Another week has passed, so let’s recap. Google has released Android 15 to developers, with Pixels expected to get the update in “weeks.” Other manufacturers should announce their update roadmaps soon.
Qualcomm has unveiled the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3. The new mid-range platform comes to take over from the Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, as the company seemingly forgot that there is no second-gen version of the 4nm chip. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 brings improved AI performance for tasks like activity tracking and noise cancellation during calls. The chip is very similar to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 with some downgrades in the CPU and Display departments.
The Galaxy S25 family’s chip choice has been a hotly debated topic over the past few weeks. First we heard it would be an Exynos-only affair, then two separate reports told us to expect Snapdragon everywhere . Now, another rumor, out of Samsung’s native Korea, confirms Snapdragon victory.
The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra are all said to use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 globally, apparently to “maximize” the S25 series’ performance. The Exynos 2500 will instead power the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7 coming in the second half of next year. It’s an interesting twist, considering the foldable phones have relied on Snapdragon chips up until now.
We’ve seen the first render of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition. It’s noticeably thinner than the ongoing Galaxy Z Fold6, has a brushed finish on the back, and a slightly different camera island. One of the lenses resembles a periscope zoom, and we’re expecting a 200MP main camera. Unfortunately, rumor has it that this phone will be exclusive to China and South Korea.
IFA kicked off this week. Major announcements included the 8-core Snapdragon X PlusHonorably holding the worldwide launch of the Magic V3, MagicPad 2 and Intel-powered MagicBook Art 14. Honor also revealed a Snapdragon X Elite variant of the MagicBook Art 14.
Eventually, Huawei’s triple-screen Mate XT was photographed in the wild and later the company released a teaser of it.