Taking a look at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Galaxy S25 specials, Honor Magic7 Pro review, Nubia’s RedMagic 10 Pro reviewed, Nothing Tech’s AI plans, global smartphone growth , the key to undoing Google’s offerings and a challenging new Instagram.
Android Circuit is here to remind you of some of the many discussions about Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly roundup of Apple news here on Forbes.
Nubia RedMagic 10 Pro.
S25 release dates and special offers
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event takes place next week on January 22nd, with the widely anticipated Galaxy S25 launch. Also look forward to the special offers that Samsung will offer to those who participate in the pre-order window:
“Last year saw some exclusive colors available only through Samsung.com, a free upgrade to the next level of storage (so those who buy the Galaxy S25 Ultra priced for the 512GB model will get the 1TB storage model) and trade generous injections into a wide range of smartphones from both Samsung and other manufacturers, including Google and Apple.”
(Forbes).
Honor Magic7 Pro Review
After a successful launch in China at the end of 2024, Honor’s Magic7 Pro has been introduced in Europe this week. It is based on last year’s Magic6 and Magic6 Pro, but brings the latest chipset to increase the available power and performance. Forbes contributor Ben Sin takes a closer look at the handset:
“Performance is excellent, obviously, as mobile silicon has long exceeded what 99% of people need from a mobile device. Whether it’s splicing video clips in CapCut or scrolling through Instagram, sending emails or uploading files to Slack , this phone doesn’t miss a beat.
(Forbes).
Alongside the Magic7 Pro, Honor has released its third collaboration with Porsche Design and the luxury-focused Porsche Design Honor Magic7 RSR. It features a few small bumps in specs over the Magic7, but the real impact comes from the styling:
“The new device merges premium sports car-inspired design with the latest technology, once again showcasing a powerful collaboration meticulously creating an innovative product.”
(Honorary Press).
RedMagic 10 Pro Review
Also up for review this week is Nubia’s latest gaming smartphone. The RedMagic 10 Pro follows on from the 9S Pro released six months ago. RedMagic’s fast product cycle keeps Nubia’s hardware at the top of the tree, but ongoing support is a problem:
“For those looking to be as competitive as possible when gaming, a new RedMagic phone is guaranteed to offer better hardware. But this competitive price comes at a cost… the number of software and security updates that Nubia will offer. For me, this is the weakest point of the RedMagic 10 Pro package – it comes with only one Android update (taking the handset to Android 16 but no further), two years of UI improvements and three years security updates.”
(Forbes).
Nothing has plans for artificial intelligence
A recently leaked email written by Nothing Tech co-founder Carl Pei has laid out some of the steps the company is taking through 2025 to build on the company’s early smartphone success. Of course, AI plays a big part of the plan.
“Intriguingly, Pei goes into more detail of what’s to come, confirming that the next flagship, the Nothing Phone (3) will launch this year. “It will introduce new innovations in the user interface, taking the leap our first move to our AI-powered platform. We’re aiming to redefine the personal computing user experience – creating technology that knows you, makes your life easier and is present where you are.”
(Forbes).
The global smartphone market is growing
The latest report from Counterpoint Research on the global smartphone market is showing four percent growth in the overall market, a turnaround from a lackluster 2023. Who is benefiting the most?
“The top two brands, Samsung and Apple, were mostly flat in 2024. Xiaomi grew the fastest among the top five and ranked 3rd. OPPO lost volume but stayed in 4th place ahead of vivo -s with fast growth that performed well in selected markets.
(Search for counterpoints).
Take it back!
Google has started a rolling rollout process for a new feature in the Android GBoard keyboard. The Undo feature was spotted in the code in the summer of 2023, but is only now starting to be available to the public. Like many new features, the release is phased in so it’s not immediately available to every user:
“In brief testing, this feature seems to let you undo if you close the keyboard and open it again. However, after you exit an app, the memory is reset. When you can’t take any action, tapping the Undo key will trigger the chips Undo/Redo will appear, but they will be greyed out.”
(9to5Google).
And at the end…
As the fallout from Meta’s changes to its content moderation policy is showing, federated web service Pixelfed has released its smartphone apps. With many looking at it as an alternative to Instagram, having a mobile app is essential to finding growth in this current window of opportunity.
“Pixelfed is now available as a mobile app for both iOS and Android. The open source and decentralized platform offers Instagram-like image sharing. However, Pixelfed has no ads and does not share user data with The platform launched in 2018, but was only available on the web or through third-party app clients.
(Engadget).
Android Circuit collects the news from the world of Android every weekend here at Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any future coverage, and of course, read the sister column on 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 on Android Circuit, get in touch!
