In this week’s top stories: we compare the Google Pixel 4a against Apple’s new iPhone SE spec-for-spec, our Damien Wilde goes hands-on with the Google Camera Go app, and much more.
This week, Apple announced the second generation iPhone SE, which puts iPhone 11 level performance into an iPhone 8 style body for the same leaked $399 retail price as the Pixel 4a. That fact has many of us wondering which of the two phones is better and why. Our Ben Schoon took the time to compare the iPhone SE against the upcoming Pixel 4a in nearly every aspect imaginable.
Apple’s iPhone SE is using a 4.7-inch LCD display that’s not even HD (1334×750). Meanwhile, Google’s Pixel 4a will offer up a 5.8-inch 1080p OLED display. That will offer not only more viewing space, but also better contrast and, possibly, better brightness too. OLED is the same type of display Apple uses on its high-end iPhones.
Elsewhere in low-to-mid-range phone news, our Damien Wilde got the chance this week to check out the Google Camera Go app that is set to be bundled with the upcoming Nokia 1.3 phone based on Android Go. For an app that’s designed to bring high-end features like portrait mode to low-end phones, the results are surprisingly good!
On the ironic side of things, the creator of the love/hate Google fansite “Killed by Google” publicly shared that Google expressed interest in hiring him. This, of course, lead to many readers humorously speculating that Google simply wants to “kill” Killed by Google.
For his part, Ogden seems to be disinterested in the offer, opting instead to poll for humorous responses to Google’s email. Further, he added that his only relevant experience for working at Google “is disappointment.” With that in mind, it’s safe to say that Killed by Google will continue to catalog the company’s failures for the foreseeable future.
Three months after launching then pulling a similar update, Xiaomi has officially rolled out a stable version of Android Pie to owners of the Mi Box S. The highlight of this update, of course, is support for the Amazon Prime Video app, along with fixes for a variety of bugs.
- Chromecast not working
- Some apps playback freeze
- Special H264 decode error
- BT audio is not sync with video
- HDMI compatibility
- Pop sound when STB in standby mode
- Gboard not working when connecting an external keyboard
Finally, Samsung made waves this week by launching a more affordable tablet in the form of the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. The tablet, as you would expect, has a great deal in common with the Tab S6, including the built-in S Pen stylus, while cutting back some components to reduce cost.
Under the hood, Samsung says the Lite offers a 1.7GHz octa-core processor (with 2.3GHz boost), but it’s not named. Presumably, though, it’s an Exynos processor. That processor is backed up by 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. There’s also a microSD card and a USB-C port for charging and data transfer. There’s a 7,040 mAh battery inside, too, which Samsung says should last around 12 hours.
Android |
- Contact tracing is coming to Android through Google Play services
- [Update: Sprint S10 5G] Samsung One UI 2.1 update set to come to Galaxy S10, Note 10, S9, Note 9
- Android TV projectors start getting Netflix support w/ Xiaomi Mi Smart Compact
- [Update: Nokia 8 Sirocco] Nokia 7.2 now receiving stable Android 10 update
- [Update: Galaxy S9/S9+, Note 9] LineageOS 17.1 adds support for the original Google Pixel, Pixel XL, and Nexus 6
Apps & Updates |
- Google Meet adding Gmail integration, grid layout, improved low-light quality, more
- Gboard 9.3 preps ‘Emoji bar’ and new light theme w/ rounded corners [APK Insight]
- New Google Fi customers can use eSIM on latest iPhones
- Samsung devices gain drag-and-drop file transfer feature with Windows 10 PCs
- Chrome OS trades some Android apps for Progressive Web Apps in Google Play Store
Google |
- ‘Google Card’ leak seemingly confirmed by Chrome
- Google Classroom took Italy’s school system online after ‘several sleepless days’
- Google Search highlighting what time cities clap for coronavirus helpers
Google Pixel |
- Pixel 4 has seen half the adoption among 9to5Google readers as Pixel 3 did
- iPhone SE 2020 sets unusually high bar for Pixel 4a in $400 mid-range war
- Are you buying the Pixel 4a or the iPhone SE? [Poll]
OnePlus |
- Get the OnePlus 8 series wallpapers on your device [Download]
- OnePlus Launcher 4.4 update refreshes the default app switcher
- Robert Downey Jr’s OnePlus 8 promo is ridiculous in all the right ways [Video]
- OnePlus 8/Pro sold out of the entire ‘limited’ launch stock in just minutes
Videos |
Author: Kyle Bradshaw.
Source: 9TO5Google