Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Black Friday Pixel 9 deals, Galaxy S25 Ultra leaks, Nothing welcomes e/OS/, ROG Phone 9 Pro review, Microsoft’s Xbox App woes, two new Android features, and Huawei says goodbye.
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.
Pixel 9 Black Friday Deals
It’s that time of the year again when the final big deals are put up for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. To pick out one interesting one… Google’s Pixel 9 Pro XL is in a bit of a bidding war to get the lowest price. Google’s online store cuts it from $1099 to $949, but Amazon is going further:
“Amazon has now undercut the Google price for the hazel, obsidian and porcelain finishes with 128GB storage by an extra $100, meaning there’s now a $250 or 23% discount on the phone. That’s the lowest price Amazon has ever sold this phone for, by the way.”
(Forbes).
Pixel 9 Pro XL
Three Galaxy S25 Ultra Secrets Leak
The latest images of OneUI running on Samsung hardware offered a look at something else, as internet sleuths spotted the new code was running on the unreleased Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Three of the key design changes are on show, with a curved construction, flat display, and confirmation of the S-Pen storage area:
“The pictures, published by Android Authority, show OneUI 7.0 in use—the latest version of Samsung’s flavor of Android launched at the start of October. The surprise is not the presence of OneUI, but the device the code is running on… every sign points to this hardware being the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra. This offers us an excellent chance to look at the design changes discussed previously.”
(Forbes).
e/OS/ on Nothing CMF Phone 1
Preorders have opened for an unusual combination of phone and software. Nothing Tech’s CMF Phone 1 looks to redefine the mid-range space, while Murena’s use of e/OS/ as alternative flavor to Google’s Android implementation make this new handset feel a touch rebellious:
“/e/OS for the CMF Phone 1 is now in alpha and is on track to join the lineup of officially supported devices. The final touches are being made, and the full release is just around the corner. /e/OS with Nothing CMF Phone 1 is a great combination in term of spec and privacy protection, all this with an unequaled design! In addition, Murena will begin selling the device in January,”
(Murena)
ROG Phone 9 Is Gaming For Everyone Else
There are gaming smartphones where everything is focused on the gamer and delivering the best performance no matter the compromises in other areas. Asus’ ROG Phone 9 goes in a different direction; the gaming features are still there, but tempered with choices to help it work as a mainstream smartphone:
“The graphics have enough power, and the computing needs to deliver a great experience. There’s also a feeling that this can be used as your regular smartphone without too many complications. I can’t decide if this is a niche on a niche (coming from the gaming side) or a niche on a widely popular site (coming from the premium everyday regular handsets). Given this is the second handset going in the latter direction, it’s probably a safe assumption that Asus has been able to find a market in this space.”
(Forbes).
Android’s Xbox App Still Missing Key Feature
Microsoft had stated that gamers would be able to “play and purchase Xbox games” directly from it’s Android app. As it stands today, this feature is not present. Richard Lawler investigates where it is:
On October 18th, Judge James Donato granted Google’s request for a stay while it appeals his ruling that the Android app store is an illegal monopoly, which could leave things hanging in the balance for quite a while. [Microsoft Executive Sarah Bond] referenced that in a thread on Bluesky today, writing, “Due to a temporary administrative stay recently granted by the courts, we are currently unable to launch these features as planned. Our team has the functionality built and ready to go live as soon as the court makes a final decision.””
Google has reiterated its previous position in a statement to The Verge:
“Microsoft has always been able to offer their Android users the ability to play and purchase Xbox games directly from their app – they’ve simply chosen not to. The Court’s order, and rush to force its implementation, threaten Google Play’s ability to provide a safe and secure experience. Microsoft, like Epic, are ignoring these very real security concerns. We remain focused on supporting an ecosystem that works for everyone, not just two of the largest game companies.”
(The Verge).
Two Upcoming Android Changes
The latest developer builds of Android 15 continue to showcase new features for Android users that will arrive in 2025. First up is a new way to present notifications on the stand-by screen while reducing clutter:
“This is a new feature that can declutter your lock screen without forcing you to unlock your phone to see your notifications… The description for the feature states that it makes fewer notifications show up on the lock screen, but in our brief testing, it doesn’t seem like it actually reduces the total number of notifications that appear there. Rather, the lock screen notification minimalism feature seems to hide everything but the icons for notifications.
Secondly is the ability to log yourself back in when restoring your data to your phone either through your Google Backup, or a local copy and restore between two devices. No more will your first days of a new phone be spent trying to remember “which password goes in here?”
“According to Google, Restore Credentials allows app developers to generate a “restore key” that gets stored locally on your device and to the cloud (if you’ve enabled Google Backup). When you set up a new Android phone and choose to restore apps and data, the keys are transferred to the new device and you’re automatically signed into your app accounts at the first launch.”
And Finally…
Once one of Google’s brightest Android partners, Huawei is ready to completely withdraw from the Android space and move all of its smartphones, wearables, and electronics over to its own HarmonyOS:
“The company’s new flagship phone, the Mate 70, will debut HarmonyOS Next, the iteration of its operating system that does away with remnants of Android in favor of entirely indigenous tech. Announced at a live-streamed event on Tuesday, the new devices fuel Huawei’s campaign to reclaim China’s premium tier from Apple Inc. and build an ecosystem without the involvement of major US tech providers.
(Bloomberg).
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!