Google Android P: What to Expect from the Latest OS Update

The latest rumors and leaks suggest that Google is working on a new Android operating system, codenamed Android P. While details are still scarce, here's what we know so far about the upcoming update.

Unique Form Factors and Visual Changes

One of the most significant changes expected in Android P is the introduction of unique form factors. ZTE's Aksum M is rumored to be one of the devices that will support this new design. The company plans to release a range of devices with different screen sizes, shapes, and materials, making it easier for users to find the perfect device for their needs.

The visual changes in Android P are also expected to be dramatic. Bloomberg reports that Google is working on a new design language, dubbed "Material Design 2," which aims to create a more cohesive look across all devices running the OS. The report suggests that the new design will feature cooler shades of grey and darker, more intense reds. However, this is not just a color palette swap – it's expected to be a fundamental change in the way Android P looks and feels.

Tighter Google Assistant Integration

Another significant change expected in Android P is tighter integration with Google Assistant. Bloomberg reports that Google will be pushing for even greater access to third-party developers to integrate their AI-powered virtual assistants into their own apps. This means that users will soon be able to ask their favorite apps questions, set reminders, and perform tasks using just their voice.

The Latest Numbers from IDC Research

Google has made significant strides in the smartphone market in recent years. According to a report by IDC research, Google doubled its shipments of Pixel smartphones in 2017 alone, reaching a total of 3.9 million units. This is a significant increase, but it's still dwarfed by the numbers shipped by Apple and Samsung – respectively, 77.3 million and 74.1 million.

The Importance of Consistency

While Google has made significant progress in the smartphone market, there's still a long way to go before it can catch up with its competitors. The key to steady growth is consistency, and Google has the capital to support this strategy.

Stereo Speakers on the New Samsung Galaxy S9

Speaking of smartphones, Samsung has been teasing the release of its latest flagship device, the Galaxy S9. According to ET News, the new phone will finally feature stereo speakers – a top-firing speaker at the bottom and another at the top. This is expected to improve audio quality significantly.

3D Emojis on Samsung's New Flagship

Samsung has also confirmed that it will be introducing its own 3D emojis with the release of the Galaxy S9. The company claims that these emojis will be more advanced than Apple's offerings, and they'll make their debut during the phone's official announcement on February 25th.

LG's Decision to Focus on New Variants

LG has also made some significant announcements related to its smartphone lineup. In a move to focus on quality over quantity, the company has decided to stop releasing new phones every year. Instead, it will concentrate on offering new variants of existing models, such as the LG B30.

Consumer Reports: HomePod Sounds Good, But Other Smart Speakers Sound Better

Finally, Consumer Reports has weighed in on the smart speaker market, with a report that praises Apple's HomePod but finds some drawbacks to Amazon's Echo and Google Home. According to the report, the HomePod sounds good, but it can be a bit "booming" at times. The mid-range tones are also somewhat hazy, losing nuance and vocals – guitars and horns in particular.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's good Brian Chong here and welcome to Google issues for everything Google you can think of Google i/o is going to be here before you know it on May the 8th but a new report from Bloomberg is revealing some of the goodies we can expect from Android P with internal codename pistachio ice cream mmm that's my favorite Bloomberg says Android P will bring support for more unique display types to accommodate things like iPhone 10s notches as some Android phones are expected to move in that direction we've seen it with the essential phones knotch and Android P will also offer support for unique form factors like ZTE s Aksum M other visual changes include what they call a dramatic redesign to Google's mobile OS with the hopes of using the aesthetic to persuade more iPhone users to switch to Android P devices now there's been rumblings of material design too and it could be the new Android P look but a leak from a now pooled chromium commit showed some of the subtle changes in coloring that you may or may not be able to tell from these images the shades of grey look a little cooler and not as warm and the Reds are slightly darker and intense it's expected to be more than just a color palette swap now Bloomberg also says that Google will be pushing for even tighter google assistant integration in android pete the report says they'll be opening it up even more for third-party developers to integrate the assistant into their own apps alright the latest numbers from IDC research found that Google doubled their shipments of pixel smart phones in 2017 into a total of 3.9 million that's double and that's a good thing now put that in perspective and in just the fourth quarter of 2017 IDC estimates Apple shipped seventy seven point three million phones and Samsung shipped seventy four point 1 million phone so you know Google is making a great phone but they have a long long way to catch up and it's not really even just catching up just make steady growth year by year and they have the capital to support it alright we're just about a week away from unveiling the new Samsung Galaxy s 9 but new details and rumors they keep rolling in ET news reports the new S 9 will finally be bringing stereo speakers with a bottom firing speaker at the top and the bottom of the new flagship phone thank you this one probably won't come as a surprise but surprise Samsung is bringing their own type of an emojis Allah Apple now the name has not been leaked yet but Samsung's 3d emojis will make their debut with an actual name during the reveal and they are reportedly even more advanced compared to apples now let's just place bets right now I'm going with Sam oh jeez because it sounds like something horrible they would do and I'm sorry but when we're trying to one-up each other with our an emoji game that tells me phones are running out of things to do come on some all right you know I will admit though the only time I've ever used them is with my nephews and when they send them they're like so cute it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside all right Samsung's official announcement will happen on February the 25th and we'll be there with CNET's live coverage throughout the keynote if some news that might let you down after LG decided they would stop releasing new phones yearly they will now focus on new variants of the LG the 30 at Mobile World Congress this year LG officially announced that the 2018 version of the LG b 30 will feature the debut of their new artificial intelligence tech now some of the key improvements thanks to this new AI system will be vision AI for their next gen image recognition that will analyze a picture as it's being taken and offer you the best settings their voice a I will bring exclusive LG voice commands including new ones for taking specific types of photos like a food photo or slow motion video now LG's AI features will expand to not only their new phones they released in 2018 but also to some pre-existing ones as well and the story that turned some heads this week Consumer Reports said that in their audio testing the home pod sounds good but other smart speakers sound better now this is what they said the home pods base was a bit booming overemphasized and the mid-range tones were somewhat hazy meaning that some of the nuance and vocals guitars and horns was lost these elements of the music couldn't be heard as distinctly as in more highly rated speakers treble sounds like cymbals were under emphasize but the home pod played reasonably loudly in a midsize room the bottom line overall the sound of the home pod was a bit muddy compared with what the Sonos won and google home max delivered you know what honestly I 100% agree with their assessment it's what I heard when I compared them straight up with the home acts as well you know great boom but the vocals weren't very clear on the home pod compared to the Google home max now speaker sound quality will also really sound different to you depending on the genres of music that you personally like to listen to so listen for yourself because I'm not in Consumer Reports isn't the expert for your ears all right that's gonna do it for this week you can email me at Google issues at cnet.com or tweet me at brian tom thanks so much for watching we'll catch y'all next time for some more of that Google issueswhat's good Brian Chong here and welcome to Google issues for everything Google you can think of Google i/o is going to be here before you know it on May the 8th but a new report from Bloomberg is revealing some of the goodies we can expect from Android P with internal codename pistachio ice cream mmm that's my favorite Bloomberg says Android P will bring support for more unique display types to accommodate things like iPhone 10s notches as some Android phones are expected to move in that direction we've seen it with the essential phones knotch and Android P will also offer support for unique form factors like ZTE s Aksum M other visual changes include what they call a dramatic redesign to Google's mobile OS with the hopes of using the aesthetic to persuade more iPhone users to switch to Android P devices now there's been rumblings of material design too and it could be the new Android P look but a leak from a now pooled chromium commit showed some of the subtle changes in coloring that you may or may not be able to tell from these images the shades of grey look a little cooler and not as warm and the Reds are slightly darker and intense it's expected to be more than just a color palette swap now Bloomberg also says that Google will be pushing for even tighter google assistant integration in android pete the report says they'll be opening it up even more for third-party developers to integrate the assistant into their own apps alright the latest numbers from IDC research found that Google doubled their shipments of pixel smart phones in 2017 into a total of 3.9 million that's double and that's a good thing now put that in perspective and in just the fourth quarter of 2017 IDC estimates Apple shipped seventy seven point three million phones and Samsung shipped seventy four point 1 million phone so you know Google is making a great phone but they have a long long way to catch up and it's not really even just catching up just make steady growth year by year and they have the capital to support it alright we're just about a week away from unveiling the new Samsung Galaxy s 9 but new details and rumors they keep rolling in ET news reports the new S 9 will finally be bringing stereo speakers with a bottom firing speaker at the top and the bottom of the new flagship phone thank you this one probably won't come as a surprise but surprise Samsung is bringing their own type of an emojis Allah Apple now the name has not been leaked yet but Samsung's 3d emojis will make their debut with an actual name during the reveal and they are reportedly even more advanced compared to apples now let's just place bets right now I'm going with Sam oh jeez because it sounds like something horrible they would do and I'm sorry but when we're trying to one-up each other with our an emoji game that tells me phones are running out of things to do come on some all right you know I will admit though the only time I've ever used them is with my nephews and when they send them they're like so cute it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside all right Samsung's official announcement will happen on February the 25th and we'll be there with CNET's live coverage throughout the keynote if some news that might let you down after LG decided they would stop releasing new phones yearly they will now focus on new variants of the LG the 30 at Mobile World Congress this year LG officially announced that the 2018 version of the LG b 30 will feature the debut of their new artificial intelligence tech now some of the key improvements thanks to this new AI system will be vision AI for their next gen image recognition that will analyze a picture as it's being taken and offer you the best settings their voice a I will bring exclusive LG voice commands including new ones for taking specific types of photos like a food photo or slow motion video now LG's AI features will expand to not only their new phones they released in 2018 but also to some pre-existing ones as well and the story that turned some heads this week Consumer Reports said that in their audio testing the home pod sounds good but other smart speakers sound better now this is what they said the home pods base was a bit booming overemphasized and the mid-range tones were somewhat hazy meaning that some of the nuance and vocals guitars and horns was lost these elements of the music couldn't be heard as distinctly as in more highly rated speakers treble sounds like cymbals were under emphasize but the home pod played reasonably loudly in a midsize room the bottom line overall the sound of the home pod was a bit muddy compared with what the Sonos won and google home max delivered you know what honestly I 100% agree with their assessment it's what I heard when I compared them straight up with the home acts as well you know great boom but the vocals weren't very clear on the home pod compared to the Google home max now speaker sound quality will also really sound different to you depending on the genres of music that you personally like to listen to so listen for yourself because I'm not in Consumer Reports isn't the expert for your ears all right that's gonna do it for this week you can email me at Google issues at cnet.com or tweet me at brian tom thanks so much for watching we'll catch y'all next time for some more of that Google issues\n"