AC News Weekly
News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week’s top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week’s most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, Nothing launched the new Phone 2a Plus, we discovered a trick to improve the Pixel display, Circle to Search reaches Chrome browsers, the One UI 7 gets delayed, and there are even more Google hardware leaks to keep track of ahead of the August 13 Made by Google event.
Nothing Phone 2a gets a Plus-size model
Read more here.
The Nothing Phone 2a hasn’t been out for very long, but if you wanted something with a little more oomph, the new Nothing Phone 2a Plus might be the phone for you. While you might expect the “Plus” to mean there’s a larger display, it actually refers to the spec bump provided by the new MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro. The phone also comes standard with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, the upper configurations of the original Nothing Phone 2a.
Otherwise, the Nothing Phone 2a Plus is nearly identical to its non-Plus sibling, including the toned down Glyph lights on the back, dual 50MP cameras, and 6.7-inch OLED display. One notable upgrade is the 50MP selfie camera, up from 32MP.
The Plus side (pun intended) is that the phone only costs $399, which could make it one of the best Android phones under $400. The downside is that interested buyers in the United States need to purchase the device through a beta program, just like with the Nothing Phone 2a.
Circle to Search makes its way to Chrome
Read more here.
Circle to Search has become one of our favorite features this year, allowing users to highlight anything on their screen to do a quick search for it. The feature is more or less an easy way to access Google Lens, and while it’s been limited to Pixel and Samsung phones, Google is expanding the feature to the Chrome browser on desktops.
Officially called “Drag to Search,” the feature works fairly similarly but is a little less fluid. According to 9to5Google, who spotted the feature, users can access Drag to Search by clicking the Lens icon in the address bar of their desktop Chrome browser. They’ll then select something on the screen by moving the cursor to highlight the area. Once selected, a side panel will appear with your search results.
Drag to Search is appearing on Chrome beta channels, including Chrome 128. It’s not clear when this is rolling out on stable channels.
Make the Pixel display great again
Read more here.
Pixel phones have great-looking displays with crisp colors and inky blacks, but users with PWM sensitivity may not find them so appealing with the relatively low flicker rate. However, there’s a neat trick that users can implement that increases the PWM rate of the Pixel display, making it less nauseating to look at in certain conditions.
Android Central’s Phones editor, Nick Sutrich, says that thanks to the trick, he’s “been using the Pixel 8 Pro at 3840Hz for five days with no negative health symptoms.” Previously, he could only use a Pixel phone for about 30 minutes before needing a break.
That’s a huge win for people who are sensitive to these types of displays, but the downside is that in order to implement the change, you’ll need to root your Pixel, which is not for the faint of heart. But if you do decide to try it out, read the article in the link above to see how Sutrich made it work for him.
The One UI 7 beta is still a no-show
Read more here.
Stable Android 15 may be right around the corner, but Samsung phones are still waiting on the beta. One UI 7 was expected to appear in beta form on July 29, but the day came and went without any exciting news. Instead, we got reports that it has likely been delayed as Samsung works out the kinks in the software (but isn’t that what a beta is all about?).
Based on leaks and rumors, One UI 7 will reportedly see quite a refresh, adopting some iOS-like cues, particularly when it comes to the app icons and quick settings panel. Apparently, Samsung plans to separate the quick settings panel and notification shade, a move similar to Apple and other Android OEMs (Motorola has even done this with its new Hello UX).
It’s not clear when we’ll see the beta arrive on Samsung phones, but with the Android 15 beta on its last leg and the Made by Google event around the corner, hopefully Samsung can get it together sooner rather than later.
Google leaks continue ahead of the big launch
There hasn’t been a shortage of leaks when it comes to Google’s upcoming device launch, and now we have even more information about new Pixels and even a streaming device.
A recent leak showed off the color variants of the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro Fold devices with official-looking renders. While the Pixel 9 series gets fun colors like Rose, Hazel, and Mint, it looks like the 9 Pro Fold may be limited to Obsidian and Porcelain, just like the original Pixel Fold.
In addition to the Pixel smartphone colors, we also got a look at some Pixel Watch 3 specs and features. Apparently, the watch will have a much brighter display at 2,000 nits and faster charging than before, although battery life appears to be about the same as the Pixel Watch 2.
It also looks like you’ll be able to view your Nest Doorbell live feed straight from your watch, and there will apparently be some advanced running metrics, including something called “Cardio Load.” It sounds like Google is setting its sights on the best running watches with the Pixel Watch 3, but with the battery life claims, it may still fall short.
Lastly, we got a look at what appears to be a new Google TV streaming device, aptly named “Google TV Streamer.” Aside from the rather creative name, the device looks like a drastic change from the Chromecast with Google TV dongles, adopting a slim set-top box design. And while we don’t know much about the device like power and storage, the remote is also receiving some changes with button placement, including a new mute button and a Magic button.
It’s unclear when this device will launch, but given the Made by Google event is happening on August 13, it seems likely it may appear on or around that time.
Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:
