Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Galaxy Z Fold8 thoughts, Galaxy S27 Ultra upgrade, Pixel 11 price changes, Techno’s bezel-free phone, OnePlus 16 specs confirmed, Qualcomm’s market predictions, and backing up your folders to Google Drive.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
First Thoughts On The Galaxy Z Fold8
The first reviews of Samsung’s new foldables are coming in, and it’s the Galaxy Z Fold8’s new wide-screen form factor. The team at GSMArena have put the handset through the mill to find out how much productivity it offers:
“The passport-like dimensions make the Z Fold8 impressively compact and pocketable, while the wider cover screen is genuinely pleasant to use rather than merely serving as a secondary display for quick tasks. Typing, reading, watching videos and browsing social media all work wonderfully on it. Open the phone, and the 4:3 internal panel provides another remarkably versatile canvas for photos, books, comics, games and side-by-side multitasking. The camera viewfinder is about the only situation where the proportions become slightly awkward.”
Galaxy S27 Ultra’s Battery Upgrade
The Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra’s move to silicon carbon battery technology allows the foldables to store more power in the same volume of lithium ion. Several Android flagships have moved to this technology, and now that Samsung has jumped with the fold, it is a near certainty that the Galaxy S27 family will make the same jump. WinFuture reports on other leaked specifications:
“Based on import/export databases, initial details about the new devices in the expanded series of high-end smartphones, now comprising four models, are already emerging. The publicly accessible online databases reveal that Samsung is planning four models. A second, similarly equipped high-end model, previously referred to as the “Galaxy S27 Pro,” will be positioned below the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra. The Korean company is thus adopting Apple’s strategy of assembling its flagship smartphone series from two well-equipped upper-midrange devices and two high-end models.
Google Confirms Pixel 11 Price Changes
Ahead of August’s ‘Made By Google’s event and the launch of the Pixel 11 family, Google VP of Devices and Services has confirmed that there will be price “adjustments” across the entire portfolio. Speaking to 9to5Google, they note the rapacious demands for memory and storage by AI servers driving up costs and reducing availability. Abner Li speculates on what this means for consumers:
“..the most obvious sign of this crisis appears to be the entry Pixel 11 Pro going from 16 GB of RAM to 12 GB. The rumored starting price of the Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro is expected to increase by $100, but storage doubling to 256 GB would somewhat soften the blow. However, leaked pricing suggests that the Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold might see a straightforward $100 increase.”
Look Mum, No Bezels
With Apple rumored to be pushing for a borderless display for 2027’s twentieth-anniversary iPhone, other manufacturers are leveraging the same technology, presumably from the same suppliers. The Hong-Kong-based Tecno Mobile jas revealed its Borderless Concept phone, which does just that. Andy Boxall for Android Police:
“Tecno says it has reconstructed the display, re-engineered the phone’s internal structure, and packaged the display components in a new way to reduce the black border down to zero microns. Apart from looking like a prop from a sci-fi movie, Tecno says the elimination of the border will help people better connect with on-screen content, and enjoy games, video, and reading more.”
OnePlus 16 Specifications Confirmed
OnePlus may have announced its withdrawal from North American and European markets, but the brand is still active in key territories. Speaking at the recent Snapdragon Gaming Technology Awards, Android Authority notes that OnePlus has not only confirmed the flagship OnePlus 16 is on its way but also highlighted two key specifications.
“The company also mentioned that the OnePlus 16 would offer two other technologies, namely its Wind Chaser gaming core and a gaming-focused triple-chip design. The former likely refers to the firm’s “chip-level gaming engine,” branded as the OP Gaming Core on the OnePlus 15. Meanwhile, the triple-chip setup likely refers to the combination of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro processor, a dedicated Wi-Fi chip for improved connectivity, and a touch-response chip for fast, smooth input. The company touted a similar triple-silicon combination on the OnePlus 15.”
Qualcomm’s Market Prediction
CNBC’s Kif Leswing reports from Qualcomm’s quarterly earnings call on the changing shape of the smartphone ecosystem due to the rising costs of memory and storage. The knock-on effects are pushing consumers into different buying patterns. Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon
““Consumer preference within the premium category is changing towards a preference to the lower end of the premium, as well to last year’s phone, because of the memory price increases,” “There’s also a change in gross margin because of the high supply cost that you’re all hearing about,” Amon added. “It’s a temporary, short-term thing we are addressing with price increases.”
And Finally…
With cloud based services, online storage, and more robust storage hardware, the mantra of keeping backups is no longer as prominent as it once was (until, suddenly, you realise that your data is your responsibility). Google has made a small addition to Android that will allow you to specify folders to be backed up to yoru Google Drive. Abner Li has the details:
“This local backup option stores files you’ve saved to your device, like downloads from Chrome, to Google Drive. This cloud access is convenient if you ever lose your device. Keep in mind that this will count against your Google Account storage limit.”
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!
