It's clear that one of Google's main goals with Android 14 has been to improve the tablet experience — just in time for the release of the company's new large-screen lineup, the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet. In earlier versions, we've found a massive new list of hardware keyboard shortcuts, support for touchpad gestures, and a new App Pairs feature for automatic split-screen multitasking, among other quality of life improvements for large-screen devices. Now, Android 14 Beta 3 has brought a subtle change for people who use an external mouse with their tablet.

As spotted by Android expert Mishaal Rahman, the mouse pointer has received a makeover in the latest beta build. In Android 13 and past versions, it was a very angular arrow that looked a lot like the pointer on Windows, macOS, and even Google's own Chrome OS. Now, it's a more playful paper airplane shape with rounded corners.

Mouse pointers in Android 13 (left) and Android 14 (right); via Mishaal Rahman

In losing the trailing stem, Google was able to fatten up the triangular portion of the mouse pointer by a few pixels while decreasing the overall footprint. It's a bit more fitting with the larger touch targets in a typical Android app's UI, and the rounded corners are in line with some of Google's recent Material You icons.

True, it's a small change, but these things add up. Toss in other finishing touches like an improved Battery Saver, new charging indicator, and the resurrection of a beloved Android 11 feature, and Google's upcoming Android 14 release is shaping up to be a big one from a UX standpoint.