Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Samsung’s Galaxy upgrades, Pixel 11 worries, Honor 600’s global launch, Huawei’s first wide foldable, a new Asus tablet, Anker’s audio AI adventure, and The Android Show is coming.
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.
Samsung Offers Galaxy AI Upgrades To Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Family
Samsung continues to push Galaxy AI and its features to as many Galaxy owners as possible. The AI features showcased at the launch of the Galaxy S26 family in late February are now rolling out across the wider portfolio, with functions such as Audio Eraser, Creative Studio, Call Screening and Photo Assist coming to the S24 and S25 handsets. Forbes contributor Janhoi McGregor has more:
“The Korean company has been explicit for two years about its commitment to bringing as many people into Galaxy AI as possible. Back in 2024, when the first generative AI features landed, Samsung said it wanted to bring the Galaxy AI experience to “over 100 million” Galaxy users. There’s no immediate financial incentive for Samsung to do this, but relying on AI tools via your Samsung phone to get through the day nudges people further into the Galaxy AI ecosystem.”
The Pixel 11 Leaks Reveal A Weakness
Google’s Pixel 11 may hobble itself with a single decision, argues TechRadar’s Diane Templado. While leaked specifications highlight the new Tensor G6 chipset, Mediatek M90 5G modem, and more local-AI processing, it’s the potential to stick with 128 GB in the base model that could cause problems:
“Once Android 16, system files and apps are accounted for, usable storage drops well below the headline number. Moreover, Google’s growing AI features can take up significant local space, and things start to feel tight pretty quickly.
“It gets worse when you factor in video. Google’s recent Pixels already support 4K 60fps recording and 10-bit HDR. The next model is expected to go further with features like Cinematic Blur and advanced relighting. At roughly 300MB per minute for 4K footage, half an hour of video can eat close to 9GB. That’s before edits or duplicates.”
Honor 600’s Practical Play
This week saw the launch of the Honor 600 family of handsets with a traditional triplet of Honor 600 Lite, 600 and 600 Pro. It’s the Honor 600 that is the most interesting in terms of market dynamics. Priced in the EU from €649 for the 256 GB version, the specifications draw favorable comparisons to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 FE and Apple’s iPhone 17e, as I laid out earlier this week:
“Instead, [the Honor 600 is] targeting the competitive mid-range of the smartphone market. The specs are not only higher, but easy to see that they are higher, the Magic10 OS software is a comfortable Android experience for new users, and the overall package feels fresh and modern.”
It is worth noting that, while it is a global release, there are some tweaks on the European version to accommodate both battery restrictions and software support legislation, highlighted by GSM Arena:
“The phones come with a 6,400 mAh battery in Europe (down from 7,000 mAh internationally), but the rest of the specs have remained the same, thankfully. Both the Honor 600 and the Honor 600 Pro purchased in Europe will receive six years of Android updates.”
Huawei Winning The Wide Foldable Race
The latest design to top your smartphone portfolio in 2026 looks to be the Wide Foldable, featuring a tablet-proportioned inner screen and a chunkier outer screen. This is the space Apple is expected to debut its first foldable, while Samsung’s summer Z Fold event should see the South Korean company’s wide debut.
But the first commercial wide foldable has reached the market, and it is Huawei that takes the sash. Forbes contributor David Phelan has more:
“However, Huawei’s launch of the Pura X Max begins the move to wider foldables, a design that it’s thought is already enchanting designers at both Apple and Samsung… The Huawei design is noticeably different from rivals, with a squat shape because of its width when closed. There’s a 5.4-inch cover display that opens to a 7.7-inch internal screen.”
Asus Still Has A Thing For Android
In January 2026, Asus announced it was leaving the smartphone market, signalling that the Zenfone and ROG Phones would not see any new hardware releases. Turns out there’s a twist in this mobile tale. This week saw leaked details of the Asus Pad, a new Android-powered tablet that could arrive later this year. Android Headlines’ Kristijan Lucic:
“In terms of specs. This will not be a small tablet, as it will have a 12.2-inch dual-layer OLED display. That display will offer a 144Hz refresh rate, by the way. Dolby will be a part of the picture as well. We can also confirm that a 9,000mAh battery will be included on the inside, and that fast charging will be supported. We’re still not sure on the exact charging speed, though.”
Bringing AI To Your Ears
Anker has introduced its first custom silicon, the Thus chip, to bring local AI to audio devices. Thus is expected to make its commercial debut in May 2026 in Anker’s premium earbuds line. With physically limited volume, minimal power available, and an experience that is easily critiqued by the listener, earbuds are one of the toughest environments to bring advanced AI into. Clear Call, Signature Sound and Voice Control features already announced:
“Earbuds operate on milliwatts of power with almost no room for silicon, while running noise cancellation without pause. Until now, that constraint held earbuds to small neural networks of a few hundred thousand parameters at most, not enough to handle complex, real-world noise effectively.”
And Finally…
Ahead of next month’s I/O Developer conference, Google will host “The Android Show: I/O Edition” on YouTube. What can we expect? According to the YouTube livestream info, “This is going to be one of the biggest years for Android yet. Tune in to The Android Show | I/O Edition on Tuesday May 12 at 10 AM PT and be the first to take a look at what the future holds.” Abner Li sets the wider scene for 9to5Google:
“In 2025, Google announced Material 3 Expressive, Find Hub, and the Gemini expansion to Android Auto, Wear OS, and Google TV. We still saw Android (XR) during the I/O keynote, but the majority of OS announcements came a week earlier. Google is repeating that format for 2026. Expect consumer-facing announcements at The Android Show, with developer updates happening at I/O.”
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!
