Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Pixel 10 camera specs, Pixel 10 Pro Fold design, Galaxy Tab S10 released, Galaxy S25 Edge delayed, Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon, folding smartphone growth, and Meta’s Android smart glasses.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.
Pixel 10 Camera Specs
A the Pixel 9a prepares to launch, those waiting on the Pixel 10 family are thinking about the potential trade-offs in the camera platform. Leakked details point to the Pixel 10 being the first of the modern ‘vanilla’ Pixel models to feature a telephoto lens. But this is not without consequences in the rest of the optical hardware:
“…the whole camera setup is a step below the Pro series. In some ways, the rest of the cameras are closer to the Pixel 9a than any other Pixel 10 device. The primary sensor has been replaced by a Samsung GN8, a considerably smaller model than the previously used GNV. Similarly, the ultrawide lens has been downgraded to a Sony IMX712 from the previous IMX858. Both of these sensors have previously appeared in the Pixel 9a.”
Pixel 10 Pro Fold Design
As part of the Pixel 10 family, Google is expected to launch its third foldable phone, the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Thanks to the official renders sourced by the team at Android Headlines, we have a clear look at the design, and it’s unsurprisingly similar to the 9 Pro Fold.
“The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold will dimensions of about 155.2 x 150.4 x 5.3mm. That’s slightly different than the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and some of you might notice, that’s actually thicker than the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. However, it’s important to note, that Onleaks dimensions are off by a very small amount (around 0.1-0.3mm). So we’re banking on it being the exact same dimensions this year.”
Samsung’s Latest Galaxy Tab Launches
This week saw the launch of the latest Fan edition Android tablet from Samsung. The Galaxy Tab S10 FE and the more powerful S10 FE+. It brings the full suite of Galaxy AI tools to a premium-styled tablet focused on mobile and creative experiences:
“Equipped with the largest screen yet on the Galaxy Tab S FE series and slimmer bezels that expand its display, the Galaxy Tab S10 FE+ provides a fun, immersive viewing experience for everything from entertainment to studying and day-to-day tasks. Samsung’s Intelligent Features empower users to get more done with ease, while a slimmer design helps users to achieve their creativity and productivity on the go.”
Galaxy S25 Edge Delayed
Samsung’s fourth Galaxy S25 model, the S25 Edge, was always expected to launch after the main event in January—even if it was teased in the presentation and in the demo hall. It now looks like those eager to get a hold of the fashionably thin phone are going to have a longer wait:
“Samsung has decided to postpone the launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge. The company planned to launch it in April but has now decided to push the launch to May or June. Apparently, Samsung has conveyed this information to the three telecom carriers that will sell the ultra-slim phone in South Korea… The report claims that this delay is not due to quality shortcomings. Instead, Samsung may have made the changes to the launch schedule after considering the recent death of the head of Samsung DX, JH Han.”
(Sammobile).
Qualcomm’s Next Generation Benchmarked
Following on from details published by tipster Jukanlosreve, the team at Android Headlines have taken a closer look at the benchmarks and potential of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2—the presumptive flagship chipset for 2026:
“…the chip has the model number SM8850. In Geekbench 6 tests, the alleged Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 chip scored 4,000 and 13,000 points in the single-core and multi-core tests, respectively. Overall, the SoC shows a 25% CPU performance increase in single-core tasks and a 20% increase in multi-core tasks.”
The Growth Of Foldable Smartphones
While the foldable phone remain one of the most technologically advanced fronts of smartphone design, they are not the biggest sellers in a manufacturer’s portfolio. There are still fans out there, as the latest research points out not just the growth but also the vulnerability this sector is to two key names:
“Global foldable smartphone shipments in 2024 saw tepid growth at 2.9% YoY, according to Counterpoint Research’s latest Global Foldable Smartphone Market Forecast. Although many OEMs saw double- and triple-digit growth, the market’s overall growth was impacted by Samsung’s tough Q4 due to political instability, and OPPO cutting production of its more affordable clamshell foldables.”
And Finally…
Meta’s smart glasses may not be released until later this year, but it looks like the potential Apple Vision Pro challenger will have Android at its heart. What will consumers have to look forward to, and how open will it be to developers?
“The glasses will otherwise work similarly to the current Wayfarer-style Ray-Ban Metas, focusing on capturing images and video, accessing AI via built-in microphones and pairing with a phone for calls and music playback. The new version will continue to rely heavily on the Meta View phone app. Like Meta’s other new devices, the glasses will run a highly customized version of the Android operating system from Alphabet Inc.’s Google. The company isn’t currently planning to include an on-board app store.”
(Bloomberg).
Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!