Taking a look back at seven days of news across the Android world, this week’s Android Circuit includes the Galaxy S6 taking on the iPhone 6S, Forbes’ first review of the Sony Xperia Z5, the launch of the OnePlus X, Android and Chrome OS merging, Microsoft’s Arrow launcher for Android, a hands-on with the modular Fairphone 2, Outlook’s new design for Android, Apple capturing Android users and Google Play’s podcast strategy.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).
Galaxy S6 And iPhone 6S: The Heavyweight Fight Of 2015
What happens when you put the iPhone 6S and the Galaxy S6 into the same head-to-head review? Gordon Kelly decided to find out as he matches up arguably the most important flagship devices of 2015. The camera, specifications, and user interfaces are all examined, but he starts with design:
Now both the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6S feel like premium, high quality devices for the simple reason that they are. Yet for this quality both devices have had to make compromises. The iPhone 6S is noticeably heavier thanks to the introduction of 3D Touch (more below) and Samsung has sacrilegiously ditched both its expandable memory and removable battery in favour of more catwalk friendly lines.The results for both are a mixed bag. Apple’s failings are familiar: the iPhone 6S has woeful ergonomics in the hand made worse by a ludicrously slippy finish. The increased weight (14g) doesn’t help here and with a case being mandatory you’re looking at a circa 170g 4.7-inch smartphone. It may be iconic, but this oversized ‘forehead’ and ‘chin’ bezels also give the iPhone 6S a dated look. It’s remains quality, but there’s nothing here to excite you.
As the internet loves to say, the result may surprise you. Find out the winner here on Forbes.
Sony Xperia Z5 (image: Ewan Spence)
First Impressions Of The Sony Xperia Z5
My review unit of Sony’s latest Android handset, the Xperia Z5, arrived last week and I’ve posted my first impressions of the waterproof Android handset. There’s a lot to like in the Z5, even if there is nothing that screams ‘brand new’ at me:
There’s nothing really new in the Z5. It has a large battery, it has a well-known chip at its heart, and the specifications read like every other high-end smartphone out there. Yes the fingerprint scanner is here, but that’s becoming a default option in the same way that GPS and Wi-Fi are expected parts of a smartphone.
My first impressions are that Sony has matched the expectations of the market in the Xperia Z5 specification, but not really pushed the boat out.
OnePlus Launch The $249 OnePlus X
Following on from the OnePlus 2, Shenzhen-based smartphone manufacturer OnePlus revealed its third handset this week. The OnePlus X sports an intriguing set of specifications, with a SnapDragon 801 processor backed up by 3 GB of RAM and a 1080p HD screen. The cost is $249/£199 SIM-free.
Ars Technica’s Andrew Williams has posted his first impressions:
The OnePlus X is a little different, though. Rather than set out to be a cutting-edge handset, the OnePlus has assembled mid-range components, or those that were high-end just a year ago, to put together what could prove to be the best £200 (€269, $249) phone on the market, and one that’s a pocketable size to boot.The perennial OnePlus question remains, though: how much of it is hype?
While it is admirable that OnePlus is extending the portfolio and fighting in an even more competitive space in the market, it’s difficult to reconcile this push to bring out another handset when there are major distribution issues and delays around the OnePlus 2. We’ll be watching this issue closely, as well as reviewing the OnePlus X in the near future.
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