Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the latest Galaxy S25 Ultra specs, Pixel 9a design leaks, the very thin Honor Magic V3, when to consider the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, the importance of the F-Droid store, Thunderbrid’s Android beta, and listening to the music of San Francisco.
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 Pro Fold
Galaxy S25 Ultra’s Space For AI
Samsung’s Galaxy s25 Ultra is expected to launch in January 2025 alongside the second generation of Galaxy AI software. It’s the latter that suggests the former will ship with 16 GB of RAM, up from last year’s 12 GB on the S24 models:
“There is a solid argument to ensure all the available variants of the Galaxy S25 Ultra sport 16 GB of RAM, which comes from the latest Pixel 9 Pro models from Google. Nearly 4 GB of RAM in each of these models is reserved for Google AI routines. Introduced alongside Google’s advances in generative AI, this guarantees faster operation as a portion of memory is dedicated to AI.”
(Forbes).
Pixel 9a’s Flatter Design Debuts
The Pixel A family of phones takes on the role of the “value for money” model of the range and typically launches six months after the main line. That would put the potential launch of the Pixel 9a in early March, although the early launch of the Pixel 9 family could mean the 9a retains a slot near May’s I/O Developer conference. Nevertheless, Google looks set to reduce the impact of the camera bar for budget buyers, according to the latest leak:
“One of the biggest design changes this year is the camera bar. It looks to be nearly flush with the back of the Pixel 9a, perhaps with a small ring around it that sticks out. It looks a lot like the LG V60 ThinQ from a few years ago. It does inherit the new camera layout as the Pixel 9, and is sticking with an ultrawide and a wide camera here. Another thing you’ll notice is those pretty large bezels. Though expected on a phone that’s going to be under $500, they are still very noticeable.”
Finding The Thin Form Factor
When you spend time with a phone for review, you have time to appreciate its features, but sometimes the initial impressions stay with you. That’s true of the Honor Magic V3, the latest foldable from the Shenzhen-based company. You can’t get past just how thin this phone is (at least till something thinner comes along in 2025):
“While the Magic V3 is described as slim. That’s an understatement. On opening the handset, the word that springs to mind is “impossible”. It’s clearly not, as I’m holding the phone, and its thickness is 4.4mm unfolded. Honor is pushing to the edge of the physical envelope. It’s a moving target, and no doubt, in a few years, this will be seen as a chunky and heavy foldable, but for now, this has to be seen as the gold standard.”
(Forbes).
Consider The Pixel 9 Pro Fold
Alongside Samsung and Honor, Google’s foldable phone for 2024 has taken the lesson of last year’s models to sculpt something closer to the mainstream idea of a smartphone, at least when closed. Forbes contributor Janhoi MacGregor takes a closer look inside and out for his review, noting the price and the unique appeal:
“This is a phone for a power user, both in features and price. The eye-watering $1,799 price tag, alongside not having the best display or camera tech, makes the Pixel 9 Pro Fold hard to recommend to regular smartphone buyers… As I always recommend with foldable phones, spend some time fondling the P9PF before you buy it, even if shop workers get annoyed with you. This would be an expensive mistake to make if foldable tech isn’t for you.”
(Forbes).
The Other App Store You Need
Trevor Slocum highlights the power that Google has through its control of the Google Play app store. He also notes when F-Droid, a popular app store dedicated to open-source software, is one of the counterbalances the ecosystem needs:
“F-Droid is our best chance at breaking the chains the Google Play Store has bound around developers. It’s not always easy to release a previously proprietary app as open source software, and this will certainly require some effort. But it is worth it. Open source software empowers users to inspect, understand and improve the apps they are using. It empowers other developers to help contribute. And it empowers the original developers, because sharing freely and collaborating openly has compounding effects. Open source software builds community and momentum, and may achieve greater strength than any sole proprietary app developer ever could.”
Thunderbrid’s Android Beta
Following the purchase of the K-9 Email Client by Mozilla, the Thunderbird team has been hard at work so they can offer both an updated K-9 codebase and fill it with the utility of the Thunderbird ecosystem:
“The Thunderbird for Android beta is out and we’re asking our community to help us test it. Beta testing helps us find critical bugs and rough edges that we can polish in the next few weeks. The more people who test the beta and ensure everything in the testing checklist works correctly, the better!”
(Github via Thunderbird Blog).
And Finally…
High above San Francisco is a smartphone. An old Android smartphone. An old smartphone with a mission (and a solar panel). Listen to the crowds below, pick out a piece of music, and add it to the playlist on the website A musical delight? It’s a mixed bag. A statement on public surveillance? Very much so:
“Heard of ShotSpotter? Microphones are installed across cities in the United States by police to detect gunshots, purported to not be very accurate. This is that, but for music. This is culture surveillance. No one notices, no one consents. But it’s not about catching criminals. It’s about catching vibes. A constant feed of what’s popping off in real-time.”
(Bop Spotter).
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!