Android gets a new edition, unlimited gets a time limited deal, the future of mobile connectivity gets faster, and is Huawei’s P20 Pro the photographer’s phone you have to get? Find out. Get The Wrap.
Transcript
For the week ending May 11, you’re tuned into The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup, and after last week’s announcement of unlimited mobile data, you’d think the telcos would be done with unlimited announcements.
And you’d be wrong, because this week, Australia’s next 4G network announced it would have an unlimited plan of its own as well.
TPG will be the next 4G player alongside Optus, Vodafone, and Telstra as it gets ready to open up to regular people — you, me, anyone really — and it’s talking up a deal to unleash on customers: unlimited data on your phones. It’s similar to what the others are offering, but with a catch of its own: every day after you go over 1GB of downloads, your speed will be shaped.
That’s distinct from Voda and Telstra, which will shape the speed for the rest of the month once those initial download caps are hit, and TPG’s approach isn’t only different, but also comes with a cool catch: the first customers of its network will get the first six months will free. After that, the plan will be ten bucks a month, and could provide some very interesting competition to Australia’s other mobile players.
Seriously, things are about to get very interesting in the mobile world.
And not just because of unlimited data. Telstra this week showed what our mobiles will be doing shortly. We might be talking 4G now, but in a few years, 5G will be the thing, and Telstra did a test of its network this week, streaming esports live at a staggering three gigabits down.
Or to put it in plain English, that’s 400 megabytes per second. Simply put, it’s fast. Really fast. Download an episode of Game of Thrones in ten seconds fast, and it’s coming soon.
Also coming soon is the next edition of Android, which Google announced this week as Android P. There’s no real name yet. It could be Pecan Pie or Pavlova — it won’t be Pavlova — but it might be Popsicle.
While we don’t know the name, we do know what it will do, and that includes making full screen Android phones look and feel more like the iPhone X, with gesture control and no on-screen buttons if you like. More interestingly, it will take advantage of artificial intelligence to work out how to get more life out of your battery by monitoring the apps you use and the places you use your phone.
There’s also an app timer to help you track how often you’re spending in apps, and a wind down feature to remind you to go to bed. It’ll switch the phone to greyscale and cut off your notifications, and basically say, hey, get off social and go to bed.
You don’t have to use it, but it will be one of the things that helps to make Android better, and if you have a Pixel phone, you can even test it out for yourself.
It’s a beta, which means there might be bugs and your phone might automatically restart itself, but if you want to see what’s up and coming in the world of Android, you’ll find it available for testing for specific devices like the Google Pixels now.
Android P won’t be on other devices for quite some time, but that’s fine because there are plenty of great devices that come with Android O, also known as Oreo, and next week, there’ll be one more, which we’re checking out in a review.
It’s Huawei’s P20 Pro, and it’s one of the most interesting phones we’ve checked out in years, delivering three cameras co-engineered by Leica in a body that is slick, shiny, and comes off a little like the iPhone X, but with Android instead.
There’s a lot of technology here, with high-speed 4G, Bluetooth, WiFi, but the camera is what will draw people in, with a 40 megapixel colour camera, 20 megapixel black and white, and an 8 megapixel three-times zoom camera all working together to get you great images both near and far.
In fact, this is one of the first times we’ve wondered whether we’re reviewing a phone or a camera, because the Huawei P20 Pro feels more like a proper camera, with a sensor that can see in the dark.
Dead set, we’ve seen some of the best low-light images than we’ve ever seen on a phone, and it is staggering. Shots of the city at night, and even our baby while she slept. It’s impressive, and it’s a good phone, too.
With a 6.1 inch full view screen and a battery that makes the full day and then some, Huawei’s P20 Pro achieves solid results in a body that is water resistant and easy on the eyes.
About the only things it misses out on are wireless charging and expandable memory, but at $1099, it’s going to give both Apple and Samsung some very interesting competition.
You’ll find a full review at the website, as well as all of these other stories and more.
For now, you’ve been listening to The Wrap, Australia’s fastest technology roundup.
The Wrap is available every Friday on PodcastOne, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Pocket Casts, and more, and we’ll be back next week for more of what’s happening in the world of tech.
Until then, have a brilliant week, a great weekend, and if you’re a mum, a lovely Mother’s Day as well. We’ll see you next time on The Wrap. Take care.
