Samsung’s foldable phones are about to get a fresh coat of paint. According to a post on X by Tarun Vats, the company is already testing One UI 8.5 for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE. This signals that Samsung is actively preparing the next software update for its clamshell foldable lineup.

One UI 8.5 expands to Galaxy Z Flip 7 series

One UI 8.5 focuses heavily on visual polish and usability improvements. Early builds suggest Samsung could be taking some inspiration from Apple’s Liquid Glass UI design. The update will bring smoother animations and more 3D-like icons to the interface. The quick settings panel is getting a complete redesign with fully customizable layouts. It will let users move or remove widgets, toggles, and cards freely.

Another practical change involves search bars across Samsung apps. They will move to the bottom of the screen for easier one-handed use. This adjustment makes particular sense on foldables like the Flip 7, where the taller display means the reach of your thumb is limited. Users can also expect new clock styles for the lock screen and subtle Always On Display animations.

Samsung will also continue refining features like the Samsung Internet browser and AI-powered tools such as Galaxy AI Now Brief. For Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Flip 7 FE owners, the update should enhance the overall foldable experience with better software optimization.

The appearance of firmware for the Flip 7 FE is particularly notable since it uses the same Exynos chipset as the Galaxy S24 and S24+. Could this mean Samsung’s work on One UI 8.5 for last year’s flagship series is also progressing according to plan?

When can users expect the update?

Samsung originally planned to launch a One UI 8.5 beta program in November, but those plans hit a snag. Delays to the Galaxy S26 series likely pushed that timeline back, and the beta program will probably get delayed as well. The update is now expected to arrive in early 2026, around the same time as the Galaxy S26 rollout.

The rollout will likely follow Samsung’s usual pattern. The Galaxy S26 series will launch with One UI 8.5 pre-installed, and then Samsung will gradually expand availability to other devices, including the Flip 7, Flip 7 FE, and Fold 7. Based on Samsung’s recent track record with updates, expect the rollout to take a few weeks after the S26 launch.

And since the rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 series could arrive in February 2026, expect One UI 8.5 to arrive in March for other devices.

The post Samsung Tests One UI 8.5 for Galaxy Z Flip 7 & Flip 7 FE appeared first on Android Headlines.

Google has been steadily introducing Gemini across its products and services. Most recently, we’ve seen Google integrate its AI into Google Maps. And previously, Gemini made its way to Google TV, Gmail, Google Docs, and more. So, it’s really not surprising to learn that Gemini has now made its way onto Android Auto.

Gemini arrives for Android Auto

Google had previously said that Gemini for Android Auto would arrive in May earlier this year. Clearly that did not happen. But better late than never, right? If you’re an Android Auto user, you might want to keep an eye out for Gemini’s arrival. However, according to 9to5Google, it might not be available to all Android Auto users yet.

It seems that for now, Google is rolling out the change starting with its beta users first. Also, the change appears to be server-side. This means that users don’t need to do anything; they’ll just have to wait for Google to flip a switch. Either way, if you do use Android Auto frequently, you might need to start getting used to the change.

The replacement of Google Assistant

One of the biggest changes Gemini will bring to the table is that it will replace Google Assistant. Google Assistant has been Google’s default virtual assistant for the longest time ever. It was on Android, Google Home products, and Android Auto, just to name a few. However, the arrival of Gemini means that it will take the place of Google Assistant.

One of the big differences is that Gemini will be better at understanding natural language commands. While Google Assistant is pretty decent, Gemini should do a much better job. Unfortunately, we don’t know how in-depth the integration is since it appears to be only available for a select handful of users. However, Google did give some past examples where Gemini could help users automatically translate text messages.

Users can activate Gemini with the “Hey Google” hotword, or they can say “let’s talk live” to bring up Gemini Live.

The post Google Brings Gemini AI to Android Auto, Replacing Google Assistant appeared first on Android Headlines.

The tech in our smartphones has matured to the point where the differences between the flagship models aren’t that big anymore. This is why phone makers need to differentiate themselves with things like looks and design. In that regard, Nothing has probably done the best job in making its phones look unique. But now, a report from Weibo suggests that Apple could borrow the Nothing Phone’s design for the iPhone 18 Pro.

iPhone 18 Pro could borrow Nothing’s design

According to the post by tipster Digital Chat Station, apparently Apple is working on introducing transparent rear covers for the iPhone 18 Pro, making it look somewhat similar to the Nothing Phone’s design. This is an interesting approach, especially since Apple has typically favored more “serious” looks for its phones. It has experimented with bright and fun colors, but otherwise it still maintains that “professional” look.

Nothing, on the other hand, has opted for a more modern and wild design. We don’t blame them, though. Like we said, for a relatively new company to the smartphone scene, it needs to stand out.

That being said, it is unclear how transparent this rear cover is. Will it be 100% transparent like glass, where you can completely see the phone’s innards? If so, that would look remarkably similar to the Nothing Phone. Alternatively, maybe Apple could opt for a translucent rear cover, which might hint at the innards of the phone.

Either way, Apple wouldn’t be the first to do something like this. Nothing, HTC, and Xiaomi have all tried this design in the past. 

In other news

In addition to revealing a potentially transparent or translucent rear cover, the post from Digital Chat Station also revealed that Apple is testing a punch-hole cutout for the front of the iPhone 18. Right now, Apple’s iPhones have a wider notch, which houses the Dynamic Island feature.

Some have criticized the design, claiming it takes up too much space. Apple has made it smaller in recent generations, but it’s still very much present. The post also claims Apple is testing the use of a variable aperture main camera. This means that users will have more control over the aperture of the camera, which can help photos look brighter and sharper, depending on the settings.

The post iPhone 18 Pro May Feature Transparent Design Inspired by Nothing Phone appeared first on Android Headlines.

Samsung is a brand many of us typically associate with TVs, monitors, and smartphones. But the company does a lot of stuff behind the scenes as well. This includes semiconductors and memory, like RAM and SSDs. In fact, ahead of CES 2026, Samsung has announced plans to showcase new LPDDR6 RAM and a new M.2 Gen5 SSD.

Samsung to show off new LPDDR6 RAM and SSD tech at CES 2026

First up is the LPDDR6 memory, built on an advanced 12nm process. It supports data rates up to 10.7 gigabits per second, which marks an 11.5% speed increase over Samsung’s current LPDDR5X memory.

The new memory also delivers 21% better energy efficiency compared to its predecessor. Samsung achieved this through a dynamic power management system that adjusts consumption based on workload. Additionally, the LPDDR6 features expanded I/O counts to maximize bandwidth for AI applications, edge computing, and data-intensive mobile workloads.

The second product is the PM9E1 M.2 Gen5 SSD, which comes in a compact 22mm x 42mm form factor. Samsung claims this is the world’s first AI-optimized PCIe Gen5 NVMe SSD in this size. The drive delivers sequential read speeds up to 14.8 GB/s and write speeds up to 13.4 GB/s. Capacities reach up to 4TB, which is unprecedented for such a small drive.

The PM9E1 uses Samsung’s in-house “Presto” controller paired with cutting-edge V8 TLC V-NAND technology. Samsung says power efficiency improved by over 50% compared to previous generations, which directly benefits battery life in laptops and mobile devices running AI workloads.

What this means for our devices

If you’re not particularly tech savvy, don’t worry. Most of what this translates to is snappier performance in everyday tasks. Apps load faster, multitasking gets smoother, and AI features respond quicker. The improved power efficiency also means longer battery life, especially important for mobile devices running generative AI models on-device.

The SSD’s compact size opens doors for thinner, lighter devices without sacrificing storage capacity or speed. Gamers benefit from faster load times, while content creators get quicker file transfers and rendering.

Samsung plans to demonstrate its new LPDDR6 RAM and SSD technologies at CES 2026 in Las Vegas. However, the company hasn’t announced specific launch dates or pricing yet.

The post Samsung to Unveil LPDDR6 RAM and AI-Optimized SSD at CES 2026 appeared first on Android Headlines.

Remember when you had to wait until December to see what you’d been obsessing over on Spotify? Those days are over. Spotify has rolled out a new feature called Listening Stats that gives you a personalized weekly breakdown of your music habits. Instead of waiting for that annual Wrapped recap, you can now check your top artists and songs from the past four weeks whenever you want.

Move over Spotify Wrapped, listening stats are in

The new stats feature tracks your most-played artists and songs over the past month. However, it’s not just a list of numbers. Spotify includes personalized highlights each week, like how long you’ve been a fan of an artist, new discoveries you’ve made, or unique patterns in your listening habits.

You can also share your weekly stats or individual highlights directly through the app. Spotify lets you post to Instagram, WhatsApp, or send them to friends through Spotify’s new in-app messaging feature. Plus, Spotify will automatically create playlists based on your recent activity. These playlists mix your current favorites with recommendations for what you might want to hear next. The stats update every 24 hours, so you’re always looking at fresh data.

Getting to your stats takes just a few taps. Open the Spotify app and tap your profile icon in the top corner. Look for the “Listening Stats” section under “What’s New” and tap it. From there, you’ll see your top artists and songs laid out with weekly highlights you can share or save. The feature is available for both Free and Premium users.

This could change how you listen to music

One of the things we love about Spotify’s end-of-year Wrapped series is that it makes us go “wow” when we realize how many times we listened to a song. Or how many times we’ve streamed an album. Or how we might unknowingly favor a particular genre or artist.

With the Spotify Listening Stats feature, it could change how you engage with music on the platform. If you notice you’ve been stuck on the same two artists for three weeks straight, the auto-generated playlist might push you toward something fresh. Of course, you’re welcome to listen to whatever you want, but this could help break the monotony and help you find something totally new and unexpected.

The post Spotify's New Weekly Feature Turns Wrapped Into a Year-Round Experience appeared first on Android Headlines.

2026 will be an interesting year. This is because 2026 is when we’ll start seeing the first 2nm chipsets hit the market, and Samsung could actually beat everyone to the punch. Not only that, but the company could do something the Trump administration has been pushing for: US-based manufacturing. According to recent reports, Samsung is getting close to starting the manufacturing of 2nm chips in the US.

Samsung to kick off 2nm semiconductor manufacturing in the US

According to a report out of Korea, Samsung is close to kicking off 2nm chip manufacturing in the US. The company has invested billions of dollars building a state-of-the-art chipmaking facility based in Taylor, Texas. In fact, it seems that Samsung is getting a helping hand from none other than ASML.

For those unfamiliar, ASML is a company based in the Netherlands that is also responsible for creating the EUV lithography machines necessary to build advanced semiconductors. If Samsung can pull this off, it would mean that the company beats TSMC to the punch. TSMC is expected to produce 2nm chipsets for many companies next year. 

We’re talking about Apple, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. But for now, it looks like Samsung could be the first. We imagine that it would also put Samsung in the good graces of the Trump administration. The US government has been pushing for more companies to build products stateside or face high tariffs.

Samsung producing what could potentially be the world’s first 2nm chipset would definitely be a feather in the government’s hat.

Samsung Exynos 2600

That being said, Samsung’s production facility won’t be producing for other companies, at least for now. Instead, the company is expected to produce the Exynos 2600 on its 2nm GAA process. The chipset is rumored to power the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, or at least part of it.

We know that Samsung’s Exynos chipsets have gotten a bad rep over the years. However, recent benchmarks have shown that it is breaking some records, but whether or not it will be able to hold its own against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 remains to be seen. 

The post Samsung to Begin 2nm Chip Manufacturing in the US by 2026 appeared first on Android Headlines.

The problem with third-party messenger apps is that they’re generally limited to each other. This means that if you’re using Telegram, you can only message Telegram users. That used to be the case with WhatsApp, but that could change as the latest beta reveals the ability to send a message to other apps.

WhatsApp will soon support message to other apps

According to the latest beta of WhatsApp, discovered by WABetaInfo, Meta is working on a feature that would allow the app to send a message to other apps. But this isn’t about Meta being “generous” or wanting to allow users to connect with others. It has to do with the EU’s Digital Markets Act.

For those unfamiliar, the DMA requires apps determined as “gatekeepers” to comply with certain policies if they want to continue to operate in the region. In this case, WhatsApp will have to allow users to send messages to other apps. Before you get too excited, note that for now it appears to be quite limited.

Based on the current beta, users can only send apps to BirdyChat. However, we imagine that it will eventually open up to other apps in the future. Also, note that there could be additional limitations. This is because each messenger app is different, so you might miss out on certain app-specific features. But if you’re just looking to send and receive messages, it should be more than sufficient.

EU only for now

For those living outside of the EU, the bad news is that the feature is only available to EU users. This is because Meta has to comply with the EU’s rules, so that’s why it’s EU-only. Will Meta eventually bring the feature to other markets? That remains to be seen, but we don’t see why they wouldn’t. However, when that will happen is unclear, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

If you do live in the EU, note that this feature is currently in beta. If you’re not part of the WhatsApp beta, you won’t see it yet. You’ll have to wait until WhatsApp rolls it out in the public release.

The post WhatsApp Will Soon Let You Send Messages to Other Apps appeared first on Android Headlines.

It wasn’t too long ago that most phone makers were launching smartphones with batteries of 4,000 to 5,000mAh. You might get the occasional 6,000mAh, but that was rare. But these days, we’re seeing a rise in phones with larger batteries. If you’re after a phone that could potentially last you two days, then you might want to check out the new Moto g57 Power.

Meet the new Motorola Moto G57 series

Motorola has announced both the Moto G57 and Moto G57 Power. Both phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 6s Gen 4 processor, making them the first phones to use it. As far as the rest of the specs are concerned, they’re both nearly identical. Both models feature a large 6.72-inch Full HD+ display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and impressive 1,050 nits peak brightness, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 7i.

Camera-wise, you get a dual setup with a 50MP main camera using Sony’s LYT-600 sensor and an 8MP ultrawide lens. There’s also an 8MP front camera for selfies. Both phones run Android 16 right out of the box, include IP64 water resistance, and meet MIL-STD-810H military durability standards.

The main difference lies in the battery. The Motorola Moto G57 Power packs a massive 7,000mAh silicon-carbon battery that could potentially get you over two days of use on a single charge. As for the standard G57, it comes with a still-respectable 5,200mAh battery. Both phones support 30W fast charging.

The battery wars are heating up

The rise of phones with 7,000mAh batteries marks a change (for the better) in the smartphone industry. Thanks to new silicon-carbon battery technology, manufacturers can pack more power without making phones unbearably thick or heavy. The Moto G57 Power weighs just 210.6 grams despite its huge battery.

This trend isn’t limited to Motorola. Companies like OnePlus, OPPO, and Samsung have all been experimenting with larger batteries. The technology allows for higher energy density, meaning more capacity in less space. For budget-conscious buyers who prioritize battery life over everything else, this is fantastic news.

The Motorola Moto G57 is priced at €249 (around $285), while the G57 Power costs €279 (roughly $320). Both are now available in Europe and the Middle East.

The post Motorola Unleashes Moto G57 with Giant Battery & Budget Price appeared first on Android Headlines.

Honestly, on the surface, there’s a lot to like about the iPhone Air. It is so incredibly thin but yet packs a punch. However, its price and some of the compromises Apple had to make makes it a hard sell. But the good news is that for the iPhone Air 2, it could come with two cameras.

iPhone Air 2 will get two cameras

According to a post on Weibo by Digital Chat Station, the iPhone Air 2 could correct one of the mistakes Apple made with the first-gen model, by equipping it with two cameras. See, on the first-gen iPhone Air, Apple opted to give it a single camera setup. It is one of the reasons why it’s such a hard phone to recommend to anyone.

In this day and age, most phones come with a dual or triple camera setup, even entry-level models. So, for Apple to exclude it just seemed a little strange. The post on Weibo suggests that we could be looking at dual 48MP setups, with a 48MP main and a 48MP ultra-wide. As Digital Chat Station mentions, a telephoto would be better, but we’ll have to wait and see.

That being said, we have to wonder how Apple will achieve that. The main reason the camera hump on the iPhone Air is so huge is because it houses the major components of the phone. If Apple were to slot in a second camera, it would require a redesign. We’re not sure if Apple is willing to make that investment, especially given the lukewarm reception.

Is the phone even happening?

That being said, we have to question whether or not Apple plans on launching the iPhone Air 2. Sales of the first-gen model have reportedly been lackluster. So much so that we’re hearing rumors that Apple has apparently cancelled production of the handset. 

However, a recent report from JP Morgan analysts suggests that Apple could indeed launch a second iPhone Air. Hopefully, this time the company has learned from its mistakes and is listening to its customers. Otherwise, it looks like the iPhone Air series is going to end up where the iPhone “C’ series did, on the forgotten pile.

The post iPhone Air 2 Could Finally Feature Two Cameras After User Backlash appeared first on Android Headlines.

Google’s cloud infrastructure is huge. But it also has to compete with other companies like Amazon and Microsoft. But now, it looks like Google is about to get even bigger as the US government has approved its 32 billion dollar acquisition of Wiz. This also makes it Google’s largest ever acquisition so far.

What This Means for Google Cloud

The Department of Justice completed its antitrust review of the Google Wiz 32 billion dollar deal, marking a major step toward closing what will be Alphabet’s largest acquisition ever. Wiz CEO Assaf Rappaport confirmed the news at a Wall Street Journal event, calling it an “important milestone” while noting the journey from signing to closing continues.

Like we said, this acquisition allows Google Cloud to seriously compete with industry leaders Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure. For those unfamiliar, what Wiz brings to the table is a security platform that gives companies a unified view of threats across multiple cloud environments. The cybersecurity firm uses an “agentless” approach. This means that businesses can deploy it faster without installing bulky software on every system.

Google notes on its website, “Wiz’s solution rapidly scans the customer’s environment, constructing a comprehensive graph of code, cloud resources, services, and applications – along with the connections between them. It identifies potential attack paths, prioritizes the most critical risks based on their impact, and empowers enterprise developers to secure applications before deployment.”

According to Q2 2025 data, Google Cloud holds about 13% market share. It trails behind AWS at 30% and Azure at 20%. Adding Wiz’s technology to Google’s existing security tools could help close that gap.

Still More Hurdles Ahead

While the DOJ approval is significant, the deal isn’t done yet. Google and Wiz still need regulatory clearance from other countries. This includes the European Union and several Asia-Pacific markets.

A Google spokesperson confirmed they’re working through those reviews and expect the acquisition to close in 2026. Speaking to Reuters, the spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We look forward to completing the review process in other jurisdictions. The acquisition of Wiz is expected to close in 2026, subject to customary closing conditions.”

The post Google Scores Big Win as $32 Billion Wiz Deal Gets Approved appeared first on Android Headlines.

It is widely believed that Apple is developing its own foldable iPhone. However, it seems that despite it potentially being a rather premium device, Apple might not include certain features you would find in other high-end iPhones. According to the latest reports, the foldable iPhone could feature an under-display camera, but it might ditch Face ID in the process.

Foldable iPhone to feature under-display camera

This information comes courtesy of Max Weinbach on X, who shared data from JP Morgan analysts on what kind of specs Apple’s upcoming iPhones could pack. According to the data, the analysts believe that Apple will go with a 24MP under-display selfie cam for the foldable iPhone. But in the process, it will not come with Face ID.

This means that the only biometric security Apple will give foldable iPhone users is Touch ID. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Touch ID pretty much works flawlessly and has for years. However, Face ID is arguably more secure, but we suppose for a first-gen device we shouldn’t expect too much.

The report also features that the phone will sport a dual camera setup. This includes a 48MP wide-angle camera and a 48MP ultra-wide angle camera. Once again, this is one less camera compared to Apple’s regular flagship iPhones. But then again, we suppose the selling point of the foldable iPhone is the foldable form factor.

We’ve also seen other Android foldable makers sacrifice camera quality to achieve an ultra-slim design, so why not Apple too, right?

iPhone Air 2 not cancelled?

Surprisingly, the analysts at JP Morgan believe that Apple will launch an iPhone Air 2. This is interesting because according to earlier reports, Apple has apparently cancelled the iPhone Air. This is because of poor sales, which isn’t surprising because to achieve the ultra-thin form factor, Apple had to sacrifice on battery life. Plus the use of a single camera in a phone priced that high makes it hard to recommend.

However, Weinbach seems to be pretty confident in these reports. According to his post, “JP Morgan and most bank analysts are VERY good at getting information like this from supply chain.” It will be interesting to see if Apple will indeed launch the iPhone Air 2. Hopefully, Apple will have learned from its mistakes and give users a phone that can at least last an entire day.

The post Foldable iPhone Could Feature Under-Display Camera but Ditch Face ID appeared first on Android Headlines.

When we create an online dating profile, we kind of put ourselves out there. We share a lot of personal and private information. But as if that wasn’t enough, it seems that Tinder wants to use AI to go through your photos to learn more about your interests and personality.

Tinder wants to use AI to look through your photos

During Match Group’s Tuesday’s earnings call, the company told investors that Tinder would be testing a feature called Chemistry. This feature will basically leverage the use of AI to go through photos on your phone’s camera roll in order to know more about your interests to find you a best match on Tinder.

This sounds like a huge invasion of privacy, although Match Group claims that users will have to grant the app permission to do so. This means that until you grant it permission, your camera roll on your phone should be safe from Tinder’s AI. The Chemistry feature will also see the users answer interactive questions to find them better and more compatible matches.

This is actually not Tinder’s first time using AI in the app. Prior to this, the company used AI to detect when users were about to send a message that was potentially offensive. It would nudge them to make sure the user is sure. It also uses AI to help users pick out their best photos.

AI in the dating world

Tinder is also not the first to try and use AI in dating. In a recent story published on the New York Times, there is a startup called Known that lets users chat with an AI matchmaker. It would ask users questions like their personal preferences and red flags they want to avoid. It would then try to find the user a match and then for a fee, it would let the users meet up with each other in real-life.

But it’s not surprising that dating apps are turning to AI. It seems that many of these online dating services are seeing a decline in subscribers. Over the last year, platforms like Bumble lost 9% of its paid subscribers. Match Group lost 5%.

We’re also seeing more people turning to AI companions. Seeing how much AI has advanced, many of these AI companions are able to respond in a very convincing manner.

The post Tinder’s New AI Feature Wants to Analyze Your Photos appeared first on Android Headlines.

When you sign up for a service, you have to pay for it. In fact, companies would love it if all their customers paid on time. This means making the payment process as smooth as possible, right? Unfortunately for T-Mobile customers, the carrier could be implementing a new rule that makes paying the bills harder.

T-Mobile’s new rule will make paying bills a pain

In the past, T-Mobile customers had different options when it came to paying the bills, but the new rule has taken away a lot of it. According to T-Mobile’s website, customers now have only one option: T-Life.

Prior to this, customers had multiple options, which included paying via in-person visits to the T-Mobile store. There was also the option of using its automated phone system, or on the phone via customer service. There was a small fee attached to this method, but for some, it might be easier.

However, the new rule basically forces T-Life onto all of the carrier’s customers. T-Mobile’s website says, “Setting up a payment arrangement for your T-Mobile account is quick and easy. Payment arrangements are not available through representatives. When calling Customer Care or going to a Retail Store, our Experts will walk you through how to use T-Life to set up or manage your payment arrangement. This will save you the $10 payment support fee.”

Other changes T-Mobile is making

This new rule is actually part of T-Mobile’s larger plan. According to a previously leaked document, the carrier is planning to make customers 100% dependent on the T-Life app. This means that if you want to add new lines, activate your account, or upgrade, you’ll have no choice but to use T-Life.

We understand T-Mobile’s desire to move to a mobile solution. In theory it is easier and more modern, but the reality is that many users have complained about the user-friendliness of T-Life. Even T-Mobile employees have complained about the app. That being said, maybe it’s something that needs to be given time.

We’re sure that if T-Life was the only way for users to handle their T-Mobile account, they’ll eventually get used to it. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking. Either way, we’ll find out eventually.

The post T-Mobile’s New Rule Makes Paying Bills Harder by Forcing Users to T-Life appeared first on Android Headlines.

In order to remain the default search engine on Safari, Google pays Apple billions of dollars a year for that “privilege.” But now, it looks like Apple is about to return the favor. According to a report from Bloomberg, Apple could soon pay Google $1 billion in order to use a custom Gemini model for Siri.

Apple could pay Google for the upgraded Siri

The report claims that Apple and Google are nearing a deal for the upgraded version of Siri. This deal would see Apple pay the search giant $1 billion a year. That’s a lot of money, but when you think about how much Google pays Apple, well, it’s quite a paltry sum.

For those unfamiliar, Apple is expected to launch an upgraded version of Siri in 2026. However, instead of building it themselves, a recent report claims that Apple will get a helping hand from Google. The report claims that the underlying LLM powering the upgraded Siri is actually a customized version of Gemini.

Seeing as how Gemini has already been so well-established, it makes sense. The earlier report also claimed that Apple had tested models from both Anthropic and Google, but ultimately went with Google. This is reportedly due to costs, plus Apple and Google already have a working relationship which makes things easier.

A temporary solution

That being said, don’t think for a second that this deal means Apple is giving up its own AI dreams. Apple is said to view this arrangement with Google as a temporary solution. Given how Apple loves to do everything in-house, this makes sense. 

As it stands, Apple’s current AI model which is used to power Apple Intelligence uses 150 billion parameters. The customized version of Gemini, on the other hand, is said to feature 1.2 trillion parameters. This means that it is roughly eight times more complex than whatever Apple has at the moment.

However, Apple is said to be working on a 1 trillion parameter model of its own. We’re not sure when the company will debut it, but currently it seems like Apple is bleeding a lot of AI talent to other firms like Meta.

The post Apple May Pay Google $1 Billion to Power Siri with Gemini AI appeared first on Android Headlines.

The Google Play Store is a great place to buy apps, movies, books, and more. But if you’re looking for digital gift cards, you’re in luck. According to a report from Droid-Life, they have discovered that Google is allowing users to buy digital gift cards from the Play Store itself. This means you won’t have to jump between apps to get your gift cards.

Grab digital gift cards from the Google Play Store

Google is partnering with Blackhawk Network to roll out this new digital gift card mall for the Play Store. It also appears to be live for users in the United States, United Kingdom, and Mexico. The feature gives you access to major retailers, dining spots, and entertainment brands without ever leaving the Play Store app. You can browse, buy, and send cards via email or text in just a few taps.

Finding the Google Play Store digital gift cards section is simple. Open the app, search “gift cards,” or tap your profile picture and select “Gift Cards.” From there, pick a brand, choose the amount, add a personal message if you want, and send it off. The whole process happens inside the Play Store. This means no redirects, no extra logins, and no jumping around between different websites.

Right now, the feature works best on mobile devices. Desktop support isn’t fully rolled out yet, so stick to your phone or tablet for the best experience. Once you’ve sent the gift card, recipients should get a digital code they can redeem online or in-store, depending on the brand.

What this means for users and brands

For brands, selling their gift cards through Google Play Store is actually a smart play. This is because it creates a direct line to over 2.5 billion monthly users across 190+ markets. While these gift cards can be purchased from other places, having an all-in-one storefront will make it easier. 

Google Play has come a long way from simply offering its own store credit. You can still send Google Play credit to friends, but now the options extend to dozens of third-party brands. This will definitely make it easier for users to send more specific gifts, rather than generic Google Play credit.

The post Google Play Store Digital Gift Cards Now Cover Dozens of Popular Brands appeared first on Android Headlines.

Official app storefronts like Google Play often boast that it has tighter security measures and systems in place to prevent malware downloads. But there’s no such thing as a perfect system. In fact, a recent report from cloud security company, Zscaler, revealed that malicious Android apps have been downloaded from Google Play a whopping 42 million times.

Malicious Android apps are slipping past Google’s defenses

The report revealed that these malicious Android apps were downloaded more than 40 million times between June 2024 and May 2025. The company also noticed a 67% year-over-year growth in malware, specifically those that are targeting mobile devices. We’re talking about spyware and banking trojans being of particular note.

According to Zscaler, “To carry out these attacks, cybercriminals deploy phishing trojans and malicious apps designed to steal financial information and login credentials.” Interestingly enough, out of all the attacks, the US, Canada, and India received about 55% of them.

The company has also announced three of the most notable malware that have affected Android users. This includes Anatsa, which was first discovered in 2020. The latest version can apparently steal data from over 831 financial organizations and crypto platforms. Then there is Void, a malware targeting Android TV boxes and has infected at least 1.6 million devices to date. However, these devices are running outdated versions of AOSP. 

Last but not least is Xnotice. This is a relatively new remote access trojan that seems to target users who are looking for jobs in the oil and gas industry.

How to protect yourself?

One of the easiest ways to protect yourself is to download apps from official storefronts. We know we said that no system is perfect, but Google has done a pretty good job so far. Also, be sure to check the reviews of the apps and see who are its developers. This is important because sometimes some developers might try to trick users with similar sounding apps.

Reviews will also tell you if an app is legitimate. If there are many bad reviews, then stay away. Lastly, avoid downloading apps from suspicious sources, including APK files sent via email. This is an easy way for hackers to slip malware into your phone without knowing.

The post Over 42 Million Malicious Android Apps Downloaded from Google Play — Here’s What You Need to Know appeared first on Android Headlines.

The problem with the current traditional method of search is that it’s hard to do multiple searches back to back on the same topic. This is because every time you search, it’s like a new query, so you do lose some context along the way. But that’s the beauty of Google’s Search Live, which lets you continue having contextual AI conversations while it gets you the information you want.

Search Live now better for privacy

Now, the problem with Google Search Live is that it will continue listening even when you close the app. However, according to Android Authority, it discovered an upcoming change in the app. With this change, Google Search Live will actually respect your permissions where it will stop listening when you close the app.

At the moment, if you’re in the middle of a search, Google Search Live will continue to listen to you. This still happens if you switch apps or close it. From a privacy standpoint, it’s worrying. This is because you don’t know what the app is picking up on. Or what kind of information it could be sending back to Google.

At least with this change, you know that when you close the app it will stop listening. In version 16.44.59.sa.arm64 of the Google app, it seems that Google is giving users the ability to toggle on or off Search Live when you leave the app. If for whatever reason you prefer the app to keep running, you can. But if you’re worried about privacy, you can just toggle it off.

What is Google Search Live?

For those unfamiliar, Google Search Live might sound a lot like Gemini. Gemini is Google’s AI model where users can ask it all kinds of questions. However, the main difference is that Gemini is designed to be a personal assistant. Sure, it can do search functionality, but it’s necessarily the best at it.

This is compared to Search Live, which keeps true to Google’s search roots. Instead of formulating its own answer, which can be wrong due to AI hallucinations, it will give users a carousel of web links. This means that you can choose to either rely on the given answer, or go through the web links for your own due diligence.

The post Google Search Live Update Lets You Continue Conversations With Better Privacy Controls appeared first on Android Headlines.

Similar to other AI models like ChatGPT and Claude, Google’s Gemini has a Deep Research feature. This allows the AI model to dive deeper into topics to get you more advanced answers. But now, an APK teardown by Android Authority has uncovered upcoming changes that would allow Gemini Deep Research to look through your own personal sources like Gmail, Google Drive, or Google Chat.

Gemini Deep Research goes deeper

According to the teardown, it seems that Google is working on an update to Gemini Deep Research that gives users more control over their source, like Gmail, for example. This means that if you’re looking to find out more about a topic that’s been discussed within emails, or within Google Drive, you can specify that.

Some of you might think it’s a waste not to have deep research expand to the web, but it makes sense. Sometimes, for some businesses, your discussions are held internally and over email. This could be for an upcoming product launch, or looking at internal metrics that are not otherwise not available publicly. 

So, by allowing Gemini Deep Research to take a closer look at your Gmail inbox or the contents of your Google Drive, you can still extract the same quality of information. However, at the moment in its current form, Android Authority was unable to generate a report from Google Drive or Gmail. Presumably the feature isn’t completely live yet, which might explain why.

In any case, it’s hard to say when Google will be bringing this feature to the public. Sometimes APK teardowns hint at potential changes or new features, but they don’t always make the cut. Either way, we’ll have to wait and see.

Integrating Gemini across its services

This deeper integration of Google services in Gemini is kind of funny. In the past, we would see Google integrate Gemini across its services. Now, Google services are being integrated into Gemini.

We had previously seen how Gemini’s integration into Google Drive allowed the AI to analyze your videos. Gemini for Gmail also helps users summarize their emails and automatically schedule meetings and events. If you’re deep into the Google ecosystem, then this upcoming update might be worth checking out.

Gemini Deep Research Gmail 1

Gemini Deep Research Gmail 2

Gemini Deep Research Gmail 3

Gemini Deep Research Gmail 4

The post Gemini Deep Research Could Soon Tap Into Gmail & Google Drive for Smarter Insights appeared first on Android Headlines.

Come 2026, Qualcomm will shake up its plans for its flagship chipset. According to the rumors, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will launch with two different versions. This could lead to more differentiation between flagship phones.

Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 launching with different versions

According to a post on Weibo by Digital Chat Station, they claim that the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 will launch with two different versions. But first, the similarities. Both chips will be manufactured using TSMC’s 2nm process. The CPU architecture will consist of a 2+3+3 design.

However, the main difference is that one will be a “Pro” version. The difference is that the Pro model will feature different GPU specs while also supporting faster LPDDR6 RAM. Other than that, the rest of the specs should remain the same between both models. It’s an interesting approach by Qualcomm.

In the past, Qualcomm typically released one version of its flagship chipset, that is if you’re not counting the exclusive overclocked version Samsung uses. This approach means that phone makers will have more options when it comes to chipsets. This could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it.

More options are a good thing?

In the Android scene, flagship phones tend to be powered by the same chipset. Some might go with MediaTek, but for the most part, they’re usually powered by Qualcomm. This means that the differentiating factor lies in other specs like the cameras, battery, display size, and software.

However, by introducing variances in its chipset, this could result in phone makers launching different phones powered by different chipsets. This has the potential to result in confusion, where those who aren’t in the know might assume they’re the same. It could also make it harder for consumers to choose.

But at the same time, if manufacturers do it properly, we could see flagship phones offered at lower prices. For non-gamers, having slower/older RAM and a lower-powered GPU might not be a bad thing. But then for those who need the power, they have the option to opt for the higher-specced Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.

Either way, nothing has been confirmed yet so take it with a grain of salt.

The post Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Rumored to Launch in Two Versions for 2026 appeared first on Android Headlines.

Android 16 is the latest major OS update from Google. It introduces a bunch of upgrades, improvements, and new features, and it’s obviously rather exciting. However, new features are great, but so are security and quality-of-life updates. So, if you own an Android phone, you might want to keep an eye out for the Google November 2025 system update.

What’s new in the Google November 2025 system update?

Google Play Services v25.43 brings improved Parent-managed contacts and School Time features. If you’ve set up supervised accounts for your kids, managing those accounts should feel smoother now. The Google System November 2025 update makes supervision tools easier to navigate, which honestly saves time when you’re trying to adjust settings on the fly. 

The update also revamped the Storage section of Google Settings. It’s one of those quality-of-life improvements that you won’t notice until you need to check how much space your apps are hogging.

Next up, Android Autofill now supports CVV storage and retrieval. Previously, you’d have to manually type in those three-digit security codes every single time you made a purchase. Now your phone can handle it securely, speeding up online checkout without compromising safety. This feature works alongside existing Google Wallet functionality, creating a more seamless payment experience across Android devices.

New developer tools, expanded Google Wallet support

Developers also got some new tools in the Google System November 2025 update. It now supports customizing cameras for scanning images on both PC and Phone. This opens up possibilities for apps that need to scan documents, QR codes, or other visual information with more precision.

Last but not least, Google Wallet picked up Pix payment support for GBoard users. Pix is Brazil’s instant payment system, and integrating it directly into the keyboard makes transactions faster for users in that market.

Note that you might not necessarily see these features live yet. Sometimes it can take Google a while to fully launch it, either in the coming days, weeks, or months. But either way, since it is part of the update, it will eventually make its way onto your device.

The post Google System November 2025 Update Brings Smarter Tools and Seamless Payments appeared first on Android Headlines.

From being a video platform that hosted a lot of silly memes and dance videos, TikTok has grown into the social media juggernaut that we all know (and use) today. Perhaps looking to seal its legitimacy, TikTok has announced its first-ever awards show in the US.

TikTok to host its first-ever awards show in the US

According to the announcement on its website, the company will be hosting the TikTok Awards show in the US on Thursday, December 18. The event will be hosted at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. It will celebrate creators with awards and titles. This includes Creator of the Year, Video of the Year, Muse of the Year, Breakthrough Artist of the Year, and more.

The nominees for Creator of the Year include adamw, alixearle, brookemonk_, keith_lee125, and kristy.sarah. As for the nominees for Video of the Year, those include videos by bretmanrock, chrisandfinck, ronclark__, taylortiminskas, and turkuazkitchen. TikTok is also celebrating CapCut creators, with nominees that include allthatisshe, liahyoo, paigepiskin, recider, and thesocialcreativesclub.

According to TikTok, “Premiering the TikTok Awards in the US marks the start of a new era for our community — honoring creators who’ve turned passion into purpose across every category. Speciality areas from our platform will also have their moment to shine.”

Not the first awards show

While the TikTok Awards might be the first for the company, it’s not the only one. Other platforms such as YouTube have hosted their own. We’re talking about the YouTube Streamy Awards, which has been held annually since around 2009. While Instagram doesn’t have its own award show, it does have the Rings Awards program.

This is less of an awards show and more about creators receiving physical gold rings and digital rings that they can use as their profiles. Social media has definitely come a long way since it first debuted. The rise in our consumption has allowed many creators to turn it into legitimate careers, with some earning millions from their videos, turning them into celebrities.

The post TikTok Announces Its First-Ever US Awards Show to Celebrate Creators appeared first on Android Headlines.

Most of us probably don’t pay too much attention to the backend stuff of AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT. However, since a lot of AI processing is done in the cloud, choosing a backend service is critical in terms of speed and reliability. Now, it looks like Amazon just got a massive boost from OpenAI via a 38 billion dollar deal.

OpenAI and Amazon sign 38 billion dollar deal

According to reports, both OpenAI and Amazon have signed a seven-year deal worth $38 billion. This will see OpenAI turn to Amazon’s AWS for its cloud services. It would also give OpenAI access to hundreds of thousands of NVIDIA’s GPUs, namely the GB200s and GB300s GPUs, both of which are optimized for low-latency, high-efficiency AI processing.

This is not just good news for OpenAI, but also for Amazon. On the surface, most people associate Amazon with online retail services and maybe smart home tech. However, Amazon is also responsible for powering the backend of the internet via AWS. This is why it was such a huge deal a couple of weeks ago when AWS was hit with an outage, resulting in hundreds of websites and online services going dark.

This investment by OpenAI would also allow Amazon to better compete with Microsoft. In fact, prior to this investment, OpenAI had primarily relied on Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing services. While OpenAI will continue working with Microsoft, it has made a smart play by diversifying. This means in case one side goes down, there’s another to act as backup.

Is OpenAI spending too much?

Right now, the AI industry is booming. Everyone wants a piece of the tech, and we don’t blame them. It’s borderline magical what AI can do, from generating images and hyper-realistic videos on the fly with a few simple prompts. However, critics are warning about AI being a bubble that’s prime to burst.

Many AI companies aren’t actually making money. In fact, it has been estimated that for every $1 the company earns, it loses $3. In the first six months of 2025, OpenAI revealed it generated $4.3 billion in revenue. However, at the same time, it posted a loss of $13.5 billion. 

But instead of stepping back, many AI companies are doubling down. In addition to this new deal with Amazon, OpenAI is also investing $1.4 trillion annually in data centers and AI infrastructure through 2030. This begs the question of whether or not the industry in general is spending too much. Maybe this will all work out in the end, but we’ll have to wait and see.

The post OpenAI Signs $38 Billion Deal with Amazon to Power AI Growth appeared first on Android Headlines.

It is without doubt that TSMC makes some of the best semiconductors in the market. This is why many big tech companies, like Apple, Qualcomm, AMD, NVIDIA, and MediaTek, are flocking to them. However, it seems that TSMC’s dominance comes with a price, quite literally. According to a report from the Commercial Times (via Abhishek Yadav), TSMC is raising prices again.

TSMC is raising prices again

According to the report, TSMC is raising prices again, and it is expected to continue doing that every year. This applies to the company’s 5nm nodes and below, with yearly hikes ranging from 3-5%. However, some reports suggest that it could even go up to 10% per year, depending on the node.

Yadav did some calculations based on the 10% figure, which suggests that come 2029, the prices of TSMC’s chips could be around 146.41% in 2029. That’s quite a huge markup, and companies probably have no choice but to pay. However, it also means that profit margins will shrink unless those costs are passed down to customers.

The need for Samsung to step in

That being said, the increase in prices may benefit TSMC for the short-term. However, if it keeps on going at this rate, other companies might start seeking alternatives, like Samsung. At the moment, Samsung is probably the closest competitor to TSMC. The company has its own manufacturing services.

However, reports have suggested that Samsung’s yield rates aren’t as good as TSMC. This is why companies like Qualcomm have gone back to TSMC again and again. But Samsung has reportedly dropped close to $1 billion in an investment in high-end lithography machines. This is expected to help Samsung bring it closer to TSMC’s manufacturing capabilities.

It might be a while before we see any change. 2026 will usher in the era of 2nm chips, and most companies are already locked in with TSMC. Samsung is expected to debut its own 2nm chips with the Exynos 2600. If it does well, maybe other companies could start diversifying their supply chain and offload some of their semiconductor needs to Samsung. This could potentially reduce overall costs, which will also help keep the prices of phones and computers more stable.

The post TSMC Is Raising Prices Again—Samsung Finally Catch Up? appeared first on Android Headlines.

Shortly after failing to negotiate a new deal before the October 30 deadline, Disney pulled the plug on its channels on YouTube TV. Both companies have thrown accusations at each other over the failure to land a new deal, but we could be close to some kind of compromise. In an email sent to Disney, YouTube TV revealed it is ready to bring back ABC, but there is a catch.

YouTube TV will bring back Disney’s ABC, but it wants more

According to the email to Disney, which YouTube TV shared publicly, it seems that the streaming platform is willing to bring ABC back, but there is a catch, and that is it wants ESPN as well.

It turns out that Disney is requesting that YouTube TV restore access to ABC for one day due to Election Day. YouTube TV appeared to be semi-willing, but it also requested that Disney bring back ESPN, and that subscribers will be able to access both channels indefinitely while both parties continue their negotiations.

According to YouTube TV’s email, “To truly achieve what is best for our mutual customers, we propose immediately restoring the Disney channels that our customers watch: ABC and the ESPN networks, while we continue to negotiate. Those are the channels that people want.”

The platform also pointed out that Disney has other alternatives of streaming its content. There is the ABC News YouTube page that could be used to livestream news information. Then, there are also ABC local stations with their own YouTube pages that could do the same. This means that while YouTube TV is willing, it is playing hardball.

Disney had previously issued a statement to Deadline saying, “Despite the impasse that led to the current blackout, we have asked YouTube TV to restore ABC for Election Day so subscribers have access to the information they rely on. We believe in putting the public interest first and hope YouTube TV will take this small step for their customers while we continue to work toward a fair agreement.”

No end in sight

Right now, it appears that the failure to negotiate new terms is turning out uglier than we thought. It’s not the first time we’re hearing about licensing deals expiring because both sides can’t find a favorable deal. However, this spat is becoming bigger than we anticipated. So much so that YouTube TV is actually willing to compensate some subscribers with $10 a month over the next 6 months.

YouTube TV has called Disney’s negotiations “unnecessarily aggressive,” while Disney had accused Google of “exploiting its position” to gain favorable terms. Namely, YouTube TV wanted additional channels such as Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN.

The post YouTube TV Wants Disney’s ABC Back — But There’s a Catch appeared first on Android Headlines.

AI is all we can seem to talk about these days. It’s everywhere we look. Products that shouldn’t have or don’t need AI seem to have slotted in the term in its marketing materials. So, if you’re sick about AI, we get it. Unfortunately, AI isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, Fierce recently sat down with a T-Mobile boss for an interview, where he revealed that AI is here to stay.

T-Mobile boss says AI here to stay

Speaking to Fierce, John Saw, a boss at T-Mobile and who is also its President of Technology and Chief Technology Officer, said that AI is the future. Saw was talking about the carrier’s integration of AI into its network. “The future of the network is going to be AI native. What we mean by that is basically, the AI native stack is integrated into every layer of the network – hardware, software and the architecture.”

Specifically, the publication was asking Saw about the carrier’s work with NVIDIA in using AI in its networks. The company is expected to start running AI-RAN field tests in 2026, but it has already started using AI in some areas. 

Right now, the carrier uses AI to help its network organize itself. The AI will help to steer antenna coverage to areas where customers are congregating. This is particularly useful in natural disasters. For example, when Hurricane Milton hit Florida, a lot of T-Mobile’s cell sites were lost. However, it only saw 8% of customer connections go down because of the use of AI, which helped steer antenna beams to the right areas.

There are even talks about potentially integrating GPUs into base stations. This is part of Nokia’s plan, where it intends to use NVIDIA’s Aerial RAN Computer Pro into its AI-RAN solution. T-Mobile hasn’t committed itself into buying a specific product yet, so we’re not sure if that’s the direction the carrier will go.

Laying the foundation for 6G

Now, some of you might think that AI-RAN is overkill or maybe even unnecessary. But what T-Mobile is doing here is essentially laying the foundation for 6G. Compared to 5G, 6G will naturally offer faster speeds, that much is a given.

However, one of the main differences is that 6G is envisioned as being an AI-native network. This means that unlike 5G SA, where AI is used to augment the network, 6G will be more “AI-first,” where AI will be built into the architecture and network functions.

According to Saw, “Our network is born ready for 6G and that’s why we’re pushing initiatives like the AI RAN. We see where the future is going. It’s going to be the intersection of AI and mobile networks.”

The post T-Mobile Boss Says AI Is the Future of Mobile Networks appeared first on Android Headlines.

Paying a flat fee for a streaming service is a great alternative to buying TV shows or movies individually. To a certain extent, it solves the issue with piracy because at around $10-$20 a month, it’s pretty affordable. However, the problem with streaming is licensing. If these platforms cannot strike a deal with movie studios or distributors, they will lose those shows. That’s exactly what happened here with YouTube TV and Disney, although the good news is that there is some compensation.

YouTube TV subscribers get compensation over Disney channel loss

According to a post on Reddit by u/Happy-Spare4582, it seems that YouTube TV is offering compensation to some users over the Disney channel loss. It’s not a particularly huge compensation at $10 monthly credit for the next six months, but we suppose it’s better than nothing. It’s safe to assume that Google doesn’t want users to cancel their YouTube TV subscription.

However, even then, Google isn’t making this particularly easy. Users will have to find the compensation in the account management page. They have to go to Manage membership > Manage Base plan section on the YouTube TV website on their PC to claim it. As if navigating the settings wasn’t enough, the post on Reddit suggests that it might not be available to everyone.

Ultimately, if you are lucky enough to have been chosen to receive this compensation, it brings YouTube TV’s subscription down to $73 a month, with a total savings of $60. If you want, you could always use that $10, top it up a bit more, and subscribe directly to Disney. This means you’ll spend a little bit more, but it’s a workaround for the time-being. If not, you will lose access to 20 channels from Disney’s network. This might be important to some, especially given the ongoing college football, NFL, and NHL seasons.

Failed negotiations

Like we said, licensing deals are an important part of a streaming platform. If it cannot get enough shows on its platform, users will just subscribe to another. Obviously original content matters too, but users want to be able to watch other stuff too.

Both Google and Disney have been trying to negotiate a deal, which expired on October 30. However, the reason the negotiations failed is because Google wanted better rates (obviously). It also wanted its subscribers to access additional Disney content, like Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+.

Disney told CNBC, “This is the latest example of Google exploiting its position at the expense of their own customers.” YouTube, in return, responded by saying, “Unfortunately, Disney is proposing costly economic terms that would raise prices on YouTube TV customers and give our customers fewer choices, while benefiting Disney’s own live TV products — like Hulu + Live TV and, soon, Fubo.”

The post YouTube TV Offers Compensation After Losing Disney Channels appeared first on Android Headlines.

In the mobile space, Samsung’s Exynos chipsets have almost become like a bad word. Whenever the idea of an Exynos-powered Galaxy S-series phone is brought up, we cringe. This is because past Exynos chipsets have always provided subpar performance, but the good news is that the upcoming Exynos 2600 could have everyone beat, especially in terms of efficiency.

Exynos 2600 beats Apple in efficiency tests

In a post on X by @SPYGO19726, they have shared the efficiency numbers of the Exynos 2600 based on a prototype chip. According to the Geekbench 6 figures, the Exynos managed 7.6W on multi-core tests. For context, this is better than what Apple has managed with its A19 Pro, which scored 12.1W.

Prior to this test, the A19 Pro was actually the leader of the pack. This is based on Wccftech’s tests where they compared the chip against the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and the Dimensity 9500. Both of these chipsets are expected to power the majority of 2026’s flagships, so we think it’s a fair comparison.

So, how did Samsung manage to achieve this level of efficiency where others did not? Well, turns out Samsung has its 2nm GAA manufacturing process to thank. The use of the 2nm GAA process has reduced the amount of leakage. This means that the chip is able to run without too much power going to waste. This could mean that phones powered by the Exynos 2600 could have better battery life.

However, we should note that this is based on an alleged prototype of the chip. We’re not sure if the commercial version of the Exynos 2600 will fare as well. But at least based on the numbers so far, we’re pretty optimistic.

Where will we see the chip used?

Now, according to the rumors, Samsung might use the Exynos 2600 for its Galaxy S26 series. We don’t think the company is going all-in and ditch Qualcomm, but we could see it used in different regions. Some rumors have even suggested that it could make its way into the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Wouldn’t that be something!

However, it does make sense. Recent benchmarks have revealed that the Exynos 2600 performs pretty well. While it trails the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 by a small margin, we don’t think it’s that big of a gap where users will be able to tell the difference. But not everyone is that optimistic about it.

Some analysts believe that the Exynos 2600 is still a bit premature. Samsung apparently has a yield issue, where we’re looking at yields of 50%. This could be a reason why Samsung might not be ready to go all-in yet. Also, it does feel a little unfair. The Exynos 2600 is built on the 2nm process, while the rest are still using the 3nm process. We’ll have to wait for 2026’s 2nm chips if we want to see a more fair comparison.

The post Samsung’s Exynos 2600 Outsmarts Apple with Superior Efficiency appeared first on Android Headlines.

Recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook confirmed that the company’s long-awaited upgraded Siri will be coming in 2026. However, we expressed our skepticism. Looking at the state of Apple Intelligence, we can’t say we have a lot of confidence in the company’s ability to pull it off. However, our fears may be put to rest. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, the journalist has revealed that the new Siri could be powered by Google Gemini.

A little helping hand from Google

In the newsletter’s FAQ section, Gurman spoke more about the new Siri model and how Google Gemini will power it. According to Gurman, Apple has hired Google to create a custom Gemini-based model that will run on Apple’s own private cloud servers. This version of Google Gemini will help to power the new Siri model.

Apple had previously held a “bake-off” between Anthropic and Google. It seems that while Apple preferred Anthropic’s model, the company’s pre-existing relationship with Google made more sense.  That being said, there are a couple of things that we should take note of.

While Apple will use a Google Gemini-based model for its new Siri, it won’t actually be Gemini. This means that if you downloaded the Gemini app on your iPhone, or if you’ve used it on the web or Android, the version Apple will use won’t be 100% the same. Its capabilities might be the same, since it is based on Gemini, but ultimately it will still be Siri at the end of the day.

This is actually good news

If Gurman’s report is accurate, we can breathe a sigh of relief. Like we said, Apple Intelligence is horrible to use and even calling it basic is an overstatement. In this regard, it’s good to see that Apple is quietly acknowledging that it cannot do everything itself. 

Apple has already teamed up with OpenAI for more complex and advanced Apple Intelligence tasks. There have been rumors that Apple could offer Gemini as one of the model options for Apple Intelligence. We’re not sure if that will still happen, but maybe Siri powered by Gemini makes more sense.

In any case, take it with a grain of salt. 2026 is shaping up to be a massive year for Apple. If the company’s plans are on track, we should learn more about this upgraded version of Siri at WWDC 2026.

The post Apple’s New Siri Might Be Powered by Google Gemini in 2026 appeared first on Android Headlines.

Every year, we can expect Apple to announce a few products. This includes refreshes to its Mac computers, iPads, Apple Watch, and iPhone. However, 2026 could be a massive year of products for Apple. This is according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter, where he reveals everything Apple could launch next year.

Early 2026: New iPhones, smart home products, and more

According to Gurman, Apple is expected to kick off 2026 with a bunch of new products. This includes a shakeup to the company’s iPhone launch strategy. The company will most likely launch the iPhone 17e and potentially the base iPhone 18. 

In addition to the new iPhones, Apple could also refresh the MacBook Air with the new M5 chipset, as well as launch MacBook Pros with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chip options. Gurman also claims we can look forward to new Mac displays, an M4-powered iPad Air, an A18-powered entry-level iPad, as well as new smart home products.

In case you forgot, there have been rumors that Apple could launch its own smart displays, and early 2026 is when we can expect to see them.

Mid-2026: WWDC

Moving on towards the middle part of 2026, we expect not to see any new products from Apple. The company will host its annual WWDC event, where we can look forward to the next-generation software. Unless Apple plans to change its naming scheme, this will most likely come in the form of iOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, iPadOS 27.

Apple could also use this opportunity to introduce updates and new features to Apple Intelligence. We might even see the long-awaited Siri revamp.

Fall 2026: Apple’s major iPhone event

As for the fall of 2026, this is where we can see Apple debut its flagship iPhones. This will come in the form of the iPhone 18 series. Like we said earlier, Apple’s new strategy will see the company debut the base iPhone 18 in the early part of the year. For the fall event, Apple will launch its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

It is also when the company will officially take off the wraps on its foldable iPhone. Now, we’ve been hearing rumors Apple could delay the foldable iPhone to 2027, but Gurman’s report suggests that it could debut next year as planned. We might even see Apple introduce its own in-house modems to the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max.

What else?

Now, this won’t be all Apple has up its sleeves for its products in 2026. Gurman’s report also claims that we might see a new iPad mini, an M5-powered Mac mini, a new M5 Mac Studio, and maybe even new product categories like smart security cameras. Last but not least, we might even get a potential preview of Apple’s take on smart glasses.

Assuming all goes according to plan, 2026 is shaping up to be one of Apple’s biggest launches in recent history. Nothing has been confirmed yet, so take it with a grain of salt.

The post Apple’s 2026 Lineup Could Be Its Biggest Yet: New iPhones, Macs, iPads & More appeared first on Android Headlines.

Remember when ChatGPT launched and everyone predicted Google’s search empire would crumble? Yeah, about that. Here’s the reality check nobody saw coming. A massive new report from Datos, a Semrush company, just analyzed billions of desktop searches from millions of users across the US and Europe. The data reveals an unexpected AI search evolution: Google isn’t just surviving the revolution, it’s absolutely crushing it with a 95% market share in both regions.

And as for all those headlines about OpenAI killing Google with ChatGPT’s search features? Turns out they were way off base.

AI Was Supposed to Win. It Didn’t.

Don’t get me wrong. ChatGPT and its AI buddies have definitely made an impact. Usage has nearly tripled over the past year. More than 30% of US desktop users and over 40% of Europeans are now using ChatGPT. Tools like Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity have their loyal fans too.

On the surface, it sounds like Google might have just lost 30-40% of its users to AI. But here are some numbers to put it into perspective: AI tools only make up about 1.3% of total browsing activity.

Despite every tech pundit on Twitter declaring that AI would replace Google, it barely makes a dent in how people actually search for stuff online. AI isn’t replacing traditional search at all. It’s just another tool in your digital toolbox. You might ask ChatGPT to help you debug some code or brainstorm ideas. Then you’ll hop over to Google’s AI Mode to find that new Thai restaurant or check if your favorite shoes are on sale.

The Zero-Click Problem Nobody’s Talking About

Okay, so Google’s not dead. However, it does have one major issue that publishers are grappling with. Zero-click searches.

Almost 27% of Google searches now end without anyone clicking anything. This is up from 24.4% just a year ago. People are getting their answers right there on the search results page and calling it a day.

For anyone running a website or trying to drive traffic, this is kind of scary. You’ve done all your SEO homework, you put in the effort into crafting the best articles. All this just so you could rank number one on Google. But then you still get zero visitors because Google just answered the question itself. And the worst part is that these answers might have been scraped from your own website.

Google’s AI Overviews feature is a big part of this. These AI-generated summaries now show up in over 13% of searches, and that number keeps climbing. Some estimates say they could appear in more than 80% of informational searches soon.

In August, Google straight up denied that AI search was hurting website traffic. Publishers weren’t buying it. Multiple reports showed traffic tanking, especially for news sites, but Google said everything was fine.

Reddit Is the Real Disruptor

But if you really want to know what’s actually shaking up the search game, it’s not some fancy AI tool. It’s an oldie but goodie: Reddit.

The community-driven platform has absolutely exploded in popularity. It’s overtaken Facebook in desktop visits in the US and is catching up fast in Europe. Reddit now sits comfortably in the top five destinations people reach from search engines, right alongside YouTube, Amazon, Wikipedia, and Facebook.

This is because people are tired of reading polished, SEO-optimized garbage that tells them nothing useful. When you Google “best budget laptop Reddit,” you’re saying loud and clear that you want real opinions from real people, not some affiliate marketing nonsense. Reddit got so valuable that Google paid them $60 million for access to their data to train AI models.

This is actually a fascinating turnaround. In the past, websites strived to provide readers with neutral commentary and let them make the decisions themselves. But now? We’re missing the human touch so much that sometimes diving deep into an echo chamber like Reddit might yield more interesting (and controversial) opinions and perspectives that traditional websites might not have.

AI Can’t Kill What It Can’t Replace

While AI is stealing traffic from some sites, it’s completely failing to disrupt others.

YouTube remains untouchable. It’s the top destination from traditional search in both the US and Europe. It’s also the second-most visited site from AI tools.

But why can’t AI touch video content? Because watching someone actually do something is way more valuable than reading about it. You can’t replace a 10-minute tutorial on fixing your sink with a text summary. Try learning a new dance move from ChatGPT. Good luck with that.

This reveals something important about what AI is actually disrupting. Sites offering basic, factual, “evergreen” content are getting hammered. Wikipedia, for example, lost 5% of its human traffic year over year while bots and scrapers grew massively. Stack Overflow, Chegg, and similar Q&A sites are bleeding traffic.

But platforms offering fresh perspectives, community discussions, and video content? They’re actually thriving. YouTube’s citation rate in AI answers jumped from 37% to 54%. Reddit gets mentioned by ChatGPT as often as it gets cited. These platforms offer something AI can’t replicate: real human experiences and visual demonstrations.

The New Rules for Surviving AI Search

So, what does this mean for anyone trying to drive traffic or build an audience? It’s time to toss out the old playbook and start writing a new one. Creating generic “what is” articles and “how to” guides used to be a solid strategy. Now? AI just scrapes that content, summarizes it, and nobody ever visits your site.

Some publishers are already shifting their strategy. Instead of cranking out evergreen content that AI can easily replicate, they’re focusing on what AI can’t steal: original research, unique data, customer stories, and fresh perspectives that haven’t been said a million times before.

Think about it this way: ChatGPT can tell you what SEO is. But at the same time, it can’t tell you about the weird bug you just discovered in Google Search Console this morning. AI can explain Reddit. But can it spill the tea unfolding in your favorite subreddit right now?

From what we’ve gathered, the content that survives is either too specific for AI to care about, too fresh for AI to have learned yet, or too personality-driven for AI to replicate. As for everything else? Well, you might think of it like roadkill on the information superhighway.

We’ve Seen This Panic Before

The fear and resistance around AI search evolution isn’t new. We’ve watched this exact movie play out before.

There are strong parallels between how traditional artists reacted to the rise of digital art and how some content creators today feel about AI-generated content. When digital art first emerged, many traditional artists felt threatened, dismissed it as “cheating,” or questioned its legitimacy as “real art” because it offered new tools and shortcuts that made certain aspects of creation easier or faster.

Now, doesn’t that sound familiar?

Early reactions to digital art in the 2000s mirror today’s AI anxiety perfectly. Traditional artists viewed digital tools with skepticism, often calling it “not real art” because it lacked the physicality and manual skill associated with traditional mediums. Some artists felt that digital tools made art creation too easy, reducing the perceived value of the artist’s effort and skill. There was intimidation, as digital art allowed for rapid production and easy corrections, which contrasted with the more labor-intensive and irreversible nature of traditional art.

Just as digital art was once seen as a threat to traditional art, AI-powered search tools are now viewed by some as a threat to traditional websites and publishers. Both faced backlash for being labeled as “cheating” or “not legitimate,” often due to misunderstandings about the creative process and the skills required.

Over time, digital art gained acceptance as artists and audiences recognized that it required its own unique set of skills and creative decisions, much like traditional art. A similar evolution is happening with AI search right now. The tools aren’t replacing the craft. Instead, they’re expanding what’s possible.

So What’s the Verdict?

Google’s 95% market share isn’t going anywhere. ChatGPT’s search tools didn’t kill traditional search. They just gave us another option.

The real story of this AI search evolution isn’t about AI destroying Google. It’s about how we’re all learning to use multiple tools for different jobs. You’ve got Google for quick facts and finding stuff. You can also use ChatGPT for brainstorming and complex questions. Then, you can always hop on Reddit for real opinions, and finally, YouTube for how-tos.

Some things obviously need to be addressed. Zero-click searches are forcing websites to completely rethink their strategy. Generic content is dead, and community platforms and video are winning.

As for the AI revolution everyone predicted, it feels more like a gentle evolution in search. The reality is less dramatic than the headlines suggested, but way more interesting when you look at how people actually use the internet now.

So, maybe the future of search isn’t about one platform winning. It’s about all of them carving out their own space. Now, it’s up to content creators learning which types of content are worth making in an AI-powered world.

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Apple, for now, seems to have earned the favor of the Trump administration. The company, through some deft political maneuvering, has managed to escape the brunt of the tariffs and taxes the Trump administration plans on imposing. However, it is not 100% exempt. In fact, during the latest Apple earnings call, CEO Tim Cook revealed how much in tariffs the company had to pay.

How much in tariffs did Apple pay?

According to Cook, Apple had to pay $1.1 billion in tariffs in the most recent quarter. This is an increase of $300 million from the $800 million in the previous quarter. However, Cook had previously warned that this increase was coming. In the previous quarter, the CEO cautioned investors that the impact of the tariffs would be felt more in the September 2025 quarter.

Why is that? This is because September is when Apple announces its latest iPhones. It is also when the company is expected to sell the most products. With tariffs, the more you import, the more taxes you pay, so this number doesn’t come as a surprise. In fact, Cook had previously estimated that it would be around $1.1 billion, and he was right.

But here’s the thing: if you thought it would go down the next quarter, it won’t. According to Apple CFO Kevan Parekh, he says that the tariffs the company can expect to pay in the December 2025 quarter could reach $1.4 billion. This means that in total, Apple would be paying a little over $3 billion in tariffs for 2025 alone. Unless the countries affected by these tariffs negotiate better rates with the Trump administration, that’s a huge chunk of change for Apple to be paying.

But what does this mean for consumers?

To a certain extent, companies are willing to absorb some costs on behalf of consumers. This isn’t necessarily driven by goodwill, but price sensitivity. If the price goes up too much, consumers will stop buying. So it’s better for a company to take a slight hit on profit if it means continued sales.

But like we said, $3 billion is no small amount. As rich as Apple is, we’re sure that $3 billion is an amount the company would rather spend or invest into something else. If the company were to be forced to keep blowing that kind of cash on tariffs alone, eventually it would pass the buck onto its customers.

At the start of the year, the Bank of America predicted that Apple might have to raise its iPhone prices by 10% to help mitigate these tariffs. For the most part, Apple has managed to maintain the price of its latest iPhone 17 models. There were some increases, like with the iPhone 17 Pro, but users got higher base storage.

We’re not sure what Apple’s plans are for the iPhone 18 series, but at this rate, you should prepare your wallets.

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Samsung is one of the few companies in the world that are largely self-reliant. The company makes a lot of components in-house. We’re talking about memory chips and semiconductors. They even have factories to help others make semiconductors. Now, Samsung is taking things to the next level by building an AI megafactory with the help of NVIDIA.

Meet Samsung’s AI megafactory

The facility will deploy more than 50,000 NVIDIA GPUs across Samsung’s manufacturing operations. It will also embed AI into every step of the process. This includes semiconductor design, processing, equipment operation, and quality control. The goal here is to make chip production faster, smarter, and more efficient through real-time analysis and optimization.

The Samsung AI megafactory will use NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform to create digital twins of its facilities. For those unfamiliar with the concept of digital twins, these are essentially virtual replicas of physical fabs. By creating a virtual replica, Samsung can simulate and test changes before implementing them in real life. This helps with predictive maintenance, spotting problems early, and planning operations more effectively.

Samsung is also working with NVIDIA on GPU-accelerated chip design tools alongside partners like Synopsys and Cadence. These tools speed up the design process significantly, with computational lithography performance getting a 20x boost using NVIDIA’s cuLitho library. Shorter development cycles mean better chips reaching the market faster.

Going beyond chips

The partnership extends beyond semiconductor manufacturing. Samsung will use NVIDIA’s RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server GPUs to power intelligent robotics in mobile device production. This will help to enable real-time AI reasoning and automate task execution.

Both companies are also advancing AI-RAN technology, which integrates AI into mobile networks. This is crucial for the next generation of AI-powered robots, drones, and industrial machinery that need real-time processing at the network edge.

While Samsung doesn’t have the same reputation when it comes to semiconductors compared to TSMC, leveraging the use of AI to make its manufacturing process smarter and more efficient could help. The company has typically struggled with its yields. This has resulted in companies like Qualcomm turning to TSMC for its chip production. Perhaps with the use of AI, Samsung might finally be able to turn things around.

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One of the features of OpenAI’s Sora was the ability to add cameos. This is basically an AI-generated version of yourself that you can insert into the videos to make it more “believable.” But now, OpenAI has announced a new feature for Sora that lets you add other characters into the video.

OpenAI Sora now supports new characters in videos

In a post on X, OpenAI revealed that character cameos in videos are now coming to Sora. This means that in addition to inserting yourself in videos, you can select from other characters as well. These characters can include pets, illustrations, or toys. In fact, to get users started, OpenAI is launching a selection of pre-made characters that are ready to go.

According to OpenAI, “Once created, each character comes with its own permissions, separate from your personal likeness: keep it just for yourself, share it with mutual followers, or open it to everyone on Sora. Give your character a display name and handle, and tag it whenever you want it to appear in a video.”

OpenAI actually announced plans for additional character cameos last week. This was part of the company’s upcoming update to the app, which would also see OpenAI finally bring it over to Android after it enjoyed a bout of iOS exclusivity. However, do take note that Sora is still invite-only. This means that you’ll have to put your name on a waitlist to be notified. We’re not sure how long before OpenAI opens it up to everyone, so we’ll have to wait and see.

However, we wouldn’t be surprised if it takes a while for general access to happen. AI already consumes a lot of resources, even when it comes to text-based prompts and responses. So, we imagine that generating videos on the fly will be even more resource-intensive. This might explain why OpenAI isn’t so eager to open the floodgates just yet.

The deepfake dilemma

As cool as Sora is, we can’t help but feel that these types of apps only serve to further the problem of deepfakes. In the past, even when these apps weren’t that convincing, many people were already getting fooled. So, imagine that AI has progressed to the point where it’s so believable, the type of chaos it could cause.

OpenAI is trying to mitigate this by inserting a Sora watermark in videos made using the app. However, we imagine that it probably won’t be too hard to digitally remove them. Or users could just crop the video to hide it. In any case, the next time you watch a video on social media, maybe go in with a healthy dose of skepticism.

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By now, most of you have probably heard that Apple has filed a lawsuit against popular YouTuber and leakster, Jon Prosser. This lawsuit is over the leaks of iOS 26, which Prosser revealed in his own mockups ahead of Apple’s official reveal. Prosser has maintained that he did not plot to access the device. Now, new court documents in the Apple lawsuit reveal the payment details between Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti.

Apple court documents show payment details between Prosser and Ramacciotti

According to recently published court documents in the lawsuit, it revealed payment details between Prosser and Ramacciotti, the other person that is also being sued by Apple.

The court documents reveal that Prosser offered to pay Ramacciotti $650 after the FaceTime call. It also stressed that there was no prior promise or agreement for payment. This contradicts Apple’s initial claim, where the company alleges that Prosser “promised” payment if Ramacciotti could get him access to the Development iPhone.

For those unfamiliar, at that time, Ramacciotti was living with a former Apple employee, Ethan Lipnik. Lipnik had on his person a Development iPhone with an early prototype of iOS 26. At some point in time, Ramacciotti managed to gain access to the phone and unlock it. He then made a FaceTime call to Prosser to show off the early design of iOS 26. Prosser then took that information and had his own mockups made based on what he saw.

Eventually, this led to Apple filing a lawsuit against Prosser over the leaks. However, like we said, Apple’s lawsuit alleged that both parties had somehow plotted to make this happen, with Prosser promising Ramacciotti payment for his efforts. Now, these court documents are saying otherwise.

How’s the lawsuit progressing?

Apple has filed lawsuits against both Prosser and Ramacciotti, but both are progressing at different speeds. Ramacciotti had requested for two extensions to respond to Apple’s complaint. Prosser, on the other hand, missed the deadline. This resulted in Apple requesting the court to enter default against him.

We’re not sure why Prosser missed the deadline. However, in a recent update, the YouTuber said that he has been in “active communications” with Apple since the beginning. We all know that Apple does not take leaks lightly. We saw what happened when Gizmodo managed to get their hands on a prototype of the iPhone 4.

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Remember when Apple announced Apple Intelligence last year? Remember what a disaster that was? During WWDC 2024, Apple showcased a ton of cool features. The problem was that these features were mostly conceptual, as we later found out. Important features and features that users actually wanted, like an upgraded Siri, was nowhere to be found. But that will change in 2026, which is when the upgraded Siri will finally arrive.

Upgraded Siri is coming in 2026

Speaking to MSNBC, Apple CEO confirmed that a new and upgraded Siri will arrive in 2026. Cook said that the company is making “good progress” on the new Siri, and that it is on track to arrive next year. However, we’re not sure if we have to wait for iOS 27, or if the upgraded Siri will arrive as part of an iOS 26 update.

Also, when asked if Apple has plans to integrate other AI models with Siri, Cook said that there are plans to do so over time. As it stands, OpenAI’s ChatGPT is the only non-Apple AI model to feature integration in iOS. There have long been rumors that Apple and Google could work together to bring Gemini integration to iOS. However, despite those rumors, nothing has happened to date.

Apple needs to step up its AI game

That being said, we’re still a bit skeptical about this upgraded Siri. Sure, the demo videos were cool, but will it actually work that way in real life? For those who remember, Siri also had a somewhat impressive demo, but in reality, it fell way short of expectations. It eventually led to a lawsuit over misleading claims.

Then there’s the issue with Apple Intelligence. We would have had higher hopes if Apple Intelligence wasn’t such a joke. It can barely get the basics right, let alone more complex tasks. If that’s the state of Apple’s AI efforts, we’re not holding our breaths. 

We’ve heard rumors that Apple could be eyeing a potential acquisition of Perplexity to bolster its AI efforts. So far, nothing has happened yet. However, it’s not a bad idea. Apple has the resources, but for some reason it’s not making the same headway in AI compared to smaller startups. Maybe just buying the technology outright is the smarter play.

The post Apple’s Upgraded Siri Will Finally Arrive in 2026 — After Years of Waiting appeared first on Android Headlines.

How often would you say you upgrade your phone? If you upgrade it every year or every other year, one good way to get rid of your old phone would be to either sell it off or trade it in. This will help offset the cost of your new phone. However, if you are planning to get a foldable, note that these phones will not hold as much resale value compared to traditional smartphones.

Foldable phones lose resale value

According to a recent report by SellCell, it found that when it comes to foldable phones, its resale value does not hold up quite as well compared to traditional phones. The report claims that foldables actually lose up to 15.4% more resale value.

The report claims on average, foldable devices lose about 62.3% of their value in the first 6 months. But how does this compare to regular smartphones? SellCell estimates that regular phones lose about 49.8% of its value in the first 6 months. This means not only do you spend more on a brand new foldable, but you won’t recoup as much if you do decide to sell it off.

Interestingly enough, Samsung’s foldables experience the steepest decline. The report says Samsung phones see a 63.7% loss in value in the first 6 months. This is compared to other foldables, like Google’s Pixel Fold series, which loses about 58.1% of its value. But if we’re looking at which foldable brand holds its value the best, that would go to OnePlus. While the company hasn’t released a new foldable in a while, the OnePlus Open lost 55.2% of its value in the first 6 months.

But why is it?

It’s not hard to see why foldable phones lose their value faster than regular phones. One of the main concerns when buying a secondhand smartphone is battery life. Second would be the overall condition of the phone, like if there are scratches to the body, display, and camera lens. Other than that, there’s really not too much else that you need to be bothered about.

However, foldables are a different story. You have those concerns, but now you have to wonder about the overall durability of the display. This is because the displays of foldables have a finite lifespan when it comes to opening and closing them. You also don’t know if the original user took care not to press on the crease, or if dust and debris got caught in the hinge.

Ultimately, this means you’d be taking on a bigger risk buying a refurbished foldable. However, if you are curious about foldables, furbished models are a less expensive way to see if the form factor is for you. Also, based on SellCell’s report, you might be able to find one that’s at a lower-than-expected price.

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