Android Circuit: Galaxy Fold Disappointment, Snapdragon 8 Elite Launch, ROG Phone 9 Reveal

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Pixel’s Tensor Mobile upgrade, disappointing Galaxy Fold news, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite, Asus ROG Phone 9 revealed, ARM and Qualcomm’s feud, OxygenOS released, MagicOS 9.0 launch, and Android’ Chinese success.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.

The New Power Of The Pixel

Google’s Pixel 10 and Pixel 11 families (due for release in 2025 and 2026) will continue to use the Tensor Mobile chipsets. While Samsung has fabricated previous Tensors, Google is moving to TSMC for the next generation. Thanks to a recent leak, we know more details on what will lie at the heart of the new Pixel smartphones”

“Google Tensor G5 (codename “laguna”), likely to be the chip in next year’s Pixel 10 series, will be manufactured on TSMC’s 3 nm-class N3E — the same exact process node Apple uses for the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro and its M4 chips. This is great news because it’s probably the best process node currently available and will definitely be a massive upgrade over Samsung’s 4 nm-class 4LPE node used in the Tensor G4, both in efficiency and performance.”

(Android Authority).

No Cheaper Folds Planned From Samsung

Following the launch of the Galaxy Fold Special Edition—an update to the Z Fold6 that reduces the volume and thickness of the flagship foldable—Samsung has confirmed that there will not be a Fan Edition of the Z Fold6. Typically Fan Editons are cheaper versions of a leading model:

“A Samsung Electronics official said, “Rather than considering it (Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition) a premium product, it’s a product released to expand your options. You can choose according to your taste. As of now, we have no plans to release a separate product with a lower price.”

(SamMobile).

Qualcomm’s Powerhouse Arrives

Qualcomm announced a high-end Snapdragon 8 chipset for smartphones this week, the first to use it’s custom Qualcomm Oryon CPU. The Snapdragon 8 Elite’s raw performance numbers look promising, but manufacturers will likely be looking at the potential of a faster NPU to aid generative AI in 2025’s smartphones:

“Like the Snapdragon laptop chips, 8 Elite brings an Oryon CPU with a custom eight-core structure consisting of 2x prime cores clocked at 4.32 GHz and 6x performance units working at up to 3.53 GHz. That’s paired with an industry-leading 24MB L2 cache and support for 5,300MHz LPDDR5X RAM…

“the new Hexagon neural processing unit (NPU) ensures AI tasks run 45% faster with improved performance per watt. Qualcomm is bringing its AI Engine with multimodal Gen AI support. Large and small multimodal models with the ability to run up to 70 tokens on SLMs.”

(GSM Arena).

Asus Annoucne ROG Phone 9

One of the first handsets to make its mark with the new chipset is Asus’ latest gaming phone. Under the Republic Of Gamers brand, the ROG Phone 9 will be one of the first smartphones to use the Snapdragon 8 Elite. Naturally the on-board AI accomodations will be used, in this case, to boost gaming prowess. How exactly will have to wait for the reviews:

“The Asus announcement also provided a look at one of the ROG Phone 9 models, featuring the LED lights that are typically on the back of the gaming phone line. The announcement also included an “AI on, game on” tagline, which will likely point towards the continuation of artificial intelligence features being used to enhance gaming. “

(Cnet).

ARM Looks To Cancel Qualcomm’s Licence

The intensity of legal action and negotiations between ARM and Qualcomm were raised this week, as ARM has notified Qualcomm that it will be terminating the architectural licence between the companies. This dates back to Qualcomm’s purchase of Nuvia in 2021, which included the aforementioned licence:

“Arm, based in the UK, has given Qualcomm a mandated 60-day notice of the cancellation of their so-called architectural license agreement, according to a document seen by Bloomberg. The contract allows Qualcomm to create its own chips based on standards owned by Arm. The showdown threatens to roil the smartphone and personal computer markets, as well as disrupt the finances and operations of two of the most influential companies in the semiconductor industry.”

(Bloomberg).

OnePlus Release OxygenOS 15

Following the official update to Android 15, OnePlus has released the new version of OxygenOS. Following an alignment of the numbers previously, it’s OxygenOS 15. Built on the latest version of Android it will include features such as GeminiAI, Circle to Search, and Pass Scan. There’s also some of OnePlus’ own apps in there as well, including theft protection:

“When movements typical of theft, such as someone suddenly taking your device and trying to run away, are detected, the device automatically locks. Additional protections include a remote lock feature, which allows users to lock their phone using only their phone number without needing to log in to a Google account. and an offline lock to protect you if a thief tries to take your device offline to extract data is activated if the phone remains offline for a prolonged period of time.”

(OnePlus)

Honor Releases MagicOS 9.0

Also joining the Android15 powered operating systems. Honor has also updated MagicOS to the latest core. Initially available in China (and expected to ship globally in the near future, it puts the emphasis on AI, in this case pushing the personal assistant-styled options:

“[YOYO features] enhanced capabilities of our upgraded AI Agent, YOYO. With new functionalities, YOYO can handle complex tasks seamlessly, such as ordering coffee or managing schedules with just a simple command. This allows users to interact more intuitively and efficiently with Honor devices.”

(Honor).

And Finally…

The latest research from Canalys shows Android devices taking up the top four slots in the top five of Chinese smartphone sales in Q3. Apple’s iPhone has climbed back to fifth place, presumably due to the late in the period arrival of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro. Yet the growth markets are in one of Android’s strongest spaces:

“[Shoppers] are focusing on the mid-range and affordable 5G segments, leveraging features like durability, battery life, and various promotions to stimulate mass-market upgrades. These provide more options for students, the workforce, and average-income consumers.”

(Canalys).

Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!