22, but we won’t know until next year when the company unveils its new phone.

Source: Samsung

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Mobile Syrup

Google adds new ‘Pet Portraits’ to ‘Art Selfie’ feature

Google is one-upping itself by launching a new version of its ‘Art Selfie’ that lets users match their pets with famous artwork.

Back in 2018, Google launched an Art Selfie feature that had users from around the world taking selfies of themselves so that Google’s AI could match their characteristics to works of art from the past. Now, using the Google Arts & Culture App on Android, you can tap on the camera button at the center of the bottom bar to launch a new ‘Pet Portraits’ feature.

This means that when you take a picture of your pet, it compares it with thousands of historical artworks, including paintings, sculptures and old photographs. Google says its Pet Portraits feature can match four-legged animals, birds and fish with famous artwork.

After you’re done snapping a picture of your pet, you’ll be given a percentage of how much your animal matches the artwork. Other Arts & Culture app modes include ‘Art Projector,’ ‘Color Palette,’ ‘Art Filter,’ and ‘Pocket Gallery.’

Google’s Arts & Culture app is available in the Google Play Store. 

Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google’s Pixel foldable will reportedly feature Pixel 5-like camera shooters

Unfortunately, it looks like Google’s foldable Pixel smartphone that is rumoured to launch in 2022 will lack the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro’s high-end cameras.

The upcoming foldable Pixel, codenamed ‘Pippit,’ will feature the Pixel 5’s 12.2-megapixel IMX363 sensor, instead of the 50-megapixel primary shooter included in 2021’s Google phones. 9to5Google’s APK insight team discovered this information through Google’s Camera app.

Previously, Google’s Pixel foldable was linked to the ‘Passport’ codename, but at some point, the tech giant seems to have changed it to ‘Pipit.’ It’s unclear why, but this has happened in the past and it’s not unusual for internal project codenames to shift mid-production.

According to 9to5Google, the foldable Pixel’s camera will be accessible when the phone is folded, suggesting you can also still likely use it when the smartphone is closed.

Additionally, the Pixel Fold will also come with two 8-megapixel IMX355 sensors on the inside and outside of the device. Likely, these 8-megapixel shooters will both be used for selfies, including one above the external display and another for the inner screen.

While disappointing, including a lower-grade camera in a foldable device isn’t uncommon. For example, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 features camera specs worse than its Galaxy S21 Ultra.

9to5 also uncovered code that references the foldable as “isPixel2022Foldable” within the Google Camera app, hinting that the device could launch as early as next year.

However, if Google’s Android 12L release schedule is accurate, the Pixel Fold won’t launch until at least March.

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Samsung Galaxy S21 FE dummy model spotted in hands-on video

Samsung’s Galaxy S21 FE has been spotted online by LetsGoDigital in a hands-on video.

We’ve seen several renders of the unreleased, rumoured phone, but now, Jermaine Smit (Concept Creator), has gotten his hands on a mock-up sample of the upcoming phone.

The YouTube video showcases the phone in a gray colour variant with a triple camera setup, 6.4-inch AMOLED display and plastic back panel.

Smit’s sample doesn’t actually feature cameras, but he’s expecting to receive additional parts soon. The S21 FE is slated to feature a 32-megapixel primary shooter, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and an 8-megapixel telephoto. The phone is also poised to launch in white, light purple, light green and possibly a blue variant.

Additionally, rumours point to the handset sporting 6GB of RAM/128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM/256GB of storage. Further, the phone is set to feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor, Android 11 and a 4,370mAh battery source.

Source: Concept Creator, LetsGoDigital

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pixel 6 series always-on display animation issue has an easy fix

If you’ve encountered an issue surrounding the Pixel 6’s and 6 Pro‘s always-on display animation, there’s a simple fix.

But first, here’s some background: if you change the Animator Duration Scale in the smartphone’s developer options, it causes the fingerprint print icon and battery level to disappear on the always-on screen, according to a Reddit user ‘Apk07‘.

To solve this problem you’ll need to return the ‘Animator Duration Scale’ back to its previous setting. To do this, navigate to the developer options in the ‘Systems’ menu, look for the ‘Animator Duration Scale’ option, and change it back to 1x speed.

While it’s weird this problem occurs, it likely has something to do with the smartphones’ always-on display, which switches to the lock screen once you tap on the screen or the power button. When that happens with the Pixel 6, the smartphone displays an animation that showcases a fingerprint outline on the always-on screen, which only works on the 1x animation setting.

Google’s Pixel 6 and 6 Pro are great devices but similar to other Pixel releases there seems to be at least a few issues with the devices. For example, some users have reported a flickering screen problem. Google has already said that it plans to fix this issue with its upcoming Pixel 6 December release update.

Source: Reddit Via: Android Police