A look back at this week’s news and headlines in the Android world, including Galaxy S25 specials, Honor Magic7 Pro review, Nubia RedMagic 10 Pro reviewed, Nothing Tech’s AI plans, growth world of smartphones, Google’s offers on the undo button and a new Instagram. challenger.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many discussions surrounding Android over the past seven days. You can also read my weekly Apple news roundup here on Forbes.
Nubia RedMagic 10 Pro.
S25 release dates and special offers
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event will take place next week on January 22, and the Galaxy S25 launch is widely anticipated. Also expected are the special offers that Samsung will offer to those who participate in the pre-order window:
“Last year, several exclusive colors were available only on Samsung.com, a free upgrade to the next storage tier (so those who purchased the Galaxy S25 Ultra at the price of the 512 GB model would receive the 512 GB model). 1TB storage) and generous swaps built into a wide range of smartphones from Samsung and other manufacturers, including Google and Apple.
(Forbes).
Honor Magic7 Pro review
After a successful release in China at the end of 2024, Honor’s Magic7 Pro was introduced in Europe this week. It builds on last year’s Magic6 and Magic6 Pro, but incorporates the latest chipset to increase the power and performance available. Forbes contributor Ben Sin takes a closer look at the handset:
“The performance is obviously great, because mobile silicon has long since surpassed what 99% of people need in a mobile device. Whether it’s stitching together video clips on CapCut or scrolling through Instagram, sending emails or uploading files to Slack, this phone doesn’t do it. miss a beat.
(Forbes).
Alongside the Magic7 Pro, Honor launched its third collaboration with Porsche Design and the luxury-focused Porsche Design Honor Magic7 RSR. It has a few small bumps in specs compared to the Magic7, but the real impact comes in the style:
“The new device merges premium sports car-inspired design with cutting-edge technology, once again demonstrating a powerful collaboration meticulously creating a revolutionary product.”
RedMagic 10 Pro Review
Nubia’s latest gaming smartphone will also be reviewed this week. The RedMagic 10 Pro follows the 9S Pro released six months ago. RedMagic’s rapid product cycle keeps Nubia’s hardware at the top of the tree, but ongoing support is a problem:
“For those looking to be as competitive as possible when gaming, a new RedMagic phone is sure to deliver premium hardware. But that competitive price comes at a cost… the number of software and security updates that Nubia For me, this is the weakest point of the RedMagic 10 Pro package: it comes with a single Android update (taking the handset to Android 16 but not more), two years of software upgrades. user interface and three years security updates.
(Forbes).
Nothing planned for artificial intelligence
A recently leaked email written by Nothing Tech co-founder Carl Pei outlined some of the steps the company will take in 2025 to build on the company’s early smartphone successes. Naturally, AI plays an important role in this project.
“Curiously, Pei gives more details on what’s coming, confirming that the next flagship, Nothing Phone (3), will launch this year. “It will introduce groundbreaking innovations in the user interface, taking our first step towards our AI-powered platform. “Our goal is to redefine the user experience of personal computing devices – creating technology that knows you, makes your life easier and is there where you are.”
(Forbes).
The global smartphone market is growing
Counterpoint Research’s latest report on the global smartphone market shows a 4% rise in the overall market, a turnaround from a weak 2023. Who benefits the most?
“The two biggest brands, Samsung and Apple, remained largely flat year-over-year in 2024. Xiaomi grew the fastest among the top five and ranked No. 3. OPPO lost volume but gained is maintained at No. 4 ahead of fast-growing Vivo, which has performed well in some markets.
Take that back!
Google has begun a phased rollout process for a new feature on the Android GBoard keyboard. The Undo feature was spotted in code in summer 2023, but is only now starting to become publicly available. Like many new features, the release is staggered and therefore not immediately available to all users:
“In brief testing, this feature appears to let you undo if you close the keyboard and open it again. However, once you exit an app, the memory is reset. When you can’t perform any action, press pressing the Undo key will cause the Undo/Redo bullets to appear but they will be grayed out.”
(9to5Google).
And finally…
Faced with the consequences of Meta’s changes to its content moderation policy, the federated web service Pixelfed has released its smartphone applications. While many see it as an alternative to Instagram, having a mobile app is crucial to finding growth in this current window of opportunity.
“Pixelfed is now available as mobile apps for iOS and Android. The open source and decentralized platform offers image sharing similar to Instagram. However, Pixelfed has no advertising and does not share user data. users with third parties The platform launched in 2018, but was only available on the web or through third-party client applications.
(Engadget).
Android Circuit brings together 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!
