Looking back on seven days of news and headlines across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit features Samsung confirming a new Galaxy, Xiaomi’s compact handset design, OnePlus prepares new spend, MediaTek wins in chip battle, Huawei ‘s European supply chain, and the smartphone features we don’t want in 2021.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android last week (and you can find Apple ‘s weekly news here).
Join the list to join the list to get the Galaxy S21
Ahead of the much-anticipated launch of the Galaxy S21 family in mid-January, Samsung US has unveiled a backup system to get on the pre-order list of ‘next Galaxy’. So or sneaky buying a smartphone in the sales you are waiting for something new from a South Korean manufacturer, okay? Asif Shaik reports:
Samsung allows users to sign up for their pre – order notification through the Samsung Shop app. If you want to register for the pre-order, you need to click the ‘Reserve Now’ button on the banner icon, fill in the required details, and accept the terms and conditions. ”
More at SamMobile.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 11: Samsung Head of U.S. Mobile Product Management Drew Blackard … [+]
Getty Images for Samsung Electronics America
2021 will be Xiaomi’s Year of Return
Xiaomi is believed to be preparing a number of folding smartphones for launch in 2021. As the New Year unfolded, several patents from the Chinese company were unveiled, revealing several concepts and designs that are, perhaps, under evaluation. Ilse Jurrien reports:
“Over time, LetsGoDigital has reported on different types of folded Xiaomi smartphones …
“Today we are adding at least seven new designs. Xiaomi received four patents from the Chinese patent office on New Year’s Day. It applies to three clamshell devices and four phones with a built-in touch screen, which appears into a tablet.We examine the various folded phone models one by one.
More at Let’s Go Digital, featuring several designs drawn from the patents.
Xiaomi’s patented designs seen by Let’s Go Digital.
Let’s go digital
OnePlus prepares a smart eye for 2021
While the Shenzhen – based OnePlus is said to be working hard on a WearOS smartwatch for 2021, there is another drawback that should hit the market first. The band named OnePlus Band, priced around $ 40, is going to take Mi Band 5. Xiaomi reports: Harish Jonnalagadda reports:
“The fitness band shares many similarities to the Mi Band 5, including water resistance, AMOLED screen, and multi-day battery life. Xiaomi is the runaway leader in the region. budget spending, and it makes sense for OnePlus to turn to the budget segment for their first wearable.We understand that the OnePlus Band will be debating in India first, and will be available in later markets. The band sells for less than ₹ 3,000 ($ 40)… “
More at Android Central.
MediaTek takes the crown of the chip
One of the biggest market races has a new leader out of sight ‘according to a new study. MediaTek has taken the top spot in the chipset vendor charts, pushing Qualcomm back to second place (though Qualcomm retains the lead in the subclass of ‘5G chips’). Ankit Malhotra summarizes the findings:
“MediaTek became the largest smartphone chipset vendor with a market share of 31% in Q3 2020 as smartphone sales rebounded in the quarter, according to Counterpoint estimates. MediaTek’s strong performance helped in the price band $ 100- $ 250 and growth in major regions such as China and India to become the largest smartphone chipset vendor. “
More details at Counterpoint Research.
The struggle to take Huawei out of America
For most of 2020, Huawei and its suppliers have been dealing with the inclusion of a Chinese company on the U.S. Units list. While some U.S. companies have received limited exemptions to allow them to transact business, the same is not true of companies outside the U.S. Yuan Yang reports:
Aon One senior European official said the sanctions had created an “America First” trade policy, including exemptions for US companies while companies from other countries have been cut off. Chinese market. “So far, U.S. companies have been given licenses to issue Huawei, but European suppliers cannot,” said the executive team, which asked not to be named.
More at FT.
And finally …
Smartphone manufacturers tend to be the backbone. Most users want a phone that not only works, but also has enough new features to be fresh and exciting. That leads to weird trends (for example, as everyone wants battery life, the market wants thinner phones). Hadlee Simons is looking forward to 2021 to silently forget some much-needed smartphone trends, starting with the names of the phones:
In the first year or two, it is understandable that we would see phones receiving “5G” suffixes from the global availability of 5G, but support has become common among flagship brands today . We hope manufacturers will lower this naming contract for high-end phones next year. Since they are less common, wouldn’t it make more sense for brands to use the “4G” moniker to identify 4G models? “
More at Android Authority.
Android Circuit circulates the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any future coverage, and of course read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if any news and links you’d like to see appear in Android Circuit, get in touch!