Tech Last Week Issue #005: Pixel 6a, Galaxy S22 series, Windows 11 Android Apps, and more

Google Pixel 6a rumored to launch in May

Last week, more concrete rumors of the Google Pixel 6a swirled around the internet. What we know so far from renders and dummy units is that the Google Pixel 6a is expected to have a similar design as the Google Pixel 6. We expect the Pixel 6a to come with Google’s Tensor chip, an in-screen fingerprint scanner, and the same 12MP camera as the Pixel 5. Also expect a 12MP ultrawide camera as well. Right now the rumors point to the Google Pixel 6a coming out sometime around May 2022.

Samsung Galaxy S22 fully leaks

As we approach February 10th (the new official Unpacked 2022 date), the leaks for the S22 line have been rampant. At this point, we know the full specifications and designs of the phones:

Samsung Galaxy S22

• 📺 6.1″ 1080 x 2340 Dynamic AMOLED 2X
• 🧠 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
• 🗄️ 8GB RAM 128/256GB Storage
• 📷 50MP Wide 10MP Ultrawide 12MP Tele 10MP Front
• 🔋 3700 mAh
• 🎨 Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green
• 🎁 1500 nits, 25W Fast Charge, 15W Wireless
• 💸 ~€850
• 📆 2022.02.10

Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus

📺 6.6″ 1080 x 2340 Dynamic AMOLED 2X
🧠 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
🗄️ 8GB RAM 128/256GB Storage
📷 50MP Wide 10MP Ultrawide 12MP Tele 10MP Front
🔋 4500 mAh
🎨Phantom Black, White, Pink Gold, Green
🎁 1500 nits, 45W Fast Charge, 15W Wireless
💸 ~€1050
📆 2022.02.10

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

📺 6.8″ 1440 x 3080 Dynamic AMOLED 2X
🧠 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 or Exynos 2200
🗄️ 8/12GB RAM 128/256/512GB Storage
📷 108MP Wide, 12MP Ultrawide, 10MP Tele 3x Optical, 10MP Tele 10x Optical, 40MP Front
🔋 5000 mAh
🎨 Phantom Black, White, Burgundy, Green
🎁 1750 nits, 45W Fast Charge, 15W Wireless, S-Pen
💸 ~€1250
📆 2022.02.10

Out of the three phones, I am most interested in the S22 and the S22 Ultra. For the Samsung Galaxy S22, the current rumored dimensions have the phone at roughly the same size as the Google Pixel 5. This marks another near-flagship compact phone to enter the market. Compact flagships have been scarce on the market and it is nice to see companies adding some additional options to this customer segment.

I don’t think we need to talk too much about why people are excited about the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The return of the in-body S-Pen is a big deal. Couple with the beefy camera array similar to those of last year’s S21 Ultra, we should see a close successor to the Note 20 Ultra.

Windows 11 is adding Android apps next month

Microsoft is finally ready to bring Android apps to Windows 11 next month. The release will be a public preview and is in partnership with Amazon and Intel. Aside from Android apps, you’ll also see the public release of the updated media flyout mentioned in Issue #003. You can read more about this release on Panos Panay’s blog post.

I am quite excited to see how well Android apps will work on Windows. More synergy between Windows and Android will provide a much-needed experience boast that can give the iOS ecosystem a run for its money.

Honor confirms that it will be bringing ‘The Power of Magic’ to MWC 2022 in February

Remember the new foldable phone from Honor that I mentioned in Issue #003? Well, Honor is bringing the device to MWC 2022 in late February. Honor confirmed that they will be launching the global version on the 28th of February. In addition to the release of the phone, you’ll see their Magic UI 6.0 (Android 12 based) released globally as well. There is no mention of what the pricing will be at this moment.

Microsoft Surface Duo finally get Android 11

Last week, the original Microsoft Surface Duo got a new update for Android 11. Yes, that isn’t a typo. The update was for Android 11 and not Android 12. If Microsoft truly wants to compete in the Android space, they need to drastically improve on their software updates. A 16-month wait from when Android 11 was released is totally unacceptable. A company that just spent 69 billion dollars to buy out Activision Blizzard should have the resources to make this process a whole lot better than what it is now.