The Weekly Authority: 📱 Pixel Prototype

⚡ Welcome to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 197th edition here, with that Pixel 7 prototype, Galaxy foldable specs, Final Fantasy 16 updates, and some good news for coffee drinkers.

🎉This week marked the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations here in the UK (the first British monarch to celebrate 70 years of service!), so I’ve been enjoying the two-day national holiday, and we had a street party here in town!

Popular news this week

Google:

Google Pixel 7 prototype briefly listed on eBay, here’s what it looks like…
Pixel 7 series reportedly may use the same display tech as its predecessor: 7 Pro matching the 6 Pro, vanilla 7 matching the vanilla 6.
And Google out-leaked the leakers at I/O: Here’s what Evan Blass (evleaks) and Steve Hemmerstoffer OnLeaks think.
Hints drop for a new Google Pixel line we’ve never seen before: Pixel Ultra?
And Pixel Watch battery life likely won’t be too impressive, could feature a 300mAh battery.
Meanwhile, Google’s combining Meet and Duo.
And the YouTube Android app just upgraded casting to a TV in big ways.
Plus, Google’s new Wi-Fi service expands coverage, eats into your data cap.
Also this week: Google Play Points will soon work at checkout for in-app purchases — you can even combine points with other payment methods.

Samsung:

Firm sues Samsung over basic battery tech, could have far-reaching impact.
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 specs leak: An incremental upgrade?
Also, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 specs leak: A few welcome upgrades, including a bigger battery, bigger external screen, and faster wired charging, but is it enough?

OnePlus:

Leaker suggests OnePlus 10 Ultra might land with confusing name instead: OnePlus 10T?
And FCC filing for a OnePlus phone has shown how OPPO and OnePlus handle rebranding, confirms upcoming budget OnePlus phone is an OPPO device.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro leaks: A souped-up version on the way?

Apple:

EU could pass legislation next week ending Apple’s Lightning connector, could be coming June 7, requiring USB-C for all smartphones and tablets.
Apple’s WWDC kicks off on Monday, running June 6-10.
And we’re unlikely to see Apple’s VR headset at WWDC, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
Plus: The Apple Watch might be getting a camera after a new patent is filed.

Space:

New tau Herculid meteor shower dropped bright fireballs, but no ‘meteor storm,’ for stargazers — though the photos are still spectacular.
Check out this video of Ingenuity helicopter’s record-breaking flight over Mars.
An asteroid mining startup will soon launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission.

Elsewhere:

New York passed the Digital Fair Repair Act, the first bill in the US to require electronics manufacturers to support right-to-repair.
The ASUS ROG Phone 6 will launch on July 5 at 8 AM ET: Specs remain unknown for now.
You can now buy a 21,000mAh smartphone, from niche Chinese brand Oukitel, but should you?
And TCL unveils the TCL Stylus 5G: All-day battery life and expandable storage, starting from $258.
Amazon is ending Cloud Cam service and offering owners a free Blink Mini, happening December 2.
And you can’t buy books via Kindle’s Android app anymore.
Meanwhile, WhatsApp could soon let you edit messages, though no timeframe yet for when the feature might be released.
Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down after 14 years.
Qualcomm wants to team up with its rivals to buy Arm.
And scientists gene-edited tomatoes to boost Vitamin D levels: According to New Scientist, larger trials of the genetically-modified tomatoes are set to take place this month.
Good news for coffee drinkers: Drinking coffee could mean living longer — A study revealed “participants who drank any amount of unsweetened coffee were 16% to 21% less likely to die than participants who did not drink coffee.”

Movies/TV:

Top Gun: Maverick’s Memorial Day weekend opener brought in $124 million at the box office last Sunday night ($248 million worldwide).
The Boys season 3 hit Amazon Prime Video on Friday and the first reviews are in.
And Stranger Things creators answer burning questions ahead of Volume 2 (spoiler alert if you haven’t already binged through Volume 1!).
Meanwhile, Netflix’s new password sharing crackdown is a confusing mess in test markets in Costa Rica, Chile, and Peru.
Speaking of Netflix, a trailer dropped for new action comedy The Man From Toronto, starring Kevin Hart and Woody Harrelson.
Owen Wilson’s superhero movie is coming to Paramount Plus: but no offical release date for Secret Headquarters yet.
Spider haters look away now: An Arachnophobia remake’s in the works, with Christopher Landon on board as director, James Wan and Michael Clear named as producers.
And: Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe gets a release date, premiering on Paramount Plus June 23 — plus there’s a trailer, and a new revival series coming later this year.
We ranked Sam Raimi movies from worst to best, including Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Also this week: Our pick of the best new streaming movies, from 13 Going on 30 to Colossal.

Gaming:

Bad news for Diablo fans: Many of Samsung’s Exynos-powered phones can’t run Diablo Immortal, but Blizzard’s working on a fix.
Speaking of, Diablo Immortal won’t be released in Belgium or The Netherlands, due to the countries’ laws around lootboxes.
Steam Deck’s docking station indefinitely delayed with Valve citing “parts shortages and COVID closures.”
And Amazon finally launches an invite system for buying a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
Summer Game Fest reveals lineup of over 30 participating companies, taking place June 9-12.
Meanwhile, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order sequel’s coming next year, will be next-gen only.
The first Modern Warfare 2 trailer landed ahead of the June 8 full gameplay reveal.
And Modern Warfare 2 art sparks Call of Duty platform speculation — could the game return to Steam?
BioWare confirms next big fantasy RPG title — Dragon Age: Dreadwolf, but don’t expect it this year.
Veteran Square-Enix producer Shinji Hashimoto retires — often credited for spawning Kingdom Hearts franchise, he also worked on FF VIII, FF IX, and The World Ends With You, plus its sequel.
Sony’s going all in on live service games after buying Bungie — according to TechCrunch the company expects to spend 49% of its PlayStation Studios development budget on live service games by the end of the year.
And one of Japan’s most revered game developers is making a game for Apple’s subscription service: Yu Suzuki and his team are working on Air Twister, out June 24.
Also: This interview with Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney dives into Fortnite, the metaverse, and more…

Reviews

vivo X80 Pro review: vivo’s best, (mostly) refined — “It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s still a welcome upgrade over its already great predecessor.”
Samsung Galaxy A52s review: Jack of all trades — A high-end build, excellent display, long-lasting battery life, and long-term software support make this easy to recommend.
HUAWEI Watch GT 3 Pro review: Titanium, ceramic, and compromises — “Lots to offer but hampered by too many software flaws, missing features at launch, and an extremely limited third-party app ecosystem unless you plan to stick with a HUAWEI phone.”
Fossil Gen 5 Smartwatch review: An oldie but a goodie — The best Wear OS 2 watch you can buy.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra review: The power user’s best friend — “In addition to top specs and extensively-supported, feature-packed software, the Galaxy S22 Ultra boasts the S Pen and a plethora of productivity tools unmatched by the competition.”

Features

How to build your own custom Android ROM in 2022: “Since all the Android source code is available, you can build your own firmware” (Android Authority).
How to use Samsung Expert RAW to up your photography game: From ISO to shutter speed, and focus to white balance (Android Authority).
Good Luck Not Accidentally Hiring a North Korean Scammer: “DPRK hackers are tricking their way into jobs with Western firms. A US government alert reminds employers they’re on the front lines — and potentially on the hook” (Wired).
The big new idea for making self-driving cars that can go anywhere: “The mainstream approach to driverless cars is slow and difficult. These startups think going all-in on AI will get there faster” (MIT Technology Review).
A Father-Son Team Solves a Geometry Problem With Infinite Folds: “The result could help researchers answer a larger question about flattening objects from the fourth dimension to the third dimension” (Wired).
Something extra I enjoyed reading this week: In search of the least viewed articles on Wikipedia.

Weekly Wonder

This week PlayStation’s latest State of Play gave us lots to be excited about, including Final Fantasy 16 news:

If you missed it, you can catch up here, but otherwise keep reading for everything you missed:

Things kicked off with a new trailer for the Resident Evil 4 remake, which we were expecting but still excited for. It’s coming March 24, 2023, plus being developed for PSVR2, and will come to PC and Xbox Series X/S.
The PSVR2 news continued with a look at Resident Evil Village — to be honest, looks a bit scary for me but kudos to anyone brave enough to play it! Following up the horror was another scary title, The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners Ch2, and we also got a glimpse at a VR version of No Man’s Sky.
But the PSVR2 trailer everyone wanted to see was a first peek at Horizon Call of the Mountain, with some amazing-looking gameplay — plus news on a new patch for Horizon Forbidden West, which landed Thursday.

Everything you need to know about PlayStation Plus

On to the news I’m most excited for: We got a release date for Stray! It’s coming July 19! We also got another trailer that showed off some gameplay. Oh, and it’ll be included as part of higher PlayStation Plus tiers.
What else? Spider-Man’s coming to PC on August 12, with Miles Morales to follow soon.
We saw a trailer for survival horror The Callisto Protocol, giving us serious Dead Space vibes and coming December 2.
Plus Rollerdrome‘s out August 16: the sci-fi roller derby game looks pretty fun — and anime action/dating sim Eternights lands early 2023.

In case you missed it: Street Fighter 6 got a look in, showing off new character Jamie alongside Luke, Chun-Li, and Ryu, coming in 2023, with Xbox Series X/S and PC versions on the way too.
The critically acclaimed Tunic hits PS4 and PS5 on September 27, and Season: A Letter to the Future looks hauntingly intriguing, coming this fall.
But the biggest update, the one everyone was waiting for, was Final Fantasy XVI news. We got a trailer, alongside a summer 2023 release window. I. can’t. wait.

Tech Calendar

June 6-10: Apple WWDC 2022
June 9-12: Summer Game Fest
June 10: The Quarry released on PC, PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One
June 10: Jurassic World Dominion in theaters
June 12: Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase @ 12 PM CT
June 20-23: Collision (Toronto)
June 26-July 3: Summer Games Done Quick
July 5 @ 8 AM ET: ASUS ROG Phone 6 launch
July 19: Stray lands on PS5, PS4, PC

Tech Tweet of the Week

Some DALL-E 2 Kermit The Frog-inspired goodness — The Sopranos one is pretty great:

Something extra: From Morning Brew — What do these famous travel movie trips cost in 2022?

Have a great week!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.