It’s not unusual for a phone reviewer to receive a phone case, but yesterday I received a phone case for a phone that doesn’t exist yet. Poetic sent me a case for the Pixel 6A which, allow me to repeat myself, doesn’t officially exist yet. But the case itself suggests a few things about the phone, not the least of which seems to be that it’s coming soon. If I had to put money on it, I’d place my chips squarely on Google I/O.
Phone case makers often try to have cases made for popular phones before release. Often cases will be made to exacting specifications from the manufacturer, but sometimes it’s a “best guess.” Taking things with a grain of salt, we can’t assume that everything about this case is right on the money. But the case is an actual product with packaging, so it’s fair to assume it reflects some confidence in what’s to come.
Compared to the case for my Pixel 6, the overall footprint of the Pixel 6A looks to be just millimeters smaller than its older sibling. Poetic cases are typically made with a frame that can include a screen protector over the face of the phone. My sample included a frame with a screen cover and a second one without. Normally, the phone is placed into the frame, and then that assembly locks into the case itself.
The Pixel 6 does not fit into either frame, but it’s not too big by a large margin. Again, it’s within a few millimeters. The phone itself does fit within the larger case. Of course, that case is meant to accommodate the phone and the frame, so again, it suggests the Pixel 6A will be slightly smaller.
Button placement on the Pixel 6A seems to be about the same, and unfortunately, the power button is still placed above the volume rocker. It wouldn’t be my first choice.
The fingerprint sensor will be an in-screen fingerprint sensor placed about the same as the Pixel 6, as suggested by the placement of the fingerprint sensor sticker on the frame with the screen protector.
Finally, if the camera bump opening on the back is accurate, the camera bump looks to be narrower than that of the Pixel 6 by about one-third. While I lack the precision calipers I would prefer to use to measure such things, the camera bump on the Pixel 6 is about 21mm tall while the opening on the case is about 14mm. There is a 1MM lip around the inside of the camera bump opening, so it’s possible the actual bump will be closer to 16mm in size.
So what does all this tell us? There’s not a lot that we didn’t already know about Pixel 6A, but I think this phone case, assuming it’s accurate, gives us a few more details we didn’t previously know. Most importantly, it suggests that the release of the phone is likely imminent, and we’ll very likely see it next week at Google I/O. Of course, we’ll be covering that event extensively, and hopefully, we’ll learn everything else about the phone at that time.
Google updated its adaptive Compose skill to help developers adapt existing Android apps for laptops, foldable phones, tablets, and other form factors, including the upcoming Googlebook platform. The goal of this update is to help AI coding agents customize apps for different screen sizes and input methods without developers having to maintain separate codebases for different devices.
The new skill goes beyond responsive layouts, adding support for desktop-focused features and foldable-specific interface adjustments. Google is also signaling that adaptive app experiences will be more prominent on Google Play, with the company planning to pay more attention to how apps and games perform on foldable devices next year.
Meta wants to make its AI feel like a cute tiny friend through a newly launched pet journal app called Waddle World. Think of it as Tamagotchi, but the pixelated pet can actually chat with you and doodle little illustrations based on what you tell it about your day. Right now, this free app is available on iOS and Android only in the Philippines, with access limited to adults.
Waddle World is a pet that wants to know about your day
What if checking your drinking water for dangerous chemicals were as simple as plugging a tiny gadget into your smartphone? Researchers in Japan have developed a compact sensor that could make that possible, potentially bringing sophisticated water contamination testing out of expensive laboratories and into people's hands.
Scientists at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have created a portable device capable of detecting extremely low concentrations of PFAS, commonly known as "forever chemicals." The findings were published in the journal Biosensors and Bioelectronics, which demonstrate how an inexpensive sensor and a smartphone could make identifying potentially harmful chemicals in water a lot easier.