• The Galaxy S25 FE might look a lot like last year’s model, but with slimmer bezels and a sleeker body.
• At 7.4mm thick, it’s slightly slimmer than the Galaxy S24 FE—not groundbreaking, but enough to notice in-hand.
• You might get a nicer 12MP front camera, but under the hood, it’s probably running on last year’s Exynos 2400.

Fresh unofficial renders just gave us an early look at what could be the Galaxy S25 FE. Based on leaked renders, the design sticks pretty close to Samsung’s recent playbook, but there are a few upgrades, like thinner bezels and a slimmer body that may give it a cleaner, more polished feel in hand.

As per leaked renders from tipster @OnLeaks, which have been shared by SammyGuru, the Galaxy S25 FE isn’t straying far from the Galaxy S24 FE’s playbook. It’s rocking the same stacked rear cameras with an LED flash and a tidy hole-punch up front.

One small but noticeable change is with its profile. The Galaxy S25 FE is reportedly slimmer, coming in at 161.4 x 76.6 x 7.4mm. This means it's probably shaving off a bit of thickness compared to the S24 FE.

Not flagship-thin bezels, but better

Compared to the flagship Galaxy S25, the S25 FE still has slightly chunkier bezels. But stack it up against last year’s Galaxy S24 FE, and you’ll notice Samsung might be slimming things down a bit.

Rumor has it that the Galaxy S25 FE will inherit some specs from the standard Galaxy S25, including an upgraded 12MP selfie camera. However, don’t count on top-tier performance. Instead of the shiny new Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, it’s likely running on last year’s Exynos 2400, the same one used in the S24 lineup.

This may make sense given that Samsung seems to be aiming for a sweet spot between premium vibes and a wallet-friendly price tag, a hallmark of some of the best budget Android phones.

Word on the street is the Galaxy S25 FE will sport a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate. And while it’s not official yet, some whispers say it might hit a super bright 2,600 nits.

The Galaxy S25 FE is rumored to land sometime between late Q3 and early Q4, but it might come with a $50 bump, pushing the price to around $700. If that’s the case, Samsung needs to do more than trim some bezels and call it a day in order to justify the extra cash.

• Google might be building its own version of Samsung’s Now Bar to surface real-time info right on your lock screen.
• According to a report, the upgraded version could be rebranded as Gemini Space, and it’s aiming to go beyond just weather and calendar alerts.
• The new widget might serve up live sports scores and market summaries.

Google is reportedly working on its own twist on Samsung’s Now Bar, and it could seriously level up the At a Glance experience. The idea is to serve up an information-packed lock screen that keeps real-time updates front and center.

Currently, your Pixel gives you two flavors of At a Glance. There’s the standard version from the Google app, which is the same one you’ll see on plenty of Android phones. Then there’s the Pixel-only version baked into the Pixel Launcher, which dishes out smart, context-aware info across various categories.

According to Mishaal Rahman over at Android Authority, the Pixel 10 could be getting a big At a Glance makeover, possibly rebranded as Gemini Space.

Finance and sports, at your fingertips

The new version is supposed to go beyond weather and calendar information, adding things like live sports scores and finance updates right to your lock screen, making it way more useful at a glance.

Hints of this new feature first popped up in last month’s Android 16 QPR1 Beta 1, where a system config file called "Ambient Data" was spotted. And since it showed up in both Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 8 Pro firmware, it looks like this upgrade won’t be limited to just the Pixel 10.

Some extra digging turned up clues about something called an "Ambience Hub." We don’t know exactly what it does yet, but the name definitely suggests a new way to surface helpful info on the lock screen or always-on display.

Android System Intelligence spills the beans

The key connection here is the Android System Intelligence app, which is the same brain behind the current At a Glance widget. Digging through its code reveals direct mentions of Gemini Space, along with clear support for showing things like finance recaps and sports updates.

Interestingly, the Pixel Launcher’s At a Glance widget is supposedly getting those finance recaps and sports updates. Recent code spotted in the Android System Intelligence app points to two Pixel-only upgrades in the works—Finance Recap for quick market snapshots and Sports, a long-brewing feature that’s finally getting ready to drop.

That said, Rahman makes it clear this is still just an informed guess, meaning there’s always a chance Gemini Space ends up being something completely different.

The One UI Watch 8 beta arrives later this month with exciting health, sleep, fitness, and nutritional tools. Unfortunately, only the Galaxy Watch 5 or later can run it. Will the Galaxy Watch 4 receive the stable version eventually, or is it stuck with Wear OS 5? The answer to that question will be an important one for Wear OS as a whole.

Samsung has promised "four years of major updates" in press releases since the Galaxy Watch 4 launched back in summer 2021 with Wear OS 3. After updates to Wear OS 3.5, 4, and 5 over the last three years, we naturally assumed that Wear OS 6 would be its fourth update (and last hurrah).

But last year, the Galaxy Watch 4 took until December 2024 to get One UI 6 Watch. This December would fall outside the Galaxy Watch 4's four-year window.

Google, meanwhile, promises "at least three years" of updates for its Pixel Watches, "from when the device first became available on the Google Store," which takes the 2022 Pixel Watch to October 2025.

Google is speedier than Samsung at delivering version updates to last-gen models, so Wear OS 6 in October is very possible. But Google didn't promise years of "major" updates like Samsung did. It could run out the clock with Watch 1 security updates.

We can only extrapolate so much from a single Samsung beta software announcement. But later this year, the ambiguity will be cleared up and we'll know exactly how long Wear OS watches stay at the cutting edge of software tricks. And whether they get two, three, or four OS updates, we'll have to decide if that's enough.

Do Wear OS watches need to live up to Apple Watches for longevity?

Later this year, the 2020 Apple Watch Series 6 will get watchOS 26. That should be the final major update, though Apple may offer the occasional major security patch. So how should 2021 Galaxy Watch 4 or 2022 Pixel Watch buyers feel?

Apple's unspoken five-year commitment to watches is rare. Garmin watches are known for their longevity, but new features usually taper off after one or two years — and some fitness watches are stuck with the features advertised at launch.

As with its phones, Apple produces its watch silicon, making it easier to design features to work across generations because it controls the architecture. But since Samsung makes its own Exynos chips for Galaxy Watches, you'd think they'd get the same benefits.

Considering you can buy a Galaxy A16 5G for $100 less than a Galaxy Watch 7 and get six years of OS updates, it's not a matter of watches being too cheap to deserve support.

Even a cheap phone will have 3–4X the RAM and three or four more ARM Cortex cores than your typical smartwatch SoC. Samsung has more headroom and better thermal solutions with the A16 than a Galaxy Watch optimized for max battery life. And any new Wear OS feature added could imbalance the entire system.

Just in the past year, we've seen how Google had to roll back Wear OS 5 and then fix major bugs with Wear OS 5.1. Google wants to refresh its watches with new features at a quarterly cadence, but has trouble executing.

Maybe once Qualcomm delivers its new Snapdragon Wear chip or Pixel Watches switch to RISC-V, they'll have the capacity to last longer. Plus, cutting off the Pixel Watch's 2018 Exynos 9110 chip frees Google to get more ambitious with Wear OS 6, making new buyers happier but leaving original customers in the lurch.

Do you care how long your Wear OS watch lasts?

There's a full spectrum of Wear OS watches in terms of software support. Mobvoi watches are still on Wear OS 4 and lack Google Assistant; OnePlus promises two OS updates and three years of security, but takes a year longer than Google to deliver to last-gen watches; and then there's Google and Samsung leading the charge.

Frankly, any smartwatch from 2022 or earlier will have significant downgrades from current models in terms of display quality, health sensors, and performance speed. So should customers be expected to upgrade so that Samsung and Google can evolve past old tech, or should they expect the right to get new features for four years?

As someone who usually gets the latest watch tech every year, I'm spoiled with instant access to new features, and therefore expect them. So I'm curious how much you (the reader) care about these updates.

Would you be upset if your Galaxy Watch 4 couldn't access Vascular Load, Running Coach, Antioxidant Index, and other tools from One UI 8 Watch? Or if your Pixel Watch 1 didn't get Material 3 Expressive, third-party watch face apps, dynamic theming, and battery optimizations from Wear OS 6?

Or are you okay with the expectation that you'll need to upgrade to a new watch every 2–3 years for major UI upgrades or Gemini?

• Samsung's upcoming foldables Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are rumored to come with noticeable design changes.
• Both devices might see larger displays as well as sleeker profiles according to leaked renders.
• The leak also suggests two potential color options for these devices: Blue Shadow and Jet Black.

Samsung's upcoming foldables keep showing up in leaks, and this time around, we get to see clear renders as well as some colorways of the alleged Galaxy Z Fold 7, as well as the Z Flip 7.

The leaked official-looking renders come from Android Headlines, who claim that both devices will show up with larger cover screens and slimmer profiles when compared to their predecessors.

Earlier leaks suggest that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 might be ditching its folder-like cover screen for a more edge-to-edge screen, much like the Motorola Razr 2025. The most recent renders from the publication also double down on the same. This could potentially mean that users could do more by just looking at the cover display rather than flipping open the device each time.

AC's Managing Editor Derrek Lee, who only used the Z Flip 6's cover display for 24 hours, also stated that Samsung has a lot of work to do. "Getting set up to use apps on the Galaxy Z Flip 6 cover screen is a bit of a chore in itself. While the One UI 7 update makes things a little more accessible, Samsung still limits cover screen interactions (especially notifications) to the apps you have set to use on the cover screen," he added

The website also claims that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 might show up much lighter and slimmer than its previous iteration. While it didn't get into the dimensions of the device, when they placed the Z Flip 6 next to the alleged Z Flip 7 render, the latter looked "substantially thinner." The renders also show the device in two potential colorways: Blue Shadow and Jet Black.

Sleeker Galaxy Z Fold 7 in the works

As for the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the news website states that the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 will show up in the Blue Shadow and Jet Black colorways like the Flip 7, among other colors. They also claim that the Z Fold 7 will be extremely thin when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

Samsung has been heavily teasing a thinner foldable, and this leak all but confirms the possibility of the Galaxy Z Fold 7's sleeker form factor. The website also states Galaxy Z Fold 7 could weigh 215 grams, which is about 24 grams lighter than Galaxy Z Fold 6. Additionally, the leak also suggests that the cover display could be wider, measuring 8.2 inches this time around, much larger than the 7.6-inch screen the previous model came with.

That said, it is important to note that these are still leaks and need to be taken with a grain of salt unit we get any official confirmation from Samsung. Which doesn't seem too far away, as leaks suggest that it could be as early as July 9.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.

• Samsung's senior vice president and head of digital health, Hon Pak, had an interview where he discussed the potential for paid Health app subscriptions.
• Pak stated Samsung is currently "exploring" such options, which would give users access to more "advanced coaching."
• We speculated on this fact, especially after Samsung highlighted several AI-backed Health features earlier this year.
• Samsung recently introduced four standout features for its Galaxy Watches as part of its One UI 8 Watch beta.

A report claims Samsung is into monetizing its available suite of fitness features on its Galaxy Watches.

The folks at CNET reportedly sat down with Samsung's senior vice president and head of digital health, Hon Pak, and discussed the company's alleged plans for the Galaxy Watch space (via SammyGuru). According to Pak, the Korean OEM is reportedly planning on "exploring" premium subscription models for "advanced coaching features."

This all stems from Samsung's new outlook toward our health and how we can stay on top of it, regardless of how busy life gets. Pak told the publication, "There's illness, there's cancer, and so many other conditions that are actually preventable." Pak adds, "...our mission is to meet people where they are and help support those healthy behaviors in a meaningful way."

Moreover, Pak stated the features Samsung is working on with its Galaxy Watches and its health software are designed to "really contextualize it (nutrition, stress, etc.) for the user."

It's unclear just how much these subscription models could cost users, especially without knowing if Samsung will offer multiple tiers, too. However, if Samsung decides to go forward with this, we might hear something later this summer.

One UI 8 Watch advances Health

We'd be lying if we said we didn't see this coming. Considering all of the features Samsung has been plugging into its Health app, we've been dreading the day when it introduces some sort of AI-based subscription (and that might just happen). Samsung highlighted a host of AI-supported Health features during Unpacked for the Galaxy S25, which have recently been detailed for its upcoming Watch beta. Like its other Galaxy AI features, Samsung has touted them as being "free for now," and it seems it could shift its Health features into a monetization scope.

During Pak's interview with CNET, he mentioned a host of features Samsung is developing, namely those we've seen confirmed for its One UI 8 Watch beta. The company is preparing to introduce four highlight features: Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load monitoring, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index.

Regarding the latter, Samsung says its Antioxidant Index utilizes an "industry-first" feature to gauge your carotenoid levels in roughly five seconds.

Samsung sees this as a feature to help users understand radicals in their bodies to prevent illness. Vascular Load focuses on displaying a user's cardiovascular stress while they sleep. Many features are available for consumers with eligible devices; however, the Vascular Load feature is only available on the Galaxy Watch Ultra.

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• Nothing confirmed (once again) that it's Phone 3 will have a Glyph Dot Matrix, not the old Glyph interface.
• From its short clip, it seems the matrix will be placed on the top right hand corner, above the camera array.
• Nothing's old Glyph interface previously gave users some interactions, such as waiting timer progress, charging progress, and more through its lights.

Nothing doesn't feel like slowing down its flagship teasers, as its latest social media post confirms a design change (once more).

The company earlier this morning (June 19) posted a short video clip about a major design shift: the removal of its Glyph lighting system. Instead, what consumers will find on the Phone 3 will be Nothing's new Glyph Matrix lighting system, which it's confirming again today; however, it comes with more insight. From the clip shared, it seems Nothing is implementing its new lighting system on the top right corner of the device's back.

The clip shows the matrix system working with a strobbing design effect.

Nothing's tagline reads, "When light becomes language." While its teaser only shows a cool design, it's possible this matrix system will offer information without looking at your screen. There's a chance we could see some of the Glyph Lighting's previous functions, about order progress and more, slide into the new Matrix when it launches.

Nothing's wants a flagship

Nothing first teased that it was moving away from the Glyph Lighting array at the end of May. It said, "We killed the Glyph Interface" with some theatrics sprinkled in for good measure. The Glyph lights gave Nothing's phones some uniqueness, but also took their interactions to another level when flipped over. Its phone had a feature called "Flip to Glyph," where users could turn the device face down and only receive "notifications" via the interface.

The lights also doubled as a timer, so you could keep track without the screen, as well as serving as an indicator for its charging status.

Now, the matrix design Nothing is going for reminds us of the ASUS ROG Phone 9. Elsewhere, Nothing recently confirmed some other specs, like its use of the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC. According to Nothing CEO Carl Pei, the chip should give the Phone 3 a 36% faster CPU, an 88% stronger GPU, and a 60% stronger NPU. Just yesterday, the company's co-founder confirmed that the Phone 3 will receive a little more flagship-quality software support.

The Phone 3 is said to receive five years of Android OS upgrades and seven years of security updates.

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After a week at Augmented World Expo 2025, writing about cool prototypes and lofty promises about XR's future, I've hijacked Nick Sutrich's weekly VR column to hype up the one thing from AWE that I'm excited about right now: gaming and streaming on AR glasses.

Google and Meta described their visions for AR glasses at AWE, promising all-day AI companions and stylish form factors. But even Meta admitted they likely won't break into the mainstream until the 2030s.

If we're talking about AR glasses designed for at-home use that don't need to "blend in," those are available now. However, every pair I've tested so far has felt imperfect compared to setting up shop in front of a TV or monitor.

After my AWE 2025 demos with Viture and XREAL glasses — both current models and unreleased future versions — I'm convinced that the XR display market is ready to explode, sooner rather than later.

AR gaming glasses are getting better

My colleagues have reviewed and loved AR gaming displays like the XREAL One and RayNeo Air 3S. However, when Nick sent me his XREAL Air 2s last year, I enjoyed the novelty but found them to be fairly unengaging.

I appreciated how light they were compared to my Meta Quest 3 for XR content. Plugging them into my Steam Deck and getting an instant AR display for gaming felt awesome, and it helped me avoid my terrible gamer posture by leaning back with my console in my lap.

That didn't eliminate my usual complaints with XR glasses I've tried at conventions: the 46º field of view (FoV), FHD resolution, and 500 nits of brightness all add up to a normal viewing experience, not a transformative one.

XREAL advertises a 130-inch display experience on the Air 2, but in my experience, it feels closer to a large gaming monitor or a mid-sized TV with a fast refresh rate, but pedestrian visuals, and more eye strain. They're great for travel, but I'm too much of a homebody for this use case to apply often.

However, at AWE 2025, I had the opportunity to try out the XREAL One Pro glasses at their booth. I'd hoped for a Project Aura demo, but the Pros were a wonderful silver lining with their 57-degree display and boosted brightness.

Driving around the world of Forza Horizon 4 with the Pros and a handheld console, I felt much more immersed than before. My Air 2 display at home feels like a shiny postage stamp stuck in my visual center, while the wider Pro display hugs the edge of my vision compellingly.

With its 3DoF support, I can anchor the display, making it easier to look away from the game to talk to someone or check my phone, or else angle the display if I want to look slightly up or down. That kind of flexibility makes me more likely to want to wear them, without feeling as closed off from my surroundings as I do in VR.

I also tried Viture's next-generation AR glasses at AWE 2025, including one display so experimental that it wasn't even attached to glasses yet. Viture doesn't want me giving any specifics yet (except to "tease" readers), but it's no secret that they turned my skeptical perspective on AR displays into excitement.

Viture's current Pros also measure 46 degrees with FHD resolution, but I appreciate the straightforward "myopia adjustment" slider on top to solve for my left eye's nearsightedness. That way, I don't need to commit to a specific prescription, then have my eyes get worse a year or two from now; plus, it doesn't lock out my fiancée or anyone else from using them.

Without specifics, Viture's next-gen glasses make significant improvements in areas like FoV and display quality, which make them feel worth the 80g of weight resting on my nose and ears. And other smart glasses brands are likely to keep pace, making them more competitive as true TV or monitor replacements.

Still a ways to go for AR displays, but we're close

At AWE 2025, XREAL's Ralph Jodice talked about the pressure from customers to "make my FoV wider, make my glasses smaller." Right now, brands like XREAL, Viture, Rokid, and RayNeo are racing to offer better visuals for power users, but that comes with comfort trade-offs. I'd eventually want AR glasses that are lighter than my Air 2s but with the visual quality of the heavier Pros.

As I noted before, anchored displays will benefit any gaming glasses, but that requires camera support. Xreal Eye solves this, and future glasses may have that camera built in from the get-go.

But that, combined with brighter, high-res displays, could make AR glasses a major battery drain on your phone or console, especially since they require the USB-C port you'd normally use for charging during long gaming sessions. So efficiency will be important, on top of comfort.

Next, aside from myopia correction, AR glasses need to do more to accommodate different interpupillary distances (IPD), so you're not straining or cross-eyed using them. Rokid just announced that its new AR Spatial glasses pack will add software IPD adjustments to target 53mm to 75mm, which sounds promising.

All together, AR glasses will remain a niche category while companies figure out these fundamental issues. However, the visual upgrades will be impressive enough that more people will be willing to live with the trade-offs. They just need a chance to break out of the tech niche.

I suspect that will happen as we see more non-AR glasses in store displays, like the upcoming Oakley Meta glasses. Best Buy or Target could group some AR glasses in the same category, letting people try out these 100-inch AR displays and decide whether they want to spend thousands more on an OLED TV.

We may still be years off from AR glasses becoming "mainstream," but the tech in these devices is reaching the point that they're starting to live up to AR's potential. I, for one, will actually start to enjoy using them.

• Samsung has started rolling out the June security update for various Galaxy phone series, including the latest Galaxy S25 models.
• It addresses 19 moderate-risk vulnerabilities and some high-risk semiconductor issues.
• The roll out seems to have begun with the Galaxy S21 FE phone and went all the way to the Galaxy S25 trio.

Samsung has been on the verge of rolling out One UI 8 betas lately, and on the other hand, the security patch for current devices also seems to be on point. The June update for most Galaxy phones, including the Galaxy S25 series, is here.

Samsung has begun rolling out (via 9to5Google) the June security update for its devices, including the Galaxy S25 series, the S24 series, and even the Galaxy S23 series. It is the usual monthly security patch, and the latest one is believed to have addressed 19 vulnerabilities from the previous firmware, although they aren't counted as critical ones; all of them are listed here.

The company also indicates that some semiconductor patches comprising some high-risk vulnerabilities seem to have been addressed with the latest security patch. Some of which address issues with apps that run on Android 13,14, and 15.

9to5 further notes that the newest firmware rollout has initially begun with the older Galaxy S21 FE and has gone all the way up to the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and the S25 Ultra models. The update also appears to be available for the Galaxy A36, A54, and A55 phones, too.

Users also have to bear in mind that the rollout seems to have just begun and is also believed to be slower than the previous monthly patches from the company.

One UI 8 in full swing

While Samsung had taken its sweet time rolling out the One UI 7 update for the Galaxy phones, the company doesn't intend to do so for the next iteration. With the next Galaxy Unpacked event anticipated to be just around the corner, Samsung appears to be reading the One UI 8 version as early as possible.

The tech giant has already released the second One UI 8 beta for Galaxy S25 devices alongside the more recent One UI 8 Watch rollout. For the unaware, Samsung is expected to release the Galaxy foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Z Flip 7, and all new Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, and also the Galaxy Watch 8 series, most likely next month.

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• Nothing's co-founder, Akis Evangelidis, states the Phone 3 will receive five years of Android OS upgrades and seven years of security patches.
• This a major shift from the Phone 2's three-year Android OS promise and four years of security updates.
• Recently, Nothing's CEO Carl Pei confirmed the Phone 3 will use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 for a "snappier" and "balanced" experience for consumers.
• The Phone 3 is set to debut on July 1.

A leak might've given us an idea about the software longevity of Nothing's upcoming flagship phone.

Amidst the recent Nothing chip teaser for the Phone 3, the company's co-founder revealed the software update outlook for the device (via 9to5Google). According to Akis Evangelidis, the Nothing Phone 3 will allegedly provide consumers with five years of Android OS updates and seven years of security updates.

What's unclear early on is how often these security updates will arrive for users. Nothing's Phone 2 experienced bi-monthly updates, and it seems it's doing the same for the latest 3a series. Considering Nothing's really pushing the "flagship" status of the Phone 3, it would be nice to see security updates every month, but we'll have to see what happens.

Moreover, the extended duration of major Android OS upgrades, which should take consumers into 2030 before that's done with. This is a major shift from the Phone 2's three-year Android OS promise (with four years of security updates). This isn't quite seven years like Samsung, but it's better than before.

The Nothing Flagship

Evangelidis also highlighted some key details about Nothing's idea to use the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC in the Phone 3. The chip is said to bring an 88% increase in GPU, a 33% increase in CPU power, and a 125% boost in its NPU.

Just yesterday (June 17), Nothing confirmed that the Phone 3 will rock Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 SoC. The company's CEO, Carl Pei, followed this up in a YouTube video, stating the Phone 3 will essentially blow its predecessor, the Phone 2, out of the water. Not only are the phone's cameras said to see a wild boost, but its performance should step it up considerably, as well.

In practice, Pei said the Phone 3 should feel a lot "snappier" when in use. Some users may wonder why Nothing is opting for the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 instead of something else. Pei states he wanted to give users a "balanced experience" with a chip that could handle everything had "gotten better" inside the Phone 3.

The Nothing Phone 3 (and the Headphone 1) are set to debut on July 1 in London. The smartphone is poised some a significant design change, that being the removal of its Glyph lighting system in favor of a dot-matrix.

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Earlier this year, Xreal debuted its next-generation smart display glasses, Xreal One, which debuted the first-ever on-glasses chip that enables 3DoF tracking with no additional software or configuration. Meanwhile, the tiny new Xreal Eye camera upgrades this tracking to 6DoF, or the equivalent of what a VR headset like a Meta Quest 3 can deliver. In short, that means you can walk around, and your floating virtual monitor stays in place.

Xreal One Pro, on the other hand, is a new upgraded set of glasses that runs roughly $100 more than Xreal One. Upgrading gets you a newer Sony micro-OLED that's 100 nits brighter, a notably thinner prism display that eliminates the glare of birdbath optics, a 7-degree larger field of view (FoV), and a new interchangeable frame for an added style bonus.

Price and availability

Xreal Eye retails for $99 and requires a pair of Xreal One or Xreal One Pro glasses to work. You can get the Eye camera at xreal.com starting July 1, while availability on Amazon and Bestbuy.com is slated for mid-July. Physical stores should start carrying Xreal Eye later in July.

Xreal One Pro starts at $599/€649/£549 for preorder customers, but pricing rises to $649/€689/£579 as of retail availability on July 1. Customers can still get the early bird pricing by ordering before June 30 at xreal.com. Best Buy and Amazon will carry these online in mid-July, while physical retail availability is slated for later in July.

Xreal Eye camera

Xreal Eye is a little camera that slides right into the slot in the nose bridge between each lens and enables 6DoF tracking, plus the ability to take photos and video right from the glasses. Xreal Eye might seem like a superfluous add-on at first, but its modular design solves a real problem in a great way. If someone around you doesn't like the camera on your glasses, you can simply remove it.

Installation is as simple as possible. Remove the rubber covering from the underside of the glasses' nose bridge, then slide the camera in. It'll automatically recognize the camera, although you may need to update your glasses' firmware to get all the nifty new features.

Xreal Eye enables enhanced spatial anchor functionality, which means that the floating virtual monitor it normally displays does an even better job of staying in place. With the default 3DoF tracking, Xreal One and Xreal One Pro allow you to turn your head and move in place a bit, but moving back and forth or getting up and walking around while wearing the glasses will result in the display changing position.

With Xreal Eye, that virtual screen stays put even if you get up and walk around. There are some limitations since things are only tracked by a single camera — you can't walk with the glasses into a different room and come back without the screen shifting, for instance — but tracking is impressively capable.

The real draw here is futureproofing, as Xreal is currently working on gesture functionality and multimodal AI that'll turn these into a more full-fledged pair of smart glasses instead of just a fancy wearable monitor.

You can also take photos and videos using the Xreal Eye camera, including 4K60 video recording. That's an upgrade over the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses camera in resolution and frame rate, but the overall quality isn't quite as crisp or stable as Meta's glasses provide.

That said, they're also less convenient to use as a camera since they have to be tethered to a device, but this also means that battery life isn't as big of a concern as it is on the Ray-Bans. At the very least, this is a compelling alternative that also provides a visual viewfinder for photos and video, plus a built-in display for reviewing things.

Xreal One Pro

The latest glasses from Xreal are an upgrade over Xreal One in some palpable ways. While they're a few grams heavier, Xreal One Pro is the first pair of smart display glasses I've used with a prism lens system. This new prism lens is notably smaller than any pair of glasses that use birdbath optics, which is to say, every other commercially available pair on the market.

This means the glasses sit slightly closer to your face and are physically more compact, as well. You can see the difference from the case alone, which is a bit smaller than the one that ships with Xreal One.

Holding the glasses up next to each other makes the difference incredibly noticeable. The entire top portion of the glasses is significantly shallower and smaller, and the optics themselves are completely flat inside the frame, while birdbath optics sit at a downward angle.

The biggest positive side effect this flat design has is glare reduction. I'm sitting poolside wearing the glasses while working on my laptop, sun blaring around the umbrella I'm sitting under. Not only is it easy to see the display — it's plenty bright and the electrochromic film adds a layer of tinting to offset the light — but there's no reflection from the bright pavement below me.

Reflection is one of the biggest issues people have had with birdbath optics, particularly if you wear lighter clothing, so this is a great fix. I also feel like the prism lens helps even out the extreme brightness from the display. Bright whites at max brightness on Xreal One can almost be painful at times, but they're more evened out and less extreme on Xreal One Pro.

Xreal says the FoV on these glasses is seven degrees larger than Xreal One, but I have a hard time spotting this. If anything, it seems like Xreal One Pro's prism lenses are slightly wider than Xreal One, which is likely where the difference comes in. Plus, there's no lens distortion at the edges of the frame anymore. It's more of a gradual fade as the image tapers off the side.

Despite the physical changes, Xreal One Pro is just as easy to use as Xreal One. The included USB-C cable can be plugged into any device that supports DisplayPort over USB-C, which means all of the best Android phones, most modern PCs or Macs, and consoles like the Steam Deck.

Native 3DoF tracking is enabled by default, so you can comfortably work, watch, or game with your own personal projector without breaking your neck by looking down for a long time.

Putting it all together

Xreal One Pro glasses might not be replacing my Ray-Ban Metas as something I wear everywhere, but they never needed to, anyway. While the Xreal Eye gives the company's smart glasses the ability to take pictures and video like Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, that's not the real draw here.

Instead, Xreal Eye enables proper 6DoF spatial tracking to make this more like a VR headset without all the bulk. It's a huge step in the right direction for a company that has been full of nothing but wins lately, and gives us an idea of what to expect from Xreal Project Aura when it launches with Android XR, likely sometime early next year.

For now, though, Xreal One Pro outfitted with Xreal Eye is the best smart display glasses combination you can buy. Next-gen prism lenses, the widest FoV of any available smart glasses, and 6DoF tracking are simply hard to beat, especially since you don't need any additional software to enjoy any of the glasses' best features.

• Rokid’s AR Spatial glasses ditch the traditional desk and toss a massive 300-inch virtual screen right in your face.
• At just 75 grams and made with aerospace-grade materials, the Max 2 glasses are built for long hauls, and they play nice with prescription eyewear.
• Powered by Rokid’s own YodaOS Master, the system handles multiple windows and apps without the lag or bugginess you’d expect from typical AR gear.

Rokid today released the AR Spatial glasses that aim to blend AR into your everyday life, ditching the usual desk setup and changing how (and where) you get things done.

AR Spatial's setup pairs the Max 2 AR glasses with the new Station 2 hub, and together they whip up a giant 300-inch virtual screen that hangs in your line of sight.

Rokid's announcement says it's built with the always-on-the-go crowd in mind, so it might just be useful for remote workers juggling apps or anyone tired of squinting at a cramped laptop screen in busy spots.

Light, tough, and prescription glasses-friendly

The Max 2 AR glasses are lightweight at just 75 grams and tough enough thanks to aerospace-grade materials. They’re comfy enough to wear for hours, and if you’ve got prescription glasses, they’ll fit right over them without a hitch.

These AR glasses also have built-in diopter adjustment from 0.00D to -6.00D for nearsighted users, plus customizable pupillary distance so everything lines up just right.

AR Spatial skips the usual AR headache and just works with what you already have, like your phone, tablet, or laptop. If you want the full desktop experience, just hook up a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and you’ve got a portable setup that actually feels familiar.

Smooth moves with YodaOS

Rokid’s AR Spatial runs on its own custom OS, YodaOS Master. You can juggle multiple virtual windows, jump between apps without lag, and skip the usual slowdowns that drag other AR glasses down.

Rokid’s AR Spatial has already made the rounds at big-name events like CES 2025 and Milan Design Week.

It’s not the cheapest gear out there, but at $648, the AR Spatial bundle brings a lot to the table. If you want to knock the price down, just punch in LAUNCH70 at checkout and it drops to $578. You can snag it now from Rokid’s site or one of its retail partners.

• Search Live in the Google app lets you actually chat with Google — just speak your questions and it talks back in real time.
• You can keep texting, scrolling, or doomscrolling while chatting with Search since it works in the background.
• The feature runs on a customized version of Gemini, making conversations feel more natural.

Google is rolling out Search Live, a fresh twist on AI Mode that lets you speak directly to Search in the app. It’s a pretty big leap toward making the whole experience feel more human and less like, well, searching.

As per the tech giant's blog post, Search Live lets you actually talk to Search in which you can ask questions out loud, get answers back in real time, and dive into related links if you’re curious. Just open the Google app, tap the new “Live” icon, and start chatting. The AI talks back, and you can keep the conversation going as long as you want.

Stuck on a recipe, planning a getaway, or just randomly curious? Now you can chat it out with Google Search and get answers on the fly. Even better, it runs in the background, so you can keep scrolling, texting, or doing whatever while the chat keeps going.

Powered by Gemini (with a twist)

Search Live, built into the Google app for Android and iOS, uses a custom spin on Gemini to power real-time voice conversations with Search. But it’s not just about asking questions out loud. You will be able to point your camera at something, ask what it is, and get instant answers.

For now, this feature is in testing and only rolling out to Labs users in the U.S.—and the camera part isn’t live just yet. But Google says it’s coming soon, so you’ll be able to point your phone at something, and Search will actually see what you’re talking about in real time.

Furthermore, there’s a handy transcript link that lets you skim through your chat whenever you want. You can tap it to read what was said and even keep the chat going by typing. If you want to revisit an old chat, just head to your AI Mode history and pick up the thread.

Barely weeks after rolling out AI Mode across the U.S., Google is already cranking things up. The arrival of Search Live is a straight-up power move aimed at challengers like Perplexity AI and ChatGPT Search.

• Leak suggests that Samsung's summer Galaxy Unpacked event will allegedly take place on July 9 at 10 am ET.
• Tipster Evan Blass took to X to share the date of the event, but didn't reveal any details on the event's location.
• Samsung is due to launch its foldables this year and has been dropping multiple teasers of the supposed "ultra" foldable.

There have been several rumors swirling around about when Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place. We've heard tipsters claiming it could take place in mid-July, while some say early July. The most recent rumor suggests that the summer Unpacked event will allegedly take place on July 9 at 10 am ET.

This leak comes from prominent tipster Evan Blass, who took to X to post the event's details, with just a one-liner. But didn't reveal much about where the event is slated to take place. Considering earlier rumors suggested that Samsung could be launching its next foldable line-up in New York after three years.

That said, the Korean OEM is expected to launch the next set of foldables: the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Z Flip 7 during the event. Speaking of foldables, Samsung has been heavily teasing a supposed "ultra-thin" foldable that could launch during this Galaxy Unpacked. While it may not hold the Ultra in its name, Samsung could be promising an Ultra-like experience with the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

As of now, all we know is that Samsung is calling this device "The next chapter of Ultra." It said that the Ultra experience goes beyond just feature upgrades, but will also customize the form factor of the device, making it smaller and more easily portable. Hinting at the device's cameras, the company said it will have a new intelligent camera system that can be more intuitive and understand what users are shooting and adjust itself to match any situation.

“As AI evolves from text-based prompts to multimodal understanding, Galaxy devices are becoming smarter — able to get what you’re looking at and respond to situations. The camera is at the heart of this transformation,” the company explained.

Several rumors also suggest that Samsung will drop its newest wearables lineup, aka the Galaxy Watch 8 series, which will allegedly show up as a trio this year, comprising the Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025).

Furthermore, a Korean news site suggested earlier today (June 18) that Samsung could also drop teasers of its first-ever XR headset, also called Project Moohan, that was showcased recently at Google I/O.

Last year, Samsung unveiled its foldable phones in Paris on July 10th, and we anticipate this year's event could follow a similar timeline. However, it is important to note that Samsung has not officially announced its Unpacked event yet.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.

The Motorola Edge Plus (2023) blew us away when it was revealed a few years back, and now you can save a whopping $450 when you buy the phone unlocked during Best Buy's Android Savings event. But is the flagship device still worth it in 2025? Let's discuss.

✅Recommended if: you want a phone with an unbelievably good-looking display, two days of battery life, and snappy performance for only $350.

❌Skip this deal if: you want all of the latest AI features or super-versatile camera tech; you want a phone with years of software support. 

Although the phone is starting to show its age in a few areas, the Motorola Edge Plus (2023) is still an impressive device, coming complete with a 165Hz pOLED display, powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, and a large 5,100mAh battery. You also get 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage with this model, and the IP68 water/dust resistance rating is a very welcome sight. 

The phone's performance may lag a bit behind the latest devices from Samsung or Google, but if you're looking to save some cash, the Edge Plus (2023) easily holds its own against any of the best cheap Android phones available today. Indeed, if you're looking to spend 350 bucks on a smartphone, nothing really beats the Edge Plus (2023) right now. 

The only real problem is that the Moto Edge Plus (2023) was only guaranteed four years of software support, which means it won't receive any OS upgrades after Android 16 or security patches after 2027. Whether or not that's a dealbreaker is up to you, but if you just want a cheap, great-looking phone today, the Edge Plus (2023) is an outstanding pick. 

• YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan confirmed during an appearance at the Cannes Lions Festival that Shorts will soon grab Veo 3 integration.
• Mohan seemed to hone in on the platform's intention to further empower creator creativity and solidify YouTube as a place that welcomes such ideas.
• YouTube has consistently talked and implemented older Google Veo models in Dream Screen for Shorts for creators in 2024.

YouTube is reportedly highlighting its interest (again) in bringing powerful AI video generation tools to its platform for creators.

In a post by The Hollywood Reporter, YouTube's CEO Neal Mohan's appearance at the Cannes Lions Festival held key insight into plans for more AI. Joined by a few content creators, Mohan discussed YouTube's plans to incorporate Google's latest video generation model, Veo 3, into Shorts. To Mohan, bringing Veo 3 into the fold will "open new creative lanes" for new and existing content creators.

According to Mohan, YouTube plans to properly incorporate Google's Veo 3 model into its Short environment "later this summer."

It seems YouTube is placing a lot of focus on its creators, considering the use cases for Veo 3. Not only did Mohan claim "the possibilities with AI are limitless," but he states, "creators will flip formats, blend genres, and push deeper into the mainstream."

YouTube feels that AI tools for video can help usher its creators' creativity into a new era. More than that, the platform is trying to solidify itself as the premier destination, per se, that it hopes will draw even more people in to create more content.

YouTube sees a future with Veo 3

Originally, in September 2024, the Made by YouTube event highlighted the platform's plans to incorporate Google's Veo into Shorts. The model would leverage its capabilities to understand "natural language" for video generation purposes. At the time, YouTube said the AI model could create backgrounds and produce "concepts that were once impossible to visualize." The AI was said to be restricted to creating six-second clips at a time.

Google's Veo was then on deck to arrive on YouTube late last year, bringing all of these features to creators in Shorts.

AI-generated backgrounds were also a part of YouTube's Dream Screen, which leveraged Veo. The good thing here about YouTube's confirmation of Veo 3 is that the model is Google's latest, announced during I/O 2025. Veo 3's audio capabilities were highlighted during the announcement; however, Google made it clear those could be unlocked using its Google AI Ultra subscription. Nevertheless, it teased Veo 3's ability to bring your idea to life, complete with the sound of rain, footsteps, and more to complete the package.

• Gemini in the Google app now supports video analysis, allowing users to upload videos for AI-powered insights.
• As seen in the latest APK teardown, users can upload videos up to five minutes long on the Gemini AI assistant chat.
• Future updates may include direct video analysis shot through the camera app.

Gemini is constantly gaining features, and the latest version of the Google app brings new capabilities to the AI assistant similar to ChatGPT, such as the ability to analyze videos.

An APK teardown performed by folks at Android Authority has revealed that Gemini has added support for video analysis. The feature seems to have been spotted in the Google app bearing version 16.23.69. And, it is said to be on a gradual rollout for now, and users are expected to be getting it soon.

According to a video shared by the publication, videos from your Android phone up to five minutes in length can be uploaded to the Gemini AI assistant for it to analyze what's in the video. Here, a selected video can be of five minutes, or users can upload multiple videos, but the run time should be five minutes (combined).

To try the feature, users need to hit the "plus" button in the Gemini text box and upload a video from their gallery/ files, provided the feature is available for the handset first. Gemini would then generate an analysis of the video(s) and further elaborate with relevant pointers as well.

The said feature is currently limited to file upload onto the Gemini AI assistant; however, in future releases, users can expect it to work right from the camera video recording when users hit the camera icon, instead of selecting gallery/ files for existing video upload.

Handy new way to get summaries

The latest addition, similar to what ChatGPT had for a while, is a welcoming feature for Gemini through the Google app. It can help users to summarize what's in the video they shot or received on their phone.

It can be beneficial to students, assuming they video record their classes or see a demonstration of something important, like an equipment functionality, and get a quick summary of it later on their phones with the help of Gemini. We also expect that the AI assistant should soon be able to remove the five-minute threshold of the video in the near future after a broader rollout.

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• Samsung's XR headset, also known as Project Moohan, could launch later this year, according to a new report by a Korean news website.
• Samsung could launch the headset on Sept. 29 during a "domestic Unpacked."
• The publication states that the XR headset will first be released in Korea in October, with a subsequent rollout to other countries.

Samsung's XR headset has been showing up a lot lately, with its most recent appearance at Google's I/O this year. Despite Samsung and Google being very vocal about the headset and showcasing it publicly, there has been little to no information regarding its official launch. But Google did hint at the fact that Samsung's headset will be "available later this year." And a recent report from a Korean news website backs Google's claims, indicating that the XR headset may finally launch in September this year.

The publication notes that "Samsung Electronics will unveil its extended reality (XR) headset 'Project Moohan' at its domestic Unpacked event on September 29."

But here's the catch: we might not be able to purchase the headset immediately as the OEM wants to test out the XR headset in Korea starting October 13, before shipping it out to the rest of the world.

The Korean news site further hints at the possibility of Samsung officially teasing the headset during the upcoming "foldable phone unpack [Unpacked event] next month," to gauge how people react to it before its alleged scheduled launch. And internal sources told the publication that the company is adding final touches to the XR headset, "by specifying the unpacking and launch plans for Project Moohan."

As for what we can expect from this headset when compared to the others in the market, AC's Michael Hicks who was able to give it a go during Google I/O says that it could be Apple Vision Pro's true rival.

"I found the controls completely intuitive and familiar, and I barely had any missed inputs during my demo. Plus, the full-color camera was both vibrant and clear. The headset defaulted to mixed-reality passthrough," he added.

While the demo did not reveal many of the headset's specifications, the Korean news site has provided some information that sort of aligns with previous rumors about Project Moohan.

"The hardware core features the ‘XR2+ 2nd generation’ chipset designed by Qualcomm and manufactured using Samsung Foundry’s 4nm process. And can control up to 12 cameras and sensors that support the XR experience," the website noted.

Additionally, the current rumor is that the headset uses Sony 4K micro-OLED displays with 3,552 × 3,840 resolution, 1,000-nit brightness at 20% power, 96% DCI-P3 color gamut, and 90 FPS. Lastly, it is confirmed to come with Google's latest Gemini smarts powered into it, giving users an intuitive, personalized AI assistant.

While we wait for an official announcement from Samsung, here's all that we know about Project Moohan so far.

It's official: Amazon Prime Day has been confirmed for July 8th-11th (that's right, four days), and I'm already hard at work gathering all of the best early deals and information so you know exactly where to look when you have a burning question about the sale. 

Fortunately, I've been covering sale events like this for years and can tell you exactly what to expect when the four-day sale event goes live. Keep reading for everything I know about the event so far, plus I'll share an early look at the best deals for Android users that are available right now. From smartphones to tablets and everything in between, you'd be shocked at the amount of deals that are already available ahead of the sale event. 

And don't forget: as always, the best discounts will be exclusive to Prime members, so now would be a good time to sign up for Prime if you haven't already.

Quick links

• Prime Day is coming: see the full list of Amazon deals
• Phones: up to $300 off Samsung and Pixel
• Tablets: discounted Galaxy Tab and iPad
• Wearables: up to $100 off Galaxy Watch, Garmin
• Headphones/earbuds: major price drops on CMF Buds, Beats
• Chromebooks: 20% off ASUS, HP, and Acer
• Smart home: up to 62% off Blink camera systems, Fire TV discounts
• Most Prime Day deals are members-only: sign up for the 30-day trial

Early Prime Day deals

Prime Day 2025 FAQ

When is Prime Day 2025?

Amazon has confirmed through a press release that Prime Day 2025 will run from July 8th through the 11th, marking the first time that the sale has ever lasted four full days. More precisely, the members-only sale event will start at 12:01 a.m. PDT on July 8th and end at midnight on July 11th. 

It's quite likely that Amazon's biggest competitors — such as Walmart, Best Buy, and others — will run competing sales at the same time. 

What is Amazon Prime Day 2025?

Prime Day is an annual, members-only sale event that showcases some of the biggest Amazon discounts of the year. Similar to Black Friday, Prime Day provides members with exclusive access to record discounts and lightning deals across a vast range of product categories. It's one of the biggest sales of the year, and as always, our team will be sharing all of the best Android discounts as they go live. 

What deals can I expect during Prime Day?

As usual, you can expect Prime Day to slash prices on all of our favorite Android devices from the minds of Samsung, Google, Motorola, and beyond. It's also quite likely that Samsung will be announcing its latest lineup of foldable phones around the same time as the sale, so we should see some exciting offers on the Z Fold and Z Flip series. Products from Amazon's own family of devices, which includes Echo smart home tech, Fire TVs, and Kindle e-readers, are also certain to receive major discounts during the four-day sale. 

Do I have to be a Prime member to shop during Prime Day 2025?

Although some deals will be available to the general public, the vast majority of Prime Day offers will be exclusive to Prime members. If you're not a member just yet, it might be worth considering Amazon Prime's 30-day free trial. This gives you access to the full range of Prime benefits (including Prime Day discounts) for a full month without paying a cent. Members also get free delivery, unlimited Prime streaming, fuel discounts, and more. 

• Garmin announced its new smart sleep band, the Index Sleep Monitor.
• The band can collect and provide "in-depth sleep insights," including your breathing rate, Pulse Ox, skin temperature, Women's Health, and more.
• Garmin says the device is comfortable and washer-friendly (gentle cycle), and arrives for $169.99 in S-M and L-XL sizes.

Garmin is looking to "maximize comfort" while still delivering insightful health analytics to users while they sleep.

Launching today (June 18) is the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor, a lightweight arm band that is designed to give you a "comprehensive" view of your health. The company highlighted the device in a press release, adding that the band can run for seven nights on a single full charge. Garmin's vice president of consumer sales and marketing, Susan Lyman, said, "Wearing this smart sleep band every night can provide in-depth sleep insights and a more complete picture of fitness and recovery."

Users will find similar functions with the smart band as they would with a Garmin watch. The post highlights the band's ability to capture your sleep data, such as sleep stages (light, deep, REM) and HRV status. The next morning, Garmin says your Index Sleep Monitor will upload its sleep data to provide you with a Sleep Score, ranging between zero and 100.

Sleep functions continue with Pulse Ox. Garmin says the sleep band can even track and calculate your blood oxygen saturation throughout the night.

Moreover, the company worked in Breathing variations and Respiration data. The former partners with Pulse Ox, so users can "better understand shifts in breathing patterns." The latter gives you information on any changes in your breathing rates while you were sleeping.

Garmin's Health-focus Evolves

Another major part of this Garmin smart sleep band is its tracking capabilities for women's health. Garmin states the Index Sleep Monitor will leverage a woman's skin temperature to provide insightful menstrual cycle estimations and information. Additionally, the device can help women keep track of their pregnancy, as well as provide exercise and nutrition assistance.

Aside from menstrual tracking, the sleep band's skin temperature readings can assist users with early signs of "potential illness" and other changes to their sleep environment that might've affected them.

Stress tracking throughout the night is available, and "Body Battery energy monitoring." With this, Garmin says the band will inform the wearer if they should take the day easier, meaning get some more rest. Garmin recommends wearing one of its compatible smartwatches, which will further the Body Battery feature to give you a "complete" picture of whether you should push yourself or take it easy.

The Garmin Index Sleep Monitor is available now for $169.99 in Small and Medium, as well as Large and Extra Large sizes. Garmin states the device is easy to clean, letting users toss it into the washer on the gentle cycle for a refresher.

I attended every discussion I could, from the Android XR keynote by Google XR executives Juston Payne and Hugo Swart to a discussion by a gaming developer describing what it's like to make Android XR games, as well as Google executives' vision for the future of AR devices.

Much of the information was familiar, coming from the Android XR roadmap that was revealed at Google I/O last month. But even though Google didn't "announce" anything at AWE, I learned a lot about its strategy to rely on partners like Samsung, Qualcomm, and Unity to court skeptical developers.

Here's every tidbit I gleaned from my AWE 2025 event about Android XR!

An Android XR recruiting blitz for devs

"Google has been working in the glasses space for 10 years, and we have not stopped." Google has been using that line since it announced Android XR last year, and Payne brought it out again at AWE. Google really wants to reassure us that the deaths of Google Glass and Daydream were exaggerated and that Android XR won't end up in the Graveyard.

Payne, who leads Google's XR product management team, said that despite "massive strides forward in both hardware and software," the true "inflection point" for XR has been the rise of multimodal AI and LLMs. They're pushing Gemini as the glue across all VR/AR headsets and smart glasses, and reassuring developers that they can access Gemini to simplify their own XR apps.

"AI will do for XR products what the touchscreen did for smartphones," Payne argued. And since devs can access the Gemini API through the Firebase AI Logic SDK, they may be tempted to join Android XR and experiment with multimodal AI for their apps.

You can currently only code Android XR apps for VR headsets like Moohan, but Google will open up software for smart glasses "later this year," and it's also working with Samsung and glasses designers like Warby Parker to "ship the first set of smart glasses soon."

Hugo Swart, a senior XR director at Google, followed Payne on stage to sell Android XR to devs the same way it sells Android on phones: make one app for a variety of devices and let Google handle the "technology stack" along with Samsung and Qualcomm.

"It takes a village to make [Android XR] happen," Swart says, and he called on "ODMs, camera sensor and module vendors, display lens waveguide makers, and app developers and content providers" to build up Android XR into a successful platform that can "scale to a diversity of products," from premium XR to lightweight glasses.

Android XR will have core "perception stack" tools like head/eye/face/hand tracking, controllers, depth perception, and 3D reconstruction that will work across all devices "without fragmenting." Devs can create one app with one SDK that'll port to headsets and glasses, saving them development time.

Plus, Google is "deeply integrating and optimizing our code to Snapdragon," so that Android XR works natively on chips like the Snapdragon AR1+ that support on-device AI for smart glasses. At least for now, we shouldn't expect any Tensor-powered Android XR devices.

What to expect from gaming on Android XR

We know that Android XR supports controllers, Unity, and the OpenXR standard behind most of the best Meta Quest games. But after Android XR was a no-show at GDC 2025, I wondered what Google's plan was to support gaming devs on its new platform.

It turns out many of the biggest VR game devs like Owlchemy Labs and Resolution games have already ported to Android XR using Unity 6, which supports OpenXR input handling and a Universal Render Pipeline (URP) for graphical compatibility.

I attended an AWE panel by Mirrorscape, an Android XR Early Access Program developer bringing its "Fallout Factions XR" game to Android XR later in 2025, to get insights into what it's like porting games to the platform.

The CEO, Grant Anderson, described the "godsend" of designing for a virtual space instead of a "little rectangle," aka your phone. Mirrorscape coded using Unity, which has an "AR foundation" for features like plane tracking and hand gesture recognition, while targeting the OpenXR standard behind most VR games.

While Unity does its best to make the conversion to Android XR painless, he warned that "adapting to architectural changes and new rendering pipeline requirements in Unity 6 can be a heavy lift and take some time."

He also noted that "there's not a lot of Android XR headsets out there" right now, nor an emulator for virtual testing. Until the Samsung Moohan headset or Google reference AR glasses become widely available, devs must build their own reference hardware to check their XR apps, which sounds challenging.

Plus, devs have to optimize for Snapdragon XR2 hardware, relying on tricks like Spacewarp and foveated rendering. But Quest VR devs should find this familiar.

The last pain point he mentioned was that the Android XR SDK gets frequent updates in alpha, which can cause "package conflicts" between it and Unity without constant firmware updates. Presumably, this will become less of an issue once Android XR reaches stability.

Unity and Google co-hosted a separate AWE panel on "Getting Started with Android XR Development in Unity." And according to Google project manager Ryan Bartley, you can work in-headset to update your XR game, "iterating on your work in seconds with changes from the Unity Editor appearing instantly on your headset." That sounds pretty handy!

Features like the passthrough API, plane detection, and hand tracking are all demonstrated through Unity packages, or "showcase samples," so that devs can apply the source code to their own games. And anyone who used the Snapdragon Spaces SDK for past XR experiences can migrate to Android XR using the compatibility plugin.

That is to say, many current VR experiences should be capable of a quick Android XR transition, though Unreal Engine games won't have as easy a conversion process.

I also learned that Google has held "four Android XR developer boot camps across the globe." Some Quest devs have complained about Google excluding them, so I'm curious if Google (or Samsung) will expand these boot camps or leave smaller devs to rely on Unity.

Counting on devs to join Android XR now and profit later

I attended several panels about the future of AR glasses at AWE with Google and Meta execs, and Google's team is counting on devs being tempted by their open system and easy transition.

XREAL's Ralph Jodice said that anyone coding for Android XR now can be on their Project Aura headset right now, "and you should be." The idea is that devs' familiarity with Android will make the transition to Android XR easy, and once you optimize your app, it'll work across the entire "ecosystem" of devices as they arrive.

That said, Google needs to assure devs that they'll get a return on investment. Killing Stadia, Daydream, Cardboard, and other services has given Google a reputation, which is why Swart promised during his panel that Google is "committed to investing in the ecosystem." And Samsung's involvement makes it harder for Google to pull the plug unless its Korean partner decides to give up.

The other issue is that we only know of Project Moohan, XREAL Project Aura, and a handful of other niche Android XR devices from Sony and others; none of them will be as affordable as the Meta Quest 3S. As open as Android XR is, devs need assurances that enough people will buy their apps to make the transition worth it.

Meta's Kelly Ingham made that point during her smart glasses panel: their smart glasses system isn't open to people yet, but their "focus" is to "get as many devices in the market as we can" so devs can "develop an app and actually make money." It felt like a subtle jab at Android XR.

Swart promised that future Qualcomm reference devices for Android XR will be tailored "to a variety of use cases and price points" so ODMs can "balance visual quality and price." So perhaps we'll see an influx of affordable Android XR devices that go beyond elite productivity headsets.

Until then, it's hard to say whether VR and XR devs will buy into Android XR's open-platform promise or wait for more concrete hardware from Google's partners.

• Thinborne recently dropped a "Super Thin" case collection for the upcoming Pixel 10 series, despite no official Google confirmation of available devices.
• Users have jumped on these, as Thinborne states, they've all sold out.
• There's a chance that we will see the same four Pixels as we did last year, as early rumors highlighted Google codenames for them, as well as a series of leaked renderings.

Thinborne has dropped a whole collection of "Pixel 10 cases" ahead of any official word from Google.

The case maker published a new collection of Pixel 10 cases to get consumers ready for the series later this year. Allegedly, judging by the listing, we're to expect a Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 XL, and a Pixel 10 Pro Fold again this year. These cases sold out rather quickly on their main website. Thinborne advertised its cases as "Super Thin" with MagSafe technology.

These cases make it seem like we're seeing the same Pixel design as the 9 series; however, a closer look suggests there could be some slight variations with the 10. Thinborne's cases feature a larger cutout at the top left-hand side, which could be for the Pixel 10's SIM slot, as we've seen rumored before. Even the bottom features three cutouts, one for its USB-C slot and two for its (alleged) shifted speakers.

While some cases can feel a little clunky, Thinborne states these Super Thin cases feature their "thinnest," minimalistic design. Thinborne also touts the grip on these thin cases that will hopefully keep you away from heartbreaking drops.

The inclusion of MagSafe technology on the case itself means users can enjoy wireless charging capabilities, if we're to expect this same range of devices for the Pixel 10 series.

The Pixel 10 series sticks with four?

Nothing is confirmed yet (of course), but it seems Thinborne is playing off a number of Pixel 10 rumors that suggested we'd see the same four phones in 2025. Last September, an early Pixel 10 rumor claimed Google had already started development for the new series with the following codenames: Frankel, Blazer, Mustang, and Rango. These names concerned the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold, respectively.

At the time, designs hadn't been speculated yet; however, rumors from this past winter might've given us something to think about. A host of rumors from a social media tipster gave us a rumored glimpse at the Pixel 10 series, which could look exactly like the 9 series. It seems Google could stick with the same large camera bar, rounded corners, flat display, and the like.

Even the early Pixel 10 Pro Fold leaked renders suggest a phone that won't diverge much from last year's.

These are design elements Thinborne has seemingly adhered to in its early Pixel 10 case collection.

Additionally, rumors claim the base Pixel 10 could feature a triple camera setup, like its higher-tier friends. Consumers could see a strong telephoto lens arrive on the model later this year.

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In fact, the second One UI 8 beta update has already arrived for early testers, and development is actively progressing. If you're itching to try the latest Samsung software and meet the eligibility requirements, signing up for the One UI 8 beta only takes a few minutes. Here's how to do it.

When did Samsung open up the One UI 8 beta program?

Samsung first launched the One UI 8 beta program on May 28, 2025, in select regions to support Galaxy S25 series devices. The Samsung Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra are all currently eligible to participate in the One UI 8 beta program. Notably, the brand-new Galaxy S25 Edge isn't part of this list, and can't access the One UI 8 beta yet. The program will likely expand to more Samsung Galaxy phones in the future.

The beta program is available in the U.S., U.K., Germany, South Korea, India, and Poland. There are limited spots available for the One UI 8 beta program, so if it isn't accepting new testers when you try to join, check back periodically as new spots are added.

How to install the One UI 8 beta

To install the One UI 8 beta, you'll need to have the Samsung Members app downloaded and signed into your Samsung account. On most Galaxy devices, this should be pre-installed in your Samsung folder. Once you've found it, follow the steps below to join the One UI 8 beta program and install the update:

1. Open the Samsung Members app on your Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, Galaxy S25 Ultra, or another eligible device.

2. Scroll down until you see the Beta program tab, and tap it.

3. Press One UI 8 S25 Beta to continue.

4. Tap Join to enter the One UI 8 beta program. Note that the current beta program only supports T-Mobile and unlocked devices.

5. Follow the on-screen prompts to install the One UI 8 beta for your device.

Now, the One UI 8 beta is installing on your device. It might take a few restarts before your Galaxy S25 is updated to One UI 8.

What to know before installing the One UI 8 beta

Unlike developer betas, the One UI 8 beta program is meant for everyday users to install and test. It's public, meaning anyone with a supported device and a Samsung account can easily access it. However, that "beta" moniker does mean that users will be sure to encounter bugs and instability while testing this pre-release version of One UI 8.

It's important to remember that there's no easy way to revert to One UI 7 after installing the One UI 8 beta without erasing your entire smartphone. As such, make sure you're comfortable with the risks before you install it, and save a backup of your data.

If you're willing to risk stability and battery life to get an early look at the latest features, the One UI 8 beta program might be for you.

Aside from a thinner phone, one of the biggest requests from Z Fold users has been for Samsung to improve the cameras. Galaxy Z Fold phones have never had bad cameras, but there's never been a Z Fold that could outperform the best camera phones. This has long been a perplexing problem, given that the Z Fold costs nearly $2,000 and has never been "thin," but can Samsung really make the Galaxy Z Fold 7 thin and give it an award-winning camera?

Yes, absolutely, and two other ultra-thin foldables are proof. In our review of the Oppo Find N5, which is currently the thinnest phone in the world and a book style foldable like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, Harish said "the cameras on the Find N5 are better than the Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9, and that's a big deal in and of itself." Even Samsung's own Galaxy S25 Edge with its 200MP camera sensor proves it's possible.

Since the upcoming Honor Magic V5 is set to be the most direct competitor to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and is said to be at least as thin as Samsung's phone, I thought it would be fun to take last year's Honor Magic V3 and test its cameras against the best flagship cameras of 2025. The results show that Samsung can deliver a truly stunning flagship camera experience on its upcoming ultra-thin foldable if it really wants to.

Honor Magic V3: Primary cameras

The Honor Magic V3 comes in at 4.4mm thin unfolded and sports a sizable camera island around back with a 50MP main sensor. Honor has impressed us with its photography prowess over the past few years, particularly with motion capture capabilities, including a powerful suite of software tricks behind it.

So we'll begin in the late spring garden, which is still full of flowers and vibrant colors.

If I had to choose one main attribute to critique the Honor Magic V3's photos, it's that they're often underexposed, and the dynamic range is a bit lacking when compared to the OnePlus 13 or Honor Magic 7 Pro. All three phones use different sensors for the main camera. The Magic V3 actually uses a nearly identical size sensor as the Galaxy Z Fold 6, so physical size isn't helping Honor's ultrathin foldable at all.

Some of these parameters are tweakable in the software, but the main issue is that this Sony IMX906 sensor is often found in mid-range phones, and the performance reflects that. Still, I think most of the shots from the primary sensor of the Magic V3 look good, even if they aren't fully up to flagship standards at every level.

Honor Magic V3: Ultrawide cameras

Like most flagships, the Honor Magic V3's ultrawide camera features autofocus, so it doubles as both an ultrawide camera and a macro camera. It uses a lower megapixel count than the other four phones I pitted it against and, oddly enough, no one seems to know what sensor Honor used here. The company doesn't usually divulge its camera sensors, and the usual software tools I use to find out don't want to tell me, either.

The Honor Magic V3's ultrawide camera produces seriously stunning macro shots, and it's hard to tell the difference between its images and ones from the other flagship phones I tested. It's impressive just how close you can get the phone to an object and still get a clear focus.

Standard ultrawide shots look a little softer on both Honor phones when compared to the OnePlus 13 or Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, and Honor's tuning tends to lean toward cooler colors, while Samsung likes more vibrant, warm colors. I prefer Samsung's tuning in that arena, but the OnePlus 13 is normally quite spot on with color science on the ultrawide camera. Either way, the Magic V3 did a good job keeping up with the flagships here.

Honor Magic V3: Telephoto cameras

Telephoto cameras have gotten really interesting over the past few years. Manufacturers all seem to opt for very different sensor types, sizes, and lens zoom distances, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra offering up an additional fourth zoom lens when compared to most other flagship phones.

At 3-10x zoom using the camera viewfinder, the Honor Magic V3 holds up quite well. In the 10x shots, you can tell the Magic V3's shot is slightly softer, but on its own, I doubt anyone would notice this. The telephoto camera is quite good and does a great job of zooming in on things. Like the primary camera, this one also struggles with underexposure and dynamic range at times.

Zooming in beyond 10x is far less advisable, though. Both 30X shots show how much more detail a flagship phone with a significantly larger sensor can pull in, even with the slight 0.5x zoom advantage the Magic V3's telephoto lens has over the OnePlus 13 and Honor Magic 7 Pro.

Honor Magic V3: Front cameras

Folding phone manufacturers still include a small front-facing camera above the cover screen on book-style foldables like the Honor Magic V3 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series, but these are usually smaller sensors than regular flagship phones. Because of that, companies like to encourage users to open the phone and use the rear sensors as a selfie camera.

Despite the razor-thin frame, the front-facing camera of the Magic V3 is impressively capable. Unlike some of the other cameras, there's no real difference between the quality of the Magic V3's front facing camera and that of the rest of the flagships. If anything, Honor's color science is ever so slightly off, as my shirt in one of the shots was teal, not dark blue. The OnePlus 13 nailed the color in that one.

You can do it, Samsung!

Based on what I'm seeing, there's no reason Samsung can't outfit the Galaxy Z Fold 7 with a flagship-level camera if it truly wants to deliver the "ultra experience" it's been teasing. The latest leaks show an ultrathin phone with a sizable camera hump, and that gives me hope that we'll see some big upgrades this time around.

A larger 200MP main sensor is expected, which should put it on par with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Edge. Our Galaxy S25 Edge camera review proves this sensor has what it takes, even in a thin phone.

While I don't have high expectations that we'll get a 5x telephoto sensor in the Galaxy Z Fold 7, an upgraded sensor behind the 3x lens can still produce impressive results, assuming Samsung is able to cram a better sensor under that lens.

And with Samsung teasing a "smarter" camera, it'll be interesting to see how the company utilizes AI to further enhance the camera experience.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.

• Google Play Store is seen adopting Material 3 Expressive, featuring vibrant colors for category icons in the search tab.
• This server-side update (version 46.5.19) enhances the visual distinction of sections like Explore apps and Explore games.
• Previously, the Material 3 Expressive design has also started appearing in other Google apps like Gmail, hinting at a wider visual refresh across Google's ecosystem, coinciding with the Android 16 rollout.

Google's Material 3 Expressive is the most visually advanced design makeover coming with Android 16. While it is being incorporated across the interface, new findings reveal how Google Play Store is taking advantage of it.

The latest version of the Play Store app was seen bringing the Material 3 Expressive in the search tab, spotted by Android Authority. It appears to be a server-side update, which brings some colorful elements through the tab icons on the Google Play Store app.

Per the shared screenshots by the publication, it is pretty evident how the icons across categories look after the latest update. The icons across Popular apps, Explore apps, and Explore games are much easier to spot, thanks to Material 3 Expressive's vibrant color design elements. While the icons now pop up in colors, the outline still remains intact as in the previous version.

Such subtle design changes are expected to spread across all Google apps as we progress, with the rollout of Android 16 anticipated in the coming months, potentially aligning with the launch of the Pixel 10 series.

As for this update, as told, it is a server-side one and was seen on the Google Play Store running version 46.5.19.

Gmail gains Material 3 Expressive look

Like the Google Play Store, the bold Material 3 Expressive look has also been witnessed in the search giant's Gmail app. The changes were prominent when it comes to the search bar, bottom navigation bar, and compose button — all of which had their own accent colors popping up.

The compose button now has a glowing look with the new update next to the chunkier font, and the accompanying pencil icon also has a bolder look. When the rollout happens broadly, Gmail users can experience a major revamp with new colors all over the place, and a new card-style layout is also expected.

• YouTube Music is rolling out support for sharing lyrics today, after first testing the functionality in April 2025.
• It's available on the latest version of the YouTube Music app for iOS and Android.
• The feature creates a shareable card with selected lyrics and song information, and is available for both free and paid YouTube Music users.

YouTube Music is adding a helpful feature for sharing what you're listening to with others: lyric cards. The music streaming service initially began testing lyric sharing in April 2025, but the tool is now widely rolling out for YouTube Music users as of today, June 17 (via 9to5Google). It's available on version 8.24 of the YouTube Music app for iOS and Android.

With lyric sharing, YouTube Music users can create a shareable card with a few lines of lyrics from the song they're currently listening to. When available, the feature adds a new floating action button to the Lyrics tab of the Now Playing user-interface called Share. After tapping it, you can select which groupings of lyric lines you'd like to use to create the shareable card.

You can pick the background color of your lyric card, and continuing will create the finalized graphic. It'll show the song title, artist, album artwork, selected lyrics, and a subtle YouTube Music logo. It's essentially creating an image that can be saved to your device's camera roll or shared with other apps.

Since the feature simply shares an image of your lyric card, you'll need to manually add audio to lyrics shared on your social accounts. For instance, if you wanted to add YouTube Music lyrics to your Instagram story, you'll still need to select a track for your story as you normally would in order for music to play. Otherwise, it'll only take a few taps to create and share a YouTube Music lyrics card.

Lyric sharing is available for both free and paid YouTube Music accounts running the latest version of the mobile app (version 8.24 on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store).

The YouTube Music app was last updated yesterday, June 16, on both iOS and Android. However, this seems like a server-side change, so force stop your YouTube Music app if you aren't able to create lyric cards yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra comes with a behemoth 14.6-inch screen, as well as a massive battery pack and the first-party S Pen stylus. It also boasts 256GB of onboard storage, 12GB of RAM, and decent front and rear cameras. While the later-generation Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra retails for $1,200, this deal for the prior version rings in at just $800 for a limited time.

• Best Buy's Android Savings event is LIVE: see our top 5 deals

✅Recommended if: you want a good deal on a great premium tablet and don't mind going last-gen; you prefer a tablet with a large screen that can be used for a variety of work tasks; having a first-party stylus is a major selling point for you.

❌Skip this deal if: you need a tablet with a 3.5mm headphone jack; you'd prefer a device that can be upgraded to include cellular connectivity; you want a tablet that's small and lightweight.

The Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra is currently our top pick for the best premium Android tablet available, and the last-gen S9 Ultra bears a lot of similar hardware.

Notably, the S9 Ultra still features a huge 14.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, the inclusion of the S Pen stylus, and a huge 11,200mAh battery with 45W fast charging that Samsung says will get you up to 41 hours of battery life. The tablet includes 256GB of storage, which is plenty for most casual users. However, if that isn't enough, it also has a microSD slot offering up to 1TB of expandable storage. Additionally, it includes rear and front cameras, biometrics like Face Unlock and an on-display fingerprint sensor, as well as an IP68 ingress protection rating.

Performance on the last-gen Galaxy tab is backed by 12GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy CPU, offering a smooth, quick user experience.

• Adobe Firefly app launches on Android and iOS, giving users access to the same powerful generative AI capabilities as a computer.
• The Firefly app syncs with your Creative Cloud account if you're signed in, meaning you can pick up projects whenever.
• Adobe is also upgrading its Firefly Boards, bringing a conversational AI experience for image edits and more.
• The company also announced an expansion of AI partners, like Pika, runway, and ideogram.

Adobe is announcing major updates and feature expansions for Firefly today (June 17) and a new app that you should keep an eye out for.

In a press release, Adobe revealed that it's "expanding its mobile ecosystem" by launching a new Firefly app for Android and iOS. The company states users will find a suite of AI features available in the mobile app for use, as if they were on their computer. The post highlights the Firefly app's use of AI models from its Google and OpenAI partners.

When creating, Adobe states users will find the following options on mobile: Generative Fill, Generative Expand, Text to Image, Text to Video, and Image to Video.

Adobe adds that anything users create using the Firefly app will be synced with their Creative Cloud account if they're signed in. This gives users the option to start a project on one device and pick it up on another without issue.

AI Partners

We've already seen the Adobe Firefly app available on the Play Store today (June 17), so Android users should notice it, too. However, it did help to type "Adobe Firefly" to get the app to appear in the store's listings.

Joining this mobile app launch is Adobe's announcement of new image and video generative models. In its post, the company states it has partnered with ideogram, Luma, Pika, and runway. While these are joining Adobe's pre-existing partners — Google and OpenAI — it says users retain the option to choose which models to utilize for content creation. Additionally, Adobe says it will "never" use the content you've generated or uploaded to train its models.

Speaking of its existing partners, Adobe has received Google's Imagen 4 and Veo 3 models, which bring even more image and (hyper-realistic) video generation capabilities to users.

Firefly Boards show off Upgraded Creativity

Adobe's Firefly Boards are receiving a major update alongside the service's app launch. The company's Alexandru Costin, vice president, generative AI, commented saying, "Ideating with Firefly Boards is like an AI-powered creative jam session, where creative professionals can riff across media types, explore ideas together and turn sparks of inspiration into production-ready concepts."

As such, Firefly Boards is picking up a "Generative Video" option. Thanks to Google, Luma AI, and Pika, users will find convenient text-to-video generation capabilities, which can be placed right into a Board. Additionally, users can now utilize Firefly Boards' AI to make "iterative edits" to images. This is done via simple text prompts. You tell the AI what you'd like to change and watch it come to life.

Lastly, Adobe is rolling out some QoL updates, such as one-click arrange. The post states users can now "instantly" arrange the content in their Board to be more presentable. "Linked Docs" is another feature that arrives, giving users the option to link their Adobe documents in Boards.

• Nothing confirms that its next "true flagship" Phone 3 will be powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset.
• In a YouTube video, CEO Carl Pei confirmed that the Phone 3 will bring better specs than its predecessor, in terms of design, camera quality and overall performance.
• Phone 3 is could be 36% faster on CPU, 88% stronger on GPU, and 60% stronger on the NPU, Pei explained.

Nothing continues to build the excitement for its next "true flagship" Phone, 3, and in a X post today, the London-based company announced that the phone will be powered by the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 4 chipset, which was launched earlier this year.

In a YouTube video, CEO Carl Pei stated that this is the first time Nothing's flagship phone is being powered by a chipset that was launched in the same year, as Phone 1 and Phone 2 used older chipsets.

Nothing put out an X post showcasing Snapdragon's logo in a dot-matrix format, again hinting at the possibility of this interactive design showing up on the rear panel of the device, considering the company announced to ditch its Glyph lights last month. In the video, Pei revealed that some people caught onto the idea of the dot-matrix surprisingly early, keeping the specifics of the new design interface under wraps.

Speaking about Nothing's Phone 3, Pei stated that this phone will be better in every way possible, from design to camera capabilities as well as performance. And the key reason for bringing such an advanced chip is to support the flagship's performance, including all the AI smarts that will be built into the device, like Essential Space.

“We really have to outperform our previous flagship, so compared to Phone (2), it’s going to be 36% faster on CPU, 88% stronger on GPU, and 60% stronger on the NPU. But what it means in practice, it will feel a lot snappier," Pei explained.

Speaking about why the company chose to go with this chip, Pei stated that with the Phone 3, they wanted to give users a balanced experience. "This time, everything else also got much better, so we needed an even stronger chip to drive it," considering people are usually stuck to their phones for most of the day.

While we don't have much information on what the Phone 3 would look like, other than the fact that it might show up in a white colorway, as seen in the company's previous teasers, a recent leak may have spilled some more beans for us.

Leaked renders of the Phone 3 show the phone to supposedly have a triple camera setup with a weird placement of lenses. The rear panel doesn't have the Glyph lights, nor the dot-matrix interface. However, we do get to see the dedicated Essential Space key alongside the standard power and volume buttons. However, bear in mind that these are still leaks and must be taken with a grain of salt.

That said, Phone 3 and Headphone 1 are set to launch on 1 July in London. Those interested can sign up to be notified about the upcoming launch via Nothing's website.

Whether you're looking for a super-powered flagship or a budget-friendly foldable, I've dropped my top five favorite deals from the sale below. I'm talking about offers like $250 off the Galaxy S25 Ultra, or this deal that throws in a free $100 gift card when you buy the OnePlus 13. Keep reading for more top picks, and don't wait too long if something catches your eye; these Android deals could disappear just as quickly as they arrived.

• Best Buy's Android Savings Event is live: see the full list of deals

The top 5 deals from Best Buy's Android Savings Event

• Users on YouTube's subreddit report that the platform is supposedly "throttling"/slowing down its video experience in a new way.
• Reports claim that if YouTube detects an ad blocker, it will delay your video for a few seconds and try to send you to a Google support page about interruptions.
• This support page states users can try disabling all extensions, including their ad blocker, if there are disruptions.
• YouTube's slowed down videos for users before, and it has also blocked streaming entirely if it detects your ad blocker multiple times.

YouTube might've deployed some new tactics in its efforts to combat ad blockers on its platform.

A lengthy thread on YouTube's subreddit was spotted by PC World, featuring over 200 comments from users sharing their recent experiences. The original poster (OP) showed the platform's latest alleged attempts to dissuade users from using ad blockers, which is to "throttle" their watching experience. The user posted a snapshot of an "Experiencing interruptions? Find out why" button that appears when clicking on a video.

Many users confirm that this interruption button only appears when they have an ad blocker active.

One user offered their experience, stating the video "takes a couple of seconds to load as if my bandwidth is insufficient." There is a small bit of "lag," you could say, from when you click on the video to when it begins. The player remains black for a few moments, as if you were waiting for a skippable ad to play through (normally). Furthering user suspicions about YouTube's motive is the "Find out why" link.

YouTube is sending users to a Google support page that says interruptions might be caused by your extensions, such as an ad blocker.

The Fight against Ad Blockers

They're slowing down performance if you use an adblocker from r/youtube

There was some speculation that YouTube rolled out this cheeky way of combating ad-block users to accounts that typically use them. However, subsequent reports state this tactic has since hit non-logged-in users with ad blockers enabled.

Android Central has reached out to YouTube about these slowdown reports. We will update this article if we hear back.

YouTube's been targeting ad blockers on its platform for a few years now, and the idea of "slowdowns" or throttling attempts is nothing new if it's actively doing so again. Users previously reported slower video experiences on YouTube in 2023, which the platform confirmed was part of its anti-adblock crusade. Some users thought it was restricted to a couple of browsers, but a Google update made it clear that YouTube had every browser with ad block enabled in its sights.

As always, YouTube remains consistent in its crusade's purpose, stating, "To support a diverse ecosystem of creators globally and allow billions to access their favorite content on YouTube, we’ve launched an effort to urge viewers with ad blockers enabled to allow ads on YouTube or try YouTube Premium for an ad free experience" back in 2023.

Users might also be familiar with another tactic YouTube deployed, which would block streaming access to its platform after its system flagged your ad blocker a few times.

• Google’s new AI model family has reached stability and general availability.
• You can now use public versions of Gemini 2.5 Pro and Gemini 2.5 Flash in the Gemini app, Google AI Studio, and Vertex AI.
• Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is here and available in preview for the first time in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI for developers.

Google has been building its Gemini 2.5 family of AI models in public, and the various preview versions have gone through multiple preview versions over the past few months. Now, the company is ready to make the stable versions of Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash available to the public, it announced today. They are now generally available to users in the Gemini app, as well as in the Google AI Studio and Vertex AI.

Alongside these announcements, Google also introduced Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite today, June 17. The preview version of Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is now available for testing, and it’s a newer alternative to Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite, which was made public earlier this year. Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite is “our most cost-efficient and fastest 2.5 model yet,” according to Google.

Compared to the other Gemini 2.5 models, the Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite preview is all about efficiency and cost-cutting. While it doesn’t perform as well as Gemini 2.5 Pro or Flash, it still holds its own in benchmark tests. It’s also significantly cheaper to run compared to the better Gemini 2.5 models, which could be appealing to developers.

“2.5 Flash Lite has all-around higher quality than 2.0 Flash-Lite on coding, math, science, reasoning and multimodal benchmarks,” the company explains in the blog post. “It excels at high-volume, latency-sensitive tasks like translation and classification, with lower latency than 2.0 Flash-Lite and 2.0 Flash on a broad sample of prompts.”

Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite still has a one-million-token context window and multimodal input, and can integrate with services like Google Search or execute code. It’ll also support thinking budgets, so you can turn on thinking without wasting tokens.

You can try out the preview for Gemini 2.5 Flash-Lite now in the Google AI Studio and Vertex AI. For general users, the stable versions Gemini 2.5 Pro and Flash are available anywhere you’d find Gemini, including the mobile app on iOS and Android.

• Spotify just made life easier for Premium users by letting you send playlists straight to any signed-in device, like smartwatches.
• Whether it’s your phone, laptop, tablet, or smartwatch, your tunes are just a tap away from landing where you want.
• Managing your music library across up to five devices is way smoother now, all handled from the Spotify app on your main phone.

Spotify is rolling out a new perk for Premium users. Now you can send playlists straight to your smartwatch or other devices without ever touching them, so you don't have to wrestle with tiny screens or dig through the app.

Spotted by 9to5Google, Spotify’s fresh feature lets you push your music to any signed-in device, and it doesn’t matter where it is. Whether it’s your phone, laptop, tablet, or favorite smartwatch (think Galaxy Watch, Pixel Watch, or even your Apple Watch), your playlists are just a tap away from landing wherever you want them.

Prior to this update, getting music onto your smartwatch meant fiddling with your wearable's tiny screen, and it's annoying at best. Now, Spotify has made it way easier with a “Download to other device” option right from your phone, so you can skip the watch-tapping hassle and send your tunes over without breaking a sweat.

Push music anywhere

Few things kill the vibe of a good walk or run like realizing you missed downloading your go-to playlist. Spotify’s new feature wipes out that problem because now you can queue up music anytime, even if your watch or other device isn’t nearby.

At the same time, Spotify is fine-tuning how you manage downloads across your devices. Now, you can easily oversee and organize your music library on up to five devices, all from the Spotify app on your main phone. It’s a smarter way to keep your tunes in check without hopping between devices.

Once you hit the "Manage Downloads" button in the options menu, you’ll instantly see which devices have that playlist saved offline. It’s a slick way to keep tabs on what’s eating up your five-device limit, and you can even clear out downloads right then and there.

SamMobile reports that this feature is already live on Samsung devices running One UI 7 and Galaxy Watches with Wear OS 5.0. Spotify is rolling it out slowly, so not everyone will see it immediately, but it’s definitely on the way.

• Amazon has officially announced dates for its annual Prime shopping days, and this time it is set to take place between 8-11 July.
• This is the first time ever that the e-commerce company will be hosting this sales event for four days.
• Prime members can save up to 30% on Amazon brands and take advantage of early deals starting on July 1.

Amazon Prime days are back, and this time, the e-commerce giant is upping its game and bringing a four-day sale between 8-11 July to over 20 countries, including the U.S., U.K., and Canada.

Historically, Prime Day began as a 24-hour event and then expanded to a 2-day event over the past several years. And now, Amazon has turned its annual Prime Days into a 96-hour-long event, giving Prime members more time to shop "millions of deals across more than 35 categories for Prime members."

And if you're on the lookout to buy new gadgets, home appliances, or back-to-school everything, then Prime Day is your chance to save a ton of money. What's more is that this year, Amazon is launching "Today's Big Deals," a new feature for Prime members that brings a fresh set of themed deals every day throughout the four-day event.

• Prime Day is coming: see the best Amazon deals available now

These deals refresh at 3 am ET (midnight PT) and remain available only for a limited time, which means if you're looking for a great deal, you might have to burn that midnight oil for a bit.

"Members can enjoy deep discounts across top brands like Samsung, Kiehl’s, and Levi’s. And check back to discover incredible savings with deals dropping as often as every five minutes during select periods throughout the event," Amazon added in its press release.

The e-commerce company also mentions that Prime users can shop for deals as early as July 1 to stock up on school supplies and everyday household essentials starting at $3 from Amazon Basics.

That said, Amazon is also pushing users to take advantage of its in-house AI tool Rufus to help Prime members shop for customized deals with various AI tools like Interests and Shopping Guides. While AI can give users personalized deals based on prompts and other settings, it is still important to trust your instincts and back them with human reviews when making purchasing decisions.

This year, Prime members can snag some early deals with up to 50% off on devices like the eero 6+ mesh Wi-Fi system, Fire TV Omni Mini-LED Series, Kindle Essentials bundle, and more. Plus, get 25% off select devices such as Kindle Kids and Kindle Scribe, along with up to 80% off on several Kindle books.

While Prime Day sales remain exciting for people using Amazon, it gets tedious for the people working behind the scenes, with an increase in the workload on delivery drivers, as well as warehouse employees. Amazon says it preps for these events year-round and amps up its employees during this time. Amazon promises fast delivery to "more than 200 million paid Prime members." The retail giant's same-day delivery service is currently available in more than 90 metro areas in the U.S.

Lastly, it's important to note that you’ll need a Prime membership to shop all the deals coming up on Prime Day.

Over the same period, Google has continuously developed and released new features for Gemini, as well as unique features for each phone maker through Google Cloud. I enjoy the usefulness of Apple’s AI direction, but the best Android phones have more AI tricks than iOS 26.

Rumors suggest that Apple could add Google Gemini to the iPhone alongside ChatGPT, but could this lead to a partnership like Google’s current deal to be the default search engine? Given the challenges so far, should Apple ditch Siri entirely in favor of Gemini?

Apple has a strong vision for Apple Intelligence

This may seem like a contradiction given the challenges so far, but I like the direction that Apple Intelligence is headed. Apple chose to focus on building an AI personal assistant that solves everyday problems, and while the idea is sound, the execution has proven challenging.

Many of the features have deep integration into iOS and solve genuine problems faced by many users. It’s the antithesis of most AI applications so far, but the direction that the industry is headed towards. Yet, many of the features hadn’t launched by this year’s WWDC 2025 keynote, where Apple announced iOS 26 with far fewer mentions of AI than last year.

Apple execs Craig Federighi and Greg Joswiak spoke with Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal about the challenges faced so far in delivering Siri, the expectations around Apple and AI, and Apple Intelligence as a whole.

This interview is particularly interesting, as it shows Apple is quite contrite about the state of Siri. Apple has shipped roughly half the new Siri features it mentioned last year, and it made a rare misstep of running a commercial for the new Siri. However, most interesting is that the issues with Siri have also overshadowed the broader Apple Intelligence features that have been shipped.

One such feature is the partnership with OpenAI and ChatGPT. This allows the new Siri to offload tasks that fall outside its knowledge base and rely on more up-to-date information from OpenAI. It's not perfect, but it does show that Apple is open to letting a third party handle the chatbot part of the AI equation.

Gemini has incredible AI features across form factors

Google has developed a comprehensive suite of AI features for all Android phones, as well as the iPhone. The iPhone experience is limited, as it utilizes the Gemini app and only includes core Gemini features, such as Gemini Live with screen sharing. The current iPhone experience lacks OS-level features like Circle to Search, Google Lens, and several AI planners.

Many of Gemini’s first features focused on generative use cases, but this year, the company has shown off Gemini Live and its ability to be your visual assistant, and the ability to create entire videos with sound using the new Veo 3 model.

Apple promises similar Gemini Live features with Visual Intelligence, but it's unclear when these will launch. Apple's version of Circle-to-Search is launching in iOS 26, where users will be able to capture what's on the screen and search for specific information or perform tasks across every app on their phone, not just perform a web search.

Yet, Visual Intelligence and Siri do not have the same capabilities as Gemini. Apple’s focus on and challenges in building a helpful personal assistant have allowed Google to develop a suite of generative features and subsequently catch up in productivity features.

Then there’s Project Astra, and Google’s foray into AR glasses. Apple is expected to eventually launch a pair of multimodal glasses, but Google already has a pair in the works that is set to launch next year. There’s also the Project Moohan headset that’s been developed with Samsung, and is ready to launch this year to challenge the Apple Vision Pro.

Google has also proven it can build custom experiences

If it were just Gemini, I think there’s a much stronger case to be made for Apple to develop its own suite of AI features. Yet, over the past year, Google has proven that it knows exactly how to build features that empower partners’ creative visions. The result is that every Android phone has a taste of Gemini, and many now also have unique AI applications offered by Google Cloud.

There’s the suite of Moto AI features on the Razr 60 Ultra, which includes Catch Me Up to summarize personal notifications, Remember This to capture a screen and notate it for future reference, and Pay Attention to launch a voice recording complete with transcription.

It’s not just Motorola, as Google has also partnered with every company to help enable custom experiences. Samsung has been a test bed for new Gemini features, such as Circle-to-Search, and Gemini has replaced Bixby as the default personal assistant.

OnePlus and Nothing have built AI spaces to store, percolate, and iterate on ideas. Realme’s new AI Assistant can automatically create new lists and calendar entries by reading what’s on your screen. Then there’s Honor and Image to Video, which uses Google Veo 2 AI models to bring static images to life in short video clips or animated GIFs.

Google I/O 2025 and WWDC 2025 proved to be extremely contrasting when it came to AI as a whole. Google mentioned AI over 100 times during the keynote, more than Apple mentioned all of its AI features, Apple Intelligence, and Siri combined during its keynote.

Apple could benefit from Google’s head start

The challenge for Apple is whether it can rebuild faith in Apple Intelligence. It utilized its upcoming AI features to promote the iPhone 16 series, and a year later, many of these features are still not available for customers who bought into the marketing.

There’s a promise of delivering these features next year, but the partnership with ChatGPT shows that Apple isn’t afraid to look externally. A potential collaboration with Gemini would bring immense benefits to iOS users and also allow Apple to focus its efforts on building deeper features, rather than competing directly with Google.

History suggests that Apple would be open to this, but it would only be a temporary agreement until it can refine its own capabilities. I use an iPhone daily alongside one of the best folding phones, usually the Oppo Find N5 or the Razr 60 Ultra. Observing my usage over the past couple of weeks, I’ve realized that when I have a choice of phones, I’ll always turn to an Android phone with Gemini for any AI-powered tasks.

Apple has a strong vision for Apple Intelligence, but based on what’s known publicly, Google seems to be closer to building features that will capture the attention of potential customers. Considering the popularity of the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, eyewear is shaping up to be the next battle frontier, and a partnership with Gemini may be the fastest way for Apple to bring a product to market quickly.

The key question: What about Privacy?

For all the benefits, there’s likely one area where a partnership could fall apart. Apple has made privacy a significant part of its focus with Apple Intelligence, and the company has built a reputation around data privacy.

Meanwhile, Google offers many of the same features — i.e., Private Compute Cloud — that are designed to focus on the privacy of your data, but doesn’t have the same trust amongst everyday customers when it comes to privacy.

A partnership between the two companies that makes Gemini the default assistant could also lead to further regulatory scrutiny regarding competition. Yet, if Apple can work its way around that, Gemini would make the ideal replacement for Siri, allowing Apple to focus on building the AI experiences that only it can.

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• Everything Apple stole from Android and Wear OS at WWDC 2025
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• Forget iOS vs. Android, the smart glasses war between Apple, Meta, and Google should be much more fun

• Galaxy Watch 8 series shows up in another major leak, as prominent tipster Evan Blass puts out life-like renders via his newsletter.
• The renders allege that the upcoming Galaxy 8 smartwatch will show up as a trio: Galaxy Watch 8, Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, and Galaxy Watch Ultra(2025).
• Samsung is due to launch these watches along with its foldables at the Summer Unpacked, rumored to take place next month.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 leaks keep getting better as we get closer to the rumored launch in early July. This time, prominent tipster Evan Blass posted renders of the alleged smartwatch lineup, giving us a good look at what to expect from this year's series.

Blass, in his newsletter, posted three images of the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 series, showing off their design and potential colorways. Right off the bat, Blass says that the Korean OEM could launch this year's series as a trio consisting of the standard Galaxy Watch 8, the Galaxy Watch 8 Classic, as well as the new Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025).

Last week, similar images cropped up online showing off the trio's design as well as some of its physical buttons. But this is the first time the new Ultra model is being referred to as the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025). Blass' renders imply that all three watches will sport a squircle design.

To start, the standard Galaxy Watch 8 could allegedly show up in a smoother, less noisy square-ish silver base topped by a circular dial. The Galaxy Watch 8's design sports a moderate black border/bezel around the face's circumference. The renders also show two physical buttons on one side.

The renders show the alleged Galaxy Watch 8 Classic in a rugged and thicker, silver and black colorway, sporting what looks like a rotating bezel. It gives us a clear look at two buttons on one side, flanking a smaller orange button, also rumored to be the "Quick" button, possibly giving users access to apps that they use often. Previous leaks suggest that the Classic variant will supposedly arrive in a single size (47mm), with a 1.5-inch display, and will have a 450mAh battery capacity.

As for the Galaxy Watch Ultra (2025), as the tipster calls it, it could show up in a deep blue colorway with a smoother silver bezel surrounding the dial. It remains unclear if this watch will have a rotating bezel, as it seems to have a much smoother outer bezel without the ridges. The renders show the watch will possess the same two physical buttons seen on the other two models and an additional smaller orange button on one side.

While these are still leaks and need to be taken with a grain of salt, the Galaxy Watch 8 series is expected to debut later this summer during Samsung's Unpacked, which isn't too far away.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch, check out our Ultimate Guide.

In panels like "What does it take to achieve mass market adoption of AR products?", speakers from Google, Meta, and Qualcomm hyperfixated on AI and questioned whether "AR glasses" even need a visual display.

They assured listeners that the world would inevitably adopt AR glasses, and even eventually "replace our phones" generations from now. But they had very different ideas on how they'd emulate smart glasses' success, given that those are more affordable and naturally stylish.

AR glasses today have a growing market as extended displays for gaming and streaming. Some of my favorite demos at AWE came from Viture and XREAL AR glasses, with substantially improved FoV and color since my last time trying AR glasses.

But that at-home entertainment niche aside, Big Tech wants AR glasses to serve as stylish, all-day companions for everyday consumers. That's a much taller order.

Here's everything I pieced together from AWE 2025 panels about how AR glasses will evolve over the next few years — including the ways that Meta and Google, in particular, see AR glasses' future very differently.

AR glasses don't have one clear blueprint for success like smart glasses

During her panel "State of Smart Glasses and What's Around the Corner," Meta VP of AR Devices Kelly Ingham addressed the obvious challenges facing AR glasses today.

"Displays are still heavy, right? How do you put a display in front of your eyes and have it be comfortable?" she asked rhetorically. "Is it monocular, or is it binocular? You add more weight, you add more cost."

XREAL's Ralph Jodice, whose company recently made Android XR-powered AR glasses, noted that while they've successfully grown FoV from 30º to 57º in the last couple years and will soon hit 70º, their customers aren't satisfied. The main demand is "Make my FoV wider, make my glasses smaller," and doing both is an obvious "challenge."

Ingham concluded that there will be a "broad set of categories" for AR glasses, from 30-degree displays for notification windows to 70-degree displays for full-on entertainment, and from cloud-based AI through your phone to a "full computer on your head." There's no one set path to success.

Bernard Kress, Director of Google AR, made a similar point in the aforementioned panel on mass market adoption of AR. He described a range of potential AR "market segments":

• Monocolor AR glasses with basic, subtle text function
• Full-color single-display glasses like the Google AR prototype
• Binocular, full FoV glasses like Meta Orion or Snap Spectacles with higher power demands and "bigger form factors"
• Affordable "smart goggles" like XREAL One that don't need to "look like regular glasses"
• Full optical see-through (OST) headsets like the Hololens

What Kress didn't say is that this nebulousness makes it very difficult to imagine AR glasses' future, because it's far too complicated for non-techies to understand.

Smart glasses also have a range of form factors. But most people will see Ray-Ban Meta glasses as the template for smart glasses: built-in speakers and cameras, AI assistance, and phone connectivity in a "normal" glasses design.

We'll see a wider range of looks with the rumored Oakley Meta glasses or Android XR glasses designed by Warby Parker and Gentle Monster, but the core experience should be consistent and appealing to everyday folks.

Google thinks AR needs a killer app first to succeed

During the mass-market AR panel, the moderator asked Google's Kress and reps from Meta and Qualcomm, "Do smart glasses have to have a display to be AR?"

"I would say, 'Not necessarily,'" responded Edgar Auslander, a Senior Director at Meta. As long as your "reality is augmented," it could be audio, visual, or any other sensory changes. By that definition, Meta AI glasses are "AR glasses," which is questionable.

Kress took a different perspective. For him, AR glasses must have a display, but must also offer "something that cannot be replaced by audio." Multimodal AI — the killer app for smart glasses that analyzes what you see — might benefit from a display, but it already works without one.

Kress, who worked on the original Google Glass, explained that once the novelty wore off, consumers had "no real use for it." That's why Glass transitioned to enterprise, where developers could get clear "return on investment (ROI)" in areas like automotive, avionics, surgery, and architecture.

So what will change with AR glasses now? Kress believes the visual component only becomes necessary when you can achieve "World Locking," where 6DoF tracking and a visual positioning system let glasses accurately point to a specific, physical element of your world. Right now, the Android XR UI can only hover in empty space.

You also need affordable, power-efficient microLEDs to display the data clearly and efficiently, Kress noted. But software is the key. It's an unsurprising perspective from a Google engineer, given the company's focus on Android XR while leaving hardware to Samsung and others.

Meta: If they build AR hardware, consumers will come

Meta's Ingham had a more hardware- and economic-driven perspective on AR glasses' future: Smart glasses need to become mainstream first, or AR glasses have no chance.

Meta has sold two million smart glasses, and total glasses sales "better be in double digits" — meaning tens of millions — by 2027, Ingham says, or that's a warning sign for the category.

She explained how OEMs like Apple and Google need to join Meta with consumer smart glasses to make retailers like Best Buy and Target treat smart glasses as a "whole category." They'll then "start pushing these products" with more aggressive marketing on consumers.

Once consumers adopt AI glasses en masse and "have been trained" with audio AI interfaces, Ingham argues, they'll "start expecting more," priming them for more powerful AR glasses. But she believes this won't take place until "after 2030."

Ingham says that's why Meta is focused on building early prototypes like Meta Orion now, to prepare for that stage of the market evolution. And they're improving smart glasses' pain points like weight, audio quality, more variety of styles (especially for women), and a lower cost.

The one obvious pain point she ignored was battery life, and I found that telling. No one at AWE could really give a clear answer on how full-fledged AR glasses will ever be petite enough to appeal to mainstream consumers and have the battery life to last all day.

Should AR hardware or software come first? Google and Meta fundamentally disagree

Android XR is currently restricted to Project Moohan, but Google will add support for AR and smart glasses software later in 2025. Meta, meanwhile, has opened up its VR software with Horizon OS, but has no plans to unlock its glasses OS to devs yet.

XREAL's Jodice, a major Android XR partner, argues that the open system and easy access to an "ecosystem of devices" should tempt developers to jump onto the ground floor of AR app development.

But Meta's Ingham countered that their "focus" is to bring "enough devices to market" and "create better systems" first. "When you get to 10 million devices," she says, you can "develop an app and actually make money, right?"

Android XR might create a unified XR glasses system that makes it easy for developers to hit a wide range of products at once...but those devices need to exist for developers to get ROI. So while bigger developers can join Android XR at the ground floor, the smaller devs might wait for Samsung to make an actual smart glasses product first.

• Google detailed the arrival of the Home app's v3.33 update on Android, which finally corrects a major user frustration.
• The Home app's camera timeline is now much smoother when scrubbing through, and Google says users should see less freezing and loading times.
• The update also brings several bug fixes for users.

Smart home enjoyers, Google's rolling out an update today (June 16) to get your week off on the right foot.

The company started off by saying this update was largely due to a wealth of user feedback concerning the Home app's camera timeline. In a community update, Google states v3.33 of the app is rolling out now on Android and will address the laggy and, at times, low FPS experience that its camera timeline previously suffered. Specifically, Google says v3.33 "substantially improved" the framerate and loading performance for users.

Now, users scrolling through the camera timeline to view old events should find an easier, smoother time. The improvements made to scrubbing through the video's timeline should make it easier for users to spot anything of importance, as the old laggy experience might've made this difficult.

Google adds that this update cuts down on timeline loading times and "frozen" moments.

The Home app update also brings a "limited access member tier." In short, homeowners can "invite" people into their smart home ecosystem at a "level" that works for them. You can decide what others can see, do, or set, such as automations, and more.

Continued (Smart) Home Improvement

The company's fully detailed patch notes for v3.33 include the following bug fixes. Those with iOS devices will see these updates and fixes "in a future" update.

• Automations tab crash: Fixed a crash when switching to the Automations tab on certain iOS devices
• Wi-Fi category crash: Fixed a crash when entering the Wi-Fi category
• Climate category crash: Fixed a crash when entering the Climate category
• Notifications crash: Fixed a crash when interacting with notification permissions
• Invite limits error: Fixed an issue where an error appeared when inviting a 5th household member, even when under the member limit
• Device settings: Fixed an issue where some users couldn’t access service settings for some device types

During I/O 2025 last month, Google had a little in store for its smart home environment, which involved a "summaries" test and Gemini. The company kick-started a limited test for its "Home Summary" widget. The widget delivers a quick roundup of happenings around your home while you were away. The app will state if a package was delivered, if a smart device's routine started, and any automated changes to your thermostat.

A small group of Pixel users were brought into this test ahead of its release (whenever Google's done).

On the other hand, Gemini was brought into the app to give users strong routine creation capabilities. Users can chat with Gemini, so it can create an automated routine for your devices based on your needs.

• MediaTek's next flagship SoC reportedly passed through Geekbench for some early testing with a 1-3-4 core structure.
• The chip's early test claims the chip features a single core clocked at 3.23GHz, which is strangely lower than the Dimensity 9400.
• It's been speculated that MediaTek's next chip will go against Qualcomm's (which is expected), so these early tests are likely just the beginning.
• The Dimensity 9400 launched with a 1-3-4 structure with speeds at 3.62GHz, 3.3GHz, and 2.4GHz, respectively.

We're expecting the next flagship SoC from MediaTek later this year for next-gen flagships, and a new leak is here to give an alleged early look.

MediaTek's upcoming chip has reportedly appeared in a Geekbench listing for its performance test, per Jukanlosreve on X (via NotebookCheck). What's immediately highlighted is the company's use of a 1-3-4 core architecture for the supposed Dimensity 9500 SoC. The listing claims the chip possesses a single core at 3.23GHz, which is surprising, but there may be a reason for this.

The Geekbench listing adds that the Dimensity 9500 contains three cores clocked at 3.03GHz and four cores at 2.23GHz.

After taking the platform's CL benchmark test, the chip allegedly received a score of 15,717.

Moreover, a comment on the tipster's thread on X highlights a new development: the existence of a Mali-G1-Ultra GPU. It appears that this GPU is from Arm; however, it's not the typical Immortatlis GPU we've seen consistently in recent history for SoCs.

MediaTek's next flagship

These rumored early specs for MediaTek's next flagship Dimensity are strange, especially considering the Dimensity 9400's power. The current generation's flagship features the same 1-3-4 core setup at 3.62GHz, 3.3GHz, and 2.4GHz, respectively. Moreover, it features a 12-core Immortalis-G925 GPU. We're still waiting to see more about this new graphics processor; the 9500 chip is supposedly rocking.

Though it's strange — the difference in power — the publication claims this is likely due to the early testing stage. More specifically, it says these lower clock speeds "clearly indicate it is not performing as per spec." In reality, it wouldn't make sense for MediaTek to release a "next-gen" flagship SoC that's weaker than last year's flagship. It would feel more like a mid-range chip in that case.

So, we'll most likely have to wait a little while longer before we see the true power of the Dimensity 9500, which the post claims will "trade blows" with Qualcomm's next Elite SoC.

It's also worth mentioning that MediaTek launched its Dimensity 9400 Plus SoC earlier this year. This model takes things up a notch over the original 9400 chip. For its single core, the chip clocks in at 3.73GHz, so it seems MediaTek is really trying to push toward the 4GHz mark.

• Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

• Google has finally ditched one-tap buys on the Play Store for a swipe-to-buy move, making sure you really want to spend your cash.
• The “Slide to buy” feature rolled out with Play Store version 46.5.19-31 and shows up everywhere — apps, books, movies, even Google TV.
• Instead of a quick tap, you now drag a pill-shaped button with helpful arrows and bounce effects guiding you to confirm.

Google has now swapped out the one-tap buy on the Play Store for a slide-to-buy gesture in order to tackle accidental purchases head-on, making sure you actually mean to hit buy.

Following up on what was teased in March’s Play Services update, Google Play Store has officially replaced its old one-tap buy button with a swipe-to-confirm gesture. Spotted first by 9to5Google, this “Slide to buy” feature is now live across the whole digital lineup, such as apps, books, movies, you name it.

This change appears to be rolling out wide with Play Store version 46.5.19-31. You’ll see it pop up everywhere you make a Google Play purchase — whether you’re buying from third-party apps or right inside the Google TV app.

Swipe it like you mean it

Instead of just tapping once, users now interact with a pill-shaped button that has a circular handle you drag. Animated arrows and a little bounce hint at the swipe action, making it clear how to seal the deal before buying.

Single-tap buys made it way too easy to accidentally spend cash, especially on apps. Seeing this problem, Google has stepped in to fix it. What used to be a quick checkout had a downside—people clicking “buy” by mistake. This new slide move is Google's way of cutting down those oops moments for good.

With this change, now you have to swipe sideways to confirm before the usual password or fingerprint step kicks in. This new slide-to-buy gesture works the same whether you’re grabbing a one-off app or signing up for a subscription through the Play Store.

This swipe move is a solid upgrade, especially for people who’ve dialed back or turned off purchase checks. It’s a smart way to make buying stuff a whole lot less stressful, and honestly, we’re all here for it.

If you're on the hunt for a rugged and feature-packed smartwatch, Garmin's lineup offers some of the best options on the market. The problem is that they can also be quite expensive, so many folks wait for a good discount to come along before they make their final decision. Fortunately, Amazon's current Garmin sale may have exactly what you need. 

✅Recommended if: you want the premium Garmin watch experience without paying a premium price; you need a fitness watch with 24/7 health tracking, high-tech mapping, and lots of sports modes.

❌Skip this deal if: you can afford a newer Garmin watch, like the Fenix 8; you don't care about brand names and you just want a simple wearable to track your health and fitness. 

Despite its age, the Garmin Epix Gen 2 continues to impress with a vibrant 1.3-inch AMOLED display, ultra-rugged construction, and up to 16 days of battery life on a single charge. You'll also get all of the fitness tracking features that have made Garmin famous, such as over 30 pre-installed activity modes, stress tracking, sleep coach, and comprehensive 24/7 health monitoring. Furthermore, the Epix Gen 2 comes packed with some modern features you might not expect, including multi-band GPS and topographical mapping. 

So what's the catch? Well, for starters, the Epix Gen 2 came out in 2022 and has since been supplanted by Garmin's Fenix 8 as the leading premium smartwatch from the brand. This puts the Epix Gen 2 in an awkward position — it's too dated to be cutting-edge and too expensive to be a cheap Android watch. After all, if you have a budget of around 500 bucks and you're not particular about brand names, why not just buy the newer Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra while it's on sale for $469 at Amazon?

But, on the other hand, if you want the experience of using a powerful Garmin watch without spending around $1,000 on the latest and greatest model, the Epix Gen 2 is a great pick, and this deal might be exactly what you're looking for. 

• OnePlus will launch the Nord 5, Nord CE 5, and a 43mm OnePlus Watch 3 on July 8.
• New leak indicates that the Nord 5 will feature a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 chip, 50MP dual rear cameras, and a 50MP front camera.
• The same leak also shares Nord CE 5 specs, and it will be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC and sport a 120Hz display.
• The OnePlus Watch 3 (43mm) will have a 1.32-inch display, dual OS (WearOS and RTOS), and 72-hour battery life, and will be exclusive to the U.S. market.

OnePlus is gearing up for a launch event early next month, where the company will be launching a bunch of products, including two Nord phones, a new smartwatch, among others. Ahead of the launch event, the renders and specs of the products surfaced.

The company is bringing the OnePlus Nord 5 alongside Nord CE 5, and OnePlus Watch 3, and the renders and specs of the same are now out. OnePlus has also announced the launch date of the event, which is set for July 8. While the company has already confirmed some notable parameters of some of the products, the new leaks give us a clear picture of what to expect from the upcoming phones and smartwatches.

Prominent tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer, widely known as OnLeaks, has partnered with Android Headlines to share renders and specs of the alleged OnePlus Nord 5, Nord CE 5, and renders of the OnePlus Watch 3.

According to the tipster, the Nord 5 is touted to be the first Nord device to feature a flagship Qualcomm chipset. It will have the latest Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 next to a notable 5200mAh battery capacity as well. The other alleged features include up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The phone could show up with a 50MP primary lens accompanied by an 8MP sensor. For selfies, the device will supposedly rely on another 50MP lens. It is said to weigh around 211 grams and comes with IP65 ingress protection.

As for the Nord CE 5, on the other hand, it could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8350 SoC, show up with a 120Hz screen measuring 6.77 inches. According to the publication, the RAM options for the device include up to 8GB and up to 256GB of onboard storage. While the rear cameras remain the same as the OnePlus Nord 5, the selfie camera should settle with a 16MP lens. It supposedly weighs 199 grams and is equipped with an IP54 rating. The battery capacity is tipped to be 5200mAh paired with 80W SuperVooc charging.

Lastly, the color options for the Nord 5 should be Dry Ice (confirmed by OnePlus' Chief Marketing Officer), Marble Sands, and Phantom Gray, and the Nord 5 CE will have Black Infinity and Marble Mist. Overall, these Nord phones are similar to what OnePlus has introduced in the home ground recently, dubbed the OnePlus Ace 5 series.

All new OnePlus Watch 3 43mm

OnePlus is also bringing a smaller smartwatch dubbed OnePlus Watch 3 in a 43mm size. Tipster OnLeaks has also shared the renders of the upcoming smartwatch. It appears to be a mini version of the existing OnePlus Watch 3, which features a 46.6mm size. The publication notes that it should be identical to the Oppo Watch X2 Mini.

The OnePlus Watch 3 43mm could have a 1.32-inch display with a 466 x 466 resolution. The smartwatch is said to be equipped with two operating systems, WearOS and RTOS, similar to the Watch 3. Underneath, it will allegedly be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 1 SoC paired with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage.

Since it is a smaller smartwatch, the battery life is believed to be impacted as well. It is promised to provide 72 hours of usage, which is a bit smaller when compared to 100 hours of usage on the OnePlus Watch 3.

The Watch 3 43mm might show up with a 5ATM water resistance alongside an IP68 rating, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.2. Per the renders, the Watch 3 43mm looks familiar in design when compared to the Watch 3 (46mm). There are notable differences when it comes to the dial, the display housing, and even the watch straps.

Another prominent thing to note is that OnePlus is only bringing the Watch 3 43mm to the U.S. region, and the two Nord devices are likely to stick to the Indian market for now.

• Phone deals: Best Buy | Walmart | Samsung | Amazon | Verizon | AT&T

• The Pixel 10’s telephoto lens is supposedly stepping up to sharpen your close-up shots, doubling as a macro hero alongside the ultrawide.
• Google is not dropping ultrawide macros—just adding the telephoto for extra punch, letting the phone pick the best lens depending on how close you are.
• Telephoto brings smoother background blur and less distortion than ultrawide when you’re up close, making your macro shots look way cleaner.

Google is reportedly planning to level up macro photography on the Pixel 10 by letting the telephoto lens join the party, so you can expect sharper close-ups with the zoom camera now pulling double duty.

To be clear, Google isn’t ditching the ultrawide shooter’s macro capabilities. Instead, the tech giant is tapping the telephoto lens to boost close-up shots even more, according to a fresh leak from Android Headlines.

This move makes sense when you consider how each lens focuses—telephoto needs more space, while ultrawide gets real close. So, with the Pixel 10, Google is making it smart enough to pick the right lens on the fly depending on how near your subject is.

At present, Pixel phones mostly rely on the ultrawide lens for macro shots, thanks to some smart engineering tweaks like autofocus that help nail those close-up details. And from the looks of it, that setup isn’t going anywhere with the Pixel 10.

Telephoto’s macro perks

Compared to ultrawide lenses, telephoto lenses have some nifty perks for macro shots. They give you a nice, creamy background blur thanks to a shallower depth of field, which is ideal for making your subject pop. Plus, they avoid the funky distortions ultrawide shooters sometimes bring when you get up close.

It’s still up in the air whether this new telephoto-powered macro feature will be available across the whole Pixel 10 lineup. But with the official reveal just a couple months out, we won’t be waiting long to find out.

On top of beefed-up macro shots, the Pixel 10 is also said to step up its video stabilization. According to an earlier report, the phone's upgraded stabilization could rival a DJI Osmo Mobile 6 gimbal, meaning you might get buttery-smooth, pro-level footage straight from your phone, with no extra gear needed.

Triple-camera shakeup?

Adding more fuel to the hype, early leaks hinted that the base Pixel 10 might ditch the Pixel 9’s two-camera setup for a fresh triple-camera lineup. Typically, regular versions stick to a wide and ultrawide lens, but the Pixel 10 looks set to shake things up by adding a telephoto lens as a third player.

To make room for it, Google is reportedly tweaking the sensor setup, which might mean some fresh changes to the wide and ultrawide cameras too.

• Motorola has started to confirm which models of its smartphones will get the update to Android 16.
• The list of phones that will get Android 16 includes the entire Motorola Razr 2025 series and some older and midrange models.
• However, we still don't have a concrete release timeline for Motorola's Android 16 rollout just yet.

Android 16's stable release is already out in the wild on Google Pixel devices, but other OEMs are set to offer upgrades starting "in the coming months," according to Google. Ahead of that expected release window, Motorola has begun confirming which of its phone models will get the upgrade to Android 16.

Motorola tends to trickle these confirmations out slowly with each Android OS release, so if your phone isn't listed here, don't worry — it could be added in the future.

The company's Android 16 upgrade confirmations were spotted by YTechB, and are available on the company's support pages on a per-model basis. It includes many popular flagship models, a few smaller mid-rangers, and also omits a few popular and recent devices, like the Motorola Razr 2024.

These are the Motorola phone models confirmed to be receiving the Android 16 update, per the company's support pages:

• Motorola Razr Plus 2024
• Motorola Razr 2025
• Motorola Razr Plus 2025
• Motorola Razr Ultra 2025
• Moto G Power 2025
• Moto G 2025
• Motorola G Stylus 2025
• Moto G56
• Moto G86
• Moto G86 Power
• Moto G85
• Moto G75
• Moto G55
• Motorola Edge 2025
• Motorola Edge 60 Pro
• Motorola Edge 60
• Motorola Edge 60 Fusion
• Motorola Edge 60 Stylus
• Motorola Edge 50 Ultra
• Motorola Edge 50 Pro
• Motorola Edge 50 Neo
• Motorola Edge 50 Fusion
• Motorola Edge 50
• Motorola Edge 40 Pro
• ThinkPhone 25 by Motorola

Here's what the individual listings for each Motorola phone looks like on the company's support website. You can see the current update status, and critically, the Next OS field now lists Android 16 as the upcoming software update for select models.

It's worth noting that we still don't know exactly when Motorola will start rolling out Android 16 to its devices, or which models will get the update first. Motorola doesn't have the best track record when it comes to speedy Android OS upgrades, but the Android 15 rollout was fairly smooth.

Google recently confirmed third-party OEMs will start offering upgrades "in the coming months," but that doesn't guarantee Motorola will be one of the first to do so.

• WhatsApp detailed an update for its Updates tab that focuses on delivering tools to businesses for growth.
• "Ads in Status" lets businesses directly promote themselves and reach new users when used in tandem with its new "Promoted Channels" feature.
• WhatsApp is also introducing "Channel subscriptions," which lets creators deliver exclusive content to those who pay a monthly fee.

WhatsApp is rolling out an update today (June 16) for big and small businesses alike, and the people behind them who are looking to grow.

In a blog post, WhatsApp highlights its achievement of 1.5 billion active users per day, which it sees as a major catalyst for the latest Updates tab enhancements. To help businesses grow, the Meta-owned service is launching "Ads in Status." With this new feature, the post states its purpose is to "encourage" better/quicker communication between potential new customers and the business in question.

WhatsApp published a new business-focused page, stating people who have created a Channel for their business can also utilize it.

The platform states the ads it provides were built with "privacy in mind." To display ads you might be interested in, WhatsApp states it does collect limited info like your country or city, language, the Channels you’re following, and how you interact with the ads you see." However, WhatsApp reiterates its commitment to keeping your texts, calls, and statuses private through end-to-end encryption (E2EE).

Joining "Ads in Status" is WhatsApp's new "Promoted Channels" feature. As previously stated, the app will use some limited data on you to determine what content you might be interested in seeing/interacting with. These promoted channels will appear when browsing your Update tab's "Channel" category.

Making Business Moves

WhatsApp is bringing one more feature to its Updates tab in June, called "Channel Subscriptions." Now, if there's a channel making content you enjoy, WhatsApp is letting you (and them) offer support for "exclusive updates" for a monthly fee. These fees will likely be left up to the admin of the channel that's offering exclusive content for its subscribers.

These three updates were announced today (June 16), so they should've started rolling out already. However, it might take a little while, so just ensure WhatsApp is updated on your phone or tablet as the week continues.

Rolling out business-focused content updates isn't anything new for WhatsApp, as the platform brought in-app shopping capabilities a while ago. This was an update in 2023 that let users purchase items from merchants in WhatsApp through its business platform. The service made its payment functions easier and also implemented a verification process to bring users some comfort. Elsewhere, in the past few months, Meta discussed new business tools that use generative AI.

Essentially, business owners and advertisers could utilize generative AI to create images and text. A test for this started on Facebook and Instagram late last year, with WhatsApp in its sights.

• OnePlus is set to launch five new products on July 8 for the U.K. and European markets.
• The products include the OnePlus Nord 5 and the OnePlus Nord CE5, the OnePlus Buds 4, the OnePlus Pad Lite, and the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm.
• OnePlus' Europe chief marketing officer reveals the specs and colors of these upcoming affordable products.

Looks like we got an early look at what OnePlus has been up to! The company is set to launch five new products on July 8. Speaking to TechRadar, OnePlus Europe's Chief Marketing Officer, Celina Shi, said that the company will reveal two mid-tier phones — the OnePlus Nord 5 and the OnePlus Nord CE5, the OnePlus Buds 4, the OnePlus Pad Lite, and the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm.

The OnePlus Nord 5 and Nord CE5 are the company's latest mid-tier phones, catering specifically to gamers, with the tag line "Up your game." Shi says that this line of phones is a "performance powerhouse that offers endless endurance, allowing you to play and create all day and night."

As for what powers this phone, the OnePlus Nord 5 will come with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile chipset, an advanced 7,300mm² CryoFlex Liquid Cooling System, as well as impressive camera specs, Shi added, without revealing much about its specs.

Images and teasers of the OnePlus Nord 5 series suggest a resemblance to the OnePlus Ace 5 series, which was launched in China exclusively for gamers. However, the phones could be tweaked based on the region they're launching in; for instance, the Ace 5 Ultra features a MediaTek Dimensity 9400+ chipset, but the Nord 5 is confirmed to come with a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 Mobile Platform.

Speaking about the device's colorways, Shi revealed one color for each phone, indicating that there may be additional colors. The OnePlus Nord 5 will launch in Dry Ice, and the OnePlus Nord CE 5 in Marble Mist, among other options.

Furthermore, Shi revealed that a smaller version of the latest OnePlus Watch 3 will also launch along with the Nord series lineup. Shi notes that despite being small, the OnePlus Watch 3 43mm will be as powerful as the original version, and will show up in a sleek Silver Steel colorway.

"We're bringing a smaller iteration of this device that's perfect for those with smaller wrists – but don't underestimate it!"

Additionally, OnePlus is launching a mid-tier tablet OnePlus Pad Lite, for people who want all the smarts of the new OnePlus Pad 3 at a more affordable price. "We're delighted to bring this to them this summer. The OnePlus Pad Lite will be available in Europe in Aero Blue," Shi explains.

Lastly, the company is set to launch a new pair of earbuds, OnePlus Buds 4, along with Dual Drivers, Dual DACs, Hi-Res LHDC 5.0, and 3D Audio. "For gamers, the OnePlus Buds 4 also offer 47ms ultra-low latency in Game Mode, ensuring audio syncs perfectly with on-screen action for a competitive edge," Shi said. The OnePlus Buds 4 will be available in two colour options: Zen Green and Storm Gray.

OnePlus is all set to launch the OnePlus Nord 5 series and the rest of its products on July 8 in the U.K. and Europe. However, there's no information on whether a global launch is in the books. For those interested, OnePlus' website has a 'notify me' option to be alerted as soon as the products drop.

The best OnePlus 13 deal on the web today

One of the very few devices to earn a coveted 5/5-star rating here at Android Central, the OnePlus 13 aims to be the perfect phone, balancing powerful specs with fun software features and exceptional build quality. 

You get the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset straight out of the box, plus 12GB of RAM with 512GB of storage, a long-lasting battery, and versatile cameras that hold their own against the best devices from Samsung and Google. The phone also boasts a truly-stunning 6.8-inch OLED 120Hz display, while the IP69 water/dust resistance rating is so tough that you can actually run the phone through a dishwasher cycle without receiving any damage (I'm not sure why you would, but it's pretty cool nonetheless). 

On the other hand, most of the OnePlus 13's AI features require internet connectivity, and the six years of software support lag slightly behind the latest upgrade promises from Samsung and Google. Aside from those few minor faults, however, the OnePlus 13 is arguably just as impressive as super-premium phones like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and thanks to this Best Buy deal, it's also considerably cheaper. 

• Google's Pixel 12 series is still at least two years away, but its codenames have already been leaked.
• A leaker claims the Google Pixel 12 series is codenamed after primate animals (and one folk creature).
• The leak seems to indicate that Google plans to keep the Pixel lineup mostly as-is through the 2027 model year.

While the Google Pixel 9 series is still the latest and greatest and the Pixel 10 lineup is on the horizon, the company's rumored codenames for the Pixel 12 series have already leaked. There will be four smartphone models in the Pixel 12 all codenamed after primates (with the exception of a folk creature) according to Mystic Leaks on Telegram (via 9to5Google).

The leaker claims the base-model Google Pixel 12 is codenamed Galago, the Pixel 12 Pro is codenamed Sasquatch, the Pixel 12 Pro XL is codenamed Silverback, and the Pixel 12 Pro Fold is codenamed Capuchin. The names could correlate, at least in part, to the models' respective sizes.

Galagos, for instance, are known for their small size. That's the alleged reference for the smallest Pixel 12 member, the base model. Meanwhile, silverback gorillas — the codename for the large Pixel 12 Pro XL — are known for being five-feet tall and weighing over 400 pounds on average.

Google has used families of animals for Pixel codenames dating back to the Pixel 6 series, which were all named after birds. Since then, we've seen references to cats, dogs, and reptiles. The Google Pixel 10 series is said to be codenamed after horses, and the next Pixel 11 generation is rumored to be codenamed after bears. Now, Mystic Leaks believes the further-out Pixel 12 lineup will be named after primates.

Of course, these codenames are strictly for internal development use. But like old-fashioned Android codenames, they serve as fun ways to track the progress of future Google Pixel hardware. For now, these references don't reveal much about the company's plan for its 2027 lineup of flagship Android smartphones.

It does seem to indicate that Google plans to keep the Pixel lineup roughly as-is in terms of offerings and sizes. If the company wanted to add a different-sized base model flagship, we might've seen five leaked codenames instead of four. The same could be true if Google planned to introduce a flip-style foldable to pair with the Google Pixel Fold series.

However, it's always possible that Google has tricks up its sleeve, so we can't rule anything out based on rumored codenames alone.

• The One UI 8 Watch beta offers new features like Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load monitoring, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index to promote healthier habits.
• Bedtime Guidance analyzes sleep patterns and circadian rhythm to recommend optimal bedtimes, while Running Coach provides personalized marathon training plans.
• The Antioxidant Index utilizes a novel sensor to measure carotenoid levels, reflecting dietary habits, and Vascular Load offers insights into cardiovascular stress during sleep.

After the Galaxy S25 series started receiving the second One UI 8 betas early this month, the company is now releasing the One UI 8 Watch through beta, and it brings in a host of new features to help smartwatch users build "healthier habits." The latest beta has new features, including Bedtime Guidance, Vascular Load, Running Coach, and Antioxidant Index.

Bedtime Guidance & Vascular Load

The Bedtime Guidance is built upon Samsung's already existing sleep-related features and now includes additional tools aiming at better sleep. It recommends optimal bedtime, which will be based on individual lifestyle and sleep patterns, next to reminders to help Galaxy Watch users stay consistent, the company notes in the announcement post.

The feature also analyzes sleep data of the user from the past three days to evaluate sleep patterns alongside circadian rhythm, to further suggest a "bedtime that maximizes alertness the next day." The aim is to help people sleep better. If their sleep is inconsistent for more than a few days, Bedtime Guidance analyzes the same and helps users get significant rest.

The Vascular Load feature, on the other hand, wants to ensure users receive insights into their vascular load and the cardiovascular stress during their sleep. Additionally, users can track other components like sleep and exercise to ensure they are on a healthier routine and build positive habits.

Running Coach

Running Coach is a feature specifically designed for Galaxy Watch users who participate in marathons to train safely. It includes optimized intensity and injury prevention routines, which should be ideal for beginners as well.

Plus, it also offers motivation, real-time guidance, and a personalized training program, per user's fitness level. Moreover, Galaxy Watch users, while wearing the smartwatch and running for 12 minutes, can immediately receive a performance analysis and a running level score. Then, a comprehensive training plan is believed to be generated further, helping users to support their preferred marathon runs.

Antioxidant Index

Lastly, the Antioxidant Index feature on Galaxy Watch will be able to measure carotenoids — "antioxidants found in green and orange fruits and vegetables — that are stored in the skin." It is said to be utilizing an industry-first feature to assess carotenoid levels in about five seconds, backed by an advanced, light-activated BioActive sensor.

All these insights supposedly reflect behavioral changes. The aim of the feature is to tackle radicals in the body caused by behavioral factors like alcohol consumption, smoking, for example. Antioxidants, on the other hand, will neutralize those free radicals in order to prevent chronic illness. Thus, the feature with the ability to measure carotenoid antioxidants helps Galaxy Watch users adopt healthier habits.

Galaxy Watch 5 series and above

These advanced features are available for Galaxy Watch users who are willing to try out the One UI 8 Watch beta. However, some features like Vascular Load are available only on the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the upcoming Galaxy Watch 8 models. The beta is currently available for users based in Korea and the U.S., and it is released for the Galaxy Watch 5 series and above.

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• A new Oakley Meta partnership was teased on social media with a June 20th announcement date.
• Meta created a new Oakley Meta Instagram channel, signaling a new product line similar to Ray-Ban Meta.
• We're expecting the announcement to cover Oakley Meta smart glasses, which are said to feature a centered camera on frames similar to Oakley Sphaera glasses.
• Previous leaks refer to these are more sports-focused smart glasses than Ray-Ban Metas.

After months of rumors, the Oakley Meta partnership is finally official. Meta teased the new partnership on social media, creating a new Instagram Oakley Meta account, teasing that "the next evolution is coming on June 20."

We first heard about a potential Oakley Meta partnership back in January. Leaks suggested a new pair of smart glasses was in development, dubbed "Supernova 2," a direct follow-up to Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, which feature the code name "Supernova."

Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses feature a camera on the left side of the frame, while Oakley Meta Smart Glasses are rumored to feature a camera in the center.

Oakley Meta Smart Glasses are also rumored to use Oakley Sphaera frames. I created a mock-up above using Sphaera frames and an Xreal Eye camera centered just under the nose bridge, similar to how Xreal positions it on Xreal One series smart glasses.

While we don't have official imagery of these new Oakley glasses just yet, this should give you an idea of how they might look.

Sportier than Ray-Bans

Pictured above are the ENGO 2 HUD smart glasses, which look similar to many Oakley styles. ENGO 2 HUD features a small screen to help athletes keep track of stats without having to look down at a watch, but we don't expect Meta to pack a display into Oakley Meta Smart Glasses. Instead, it's far more likely that these Oakley frames will be designed for streaming and recording footage as their main function.

If Oakley Meta Smart Glasses are anything like the Ray-Ban Metas, they'll feature the battery and other electronics in the arms rather than on the nose bridge as ENGO did. While it's possible that Meta could outfit its new Oakley-branded smart glasses with fitness-focused extras like a heart rate monitor, we haven't seen credible rumors yet suggesting that as a possibility.

We do expect Oakley Meta Smart Glasses to be a better fit for athletes than Ray-Ban Metas, though. Android Central's Michael Hicks recently ran a marathon with Ray-Ban Metas and found that, while the functionality was excellent, the fit wasn't quite right for running. Oakley Meta Smart Glasses should fix this with a design that's better suited for athletic activities, including running, cycling, and other sports.

We fully expect Meta to introduce a third generation of Ray-Ban Meta glasses later this year, as well, which are said to include a display in one of the lenses. But we probably won't see these until Meta Connect 2025 in mid-September.

For now, Oakley Meta Smart Glasses will be the first big commercial smart glasses announcement from Meta in 2025. Given that Ray-Ban Metas sold 2 million units and counting, we're curious how Oakley Meta glasses will match up for popularity.

• The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE has been spotted on multiple certification sites (NBTC, FCC, BIS), indicating an imminent launch.
• These further reveal the Fan Edition foldable featuring model numbers SM-F761B and SM-F761U, catering for different regions
• Expected specifications include a 6.7-inch foldable display, Exynos 2400e chipset, up to 8GB RAM, a 50MP primary camera, and more.

Samsung is gearing up to launch its next generation of foldables. While the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7 are the expected handsets, rumors indicate that there is a Fan Edition also launching. And, new evidence reveals precisely that as it reaches the certification site.

A recent NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission), a Thailand-based certification, has revealed the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE (via 91mobiles). The latest broadcast and telecommunications certification further revealed the device's model number, bearing SM-F761 B.

Aside from the model number and device's moniker, nothing substantial is revealed through this certification. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, bearing a similar model number, dubbed SM-F761U, has recently reached the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) (via SamMobile). It only indicates that the launch is notably imminent for the U.S. region.

Similarly, BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards) was also seen with the alleged Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE featuring the SM-F761B model number. 91mobiles further notes that even the Galaxy Z Flip 7 landed on the same certification site bearing the SM-F766B model number.

All the evidence only points to Samsung finally bringing the affordable Fan Edition of the foldable, and not just to a single region, but to more. The rumors of the device have been swirling around for the past two years. While we have seen renders of the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE earlier, it is interesting to see the device finally seeing the light of day, according to these recent certifications.

The expected specifications of the Galaxy Z Flip FE include a 6.7-inch foldable 120Hz screen coupled with a 3.4-inch cover screen. Underneath, the foldable device is expected to ship with an Exynos 2400e chipset paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. For optics, it could have a 50MP primary lens and a 12MP ultra-wide angle lens, and a 10MP shooter for selfies. It is likely to have One UI 8 (Android 16) on board and feature a 4000mAh battery.

Alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE, Samsung will also introduce the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, and the Galaxy Watch 8 series at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event, most likely happening in early July.

For more news and information on Samsung’s upcoming foldables, check out our Ultimate Guide.

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