Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days.
Google Reveals Earlier Pixel 11 Launch Date The second of the summer's big hitters is Google, with the launch of the Pixel 11 family.
Samsung's Galaxy S27 Ultra Camera Details Samsung’s foldable phones claim the summer and help push an obvious innovative angle, but it's the Galaxy S range that sits atop the candybar pyramid looking for the “number 1 phone” pennant.
Work on next year’s Galaxy S27, S27 Pro and S27 Ultra is underway, with details on the new camera hardware under discussion.
One option, highlighted by the team at GSM Arena, is a larger selfie camera on the S27 Ultra "This will allegedly be a new 16MP one.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7 smartphone (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images) AFP via Getty Images
Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked dates, Pixel 11 even confirmed, Galaxy S27 Ultra specs, Xiaomi’s five-year battery offer, smartphone price rises, LineageOS updates, and Google’s sneaky backup change.
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.
Google Reveals Earlier Pixel 11 Launch Date The second of the summer's big hitters is Google, with the launch of the Pixel 11 family. Following last year’s New York event, Google is staying in the Big Apple for the debut of new smartphones, and we have an official date: Wednesday, Aug. 12. "This is a week earlier compared to last year, with Google once again opting for an earlier Pixel hardware unveil… The Made by Google 2026 keynote will start at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET, which is much later in the day than usual. Officially, Google is teasing “the next generation of Pixel” and we see a gold metal frame that is shiny."
Samsung's Galaxy S27 Ultra Camera Details Samsung’s foldable phones claim the summer and help push an obvious innovative angle, but it's the Galaxy S range that sits atop the candybar pyramid looking for the “number 1 phone” pennant. Work on next year’s Galaxy S27, S27 Pro and S27 Ultra is underway, with details on the new camera hardware under discussion. One option, highlighted by the team at GSM Arena, is a larger selfie camera on the S27 Ultra "This will allegedly be a new 16MP one. The source of this information assumes that it might be a square sensor, emulating what Apple's done in the iPhone 17 series, but that's just speculation at the moment. The S27 and S27+ also getting the new sensor isn't entirely ruled out, but it's not clear whether that will happen just yet.
If The Battery Fails In Five Years, Xiaomi WIll Fix It Redmi’s Note 17 Pro comes with an interesting guarantee, notes GSM Arena. The battery itself is confirmed as a 9,000 mAh cell with 67W fast charging and 22.5W reverse charging. And if the battery falls below a certain level of charge, Xiaomi will take care of that: "Xiaomi believes in its battery tech so much that it offers a 5-year protection plan. If the battery capacity drops below 80% during the first four years of owning your phone, Xiaomi will replace it for free. And if it drops below 80% in the fifth year, Xiaomi will upgrade it for free."
The Rising Price Of Smartphones The impact of rising memory and storage costs is becoming increasingly visible across the smartphone world. Omdia’s recent study found that the volume of phones under $400 will decline, while higher price points will offset the decline. Principal analyst Zaker Li goes into more detail: “... global smartphone market will decline by 12% year-over-year in 2026, due to the significant drop in smartphone shipments priced at $400 and below, which are expected to decline by more than 22% this year. By contrast, smartphone shipments above $400 will remain resilient and are expected to grow by 5.7% in 2026. This reflects three key factors:"
