Take a look at this week’s news and headlines from the Android world, including Google’s Pixel 9 Pro design, new Galaxy S25 features, Samsung shares Galaxy AI software, OnePlus Pad 2 launches, RedMagic 9S Pro releases, HMD’s Skyline arrives, and why microSD needs a comeback.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many discussions surrounding Android over the past seven days. You can also read my weekly Apple news roundup here on Forbes.
OnePlus 2 Tablet
The next OnePlus tablet
As part of its summer launch, OnePlus has announced the global variant of its second premium tablet. The OnePlus Pad 2 builds on the success of last year’s tablet to deliver something memorable, according to Forbes’ Ben Sin:
“OnePlus’ latest tablet, the Pad 2, has a strong chance of being the best Android tablet around, with a long list of cutting-edge flagship specs. The aluminium tablet is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the only tablet using the latest silicon at the moment. It sports a 12.1-inch display with a refresh rate of up to 144Hz – although the panel is LCD, not OLED, so contrast levels aren’t as strong.”
(Forbes).
Google confirms Pixel 9 design
Google has repeated a move from last year in an attempt to take control of the Pixel 9 story. This week, the company revealed a small portion of the Pixel 9 phone through a video on social media. It’s enough to get everyone excited ahead of the launch next month:
“Google has unveiled the Pixel 9 Pro following a series of leaks that have revealed the phone in detail, including hands-on videos and comparisons to other recent devices. The company plans to reveal more information about the Pixel 9 lineup, as well as its other upcoming devices, at an event at Google’s headquarters in California on August 13.”
(The edge).
Galaxy S25 Ultra blasts off into space
The rumor has been around since the Galaxy S23, but Samsung could be ready to (finally) bring satellite connectivity to the Galaxy smartphone platform when the Galaxy S25 Ultra launches next year. Alongside growing Android support, elements of Samsung’s Android app suggest the South Korean is catching up with its rivals:
“Samsung has been working on satellite connectivity for several years, and it’s rumored to be coming to the 2023 Galaxy S23 and this year’s Galaxy S24, but it won’t be available in the retail product. Apple has since successfully implemented a satellite emergency calling feature in iOS and used several case studies to reinforce the service’s potential.”
(Forbes).
New Galaxy AI features for older Samsung phones
Samsung’s Galaxy AI service has rolled out several new features for buyers of the Glaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6. While they’re currently exclusive to the foldable phones, Samsung has confirmed via its community forums that they’ll be coming to multiple devices, including the S22, S23, and S24 families. These services include auto-zoom, instant slow-motion, and expert RAW support:
“After adding a slew of new AI tools to older phones in May, Samsung is preparing a new camera and AI features for several Galaxy devices via its One UI 6.1.1 update. In a (translated) post on the company’s community forums, a Samsung representative explained that several new features, currently exclusive to the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, will be rolling out to older phones.”
(Forbes).
RedMagic Takes Over Samsung’s Power
Nubia’s mid-cycle update went live this week, and the Red Magic 9S Pro has maintained an impressive feature set while adding a number of iterative updates. It’s incredibly close to the specs of the RedMagic 9 Pro, but the race to have ever-higher specs for high-end gaming doesn’t wait for an annual cycle. The team at GSM Arena took a closer look at the latest gamer’s pick:
“You may notice that while both phones are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3, the new Red Magic 9S Pro is powered by the ultimate SM8650-AC version of the chip, dubbed the “Leading Version,” but also known as the “Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy” when used by Samsung. Samsung’s exclusivity deal has clearly ended, so the Red Magic team finally has access to the best version of Qualcomm’s flagship chipset. One that clocks its Cortex-X4 CPU core up to 3.4GHz (up from 3.3GHz) and boosts the GPU frequency up to 1GHz.”
(GSM Arena).
The horizon line is the limit
HMD continues to focus on sustainability and healthy practices with its new Skyline smartphone. Revealed this week, two features stand out… three if you can call it that, the incredibly pink colorway. The first is the ability to partially or fully lock the phone for a short period of time to support “digital detox” principles, while the second is for changing the battery and replacing parts at home.
“With the Gen2’s repairability, HMD says owners can replace bent charging ports, screens, and dead batteries. iFixit will provide the tools and replacement parts for the Skyline, so consumers can easily get it back. While how-to guides are already available on iFixit’s website, the components are not yet available for purchase.”
And finally…
Faced with 8K video recording on smartphones, Robert Triggs makes a simple plea to Google and other smartphone manufacturers. MicroSD needs to come back because storage needs far exceed what’s on offer today:
“The problem is that 8K video files are huge. I recorded a few samples on my Xiaomi 14 Ultra; we got about 560MB per minute for 8K at 30fps, or about 33GB per hour of footage. Shooting in H264 or H265 made no difference to the file size, so it probably only affects the quality, at least on this phone.”
Android Circuit covers the latest Android news every weekend on Forbes. Be sure to follow me so you don’t miss anything in the future, and of course, check out my sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s edition of Android Circuit is available here , and if you have any news or links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, let me know!