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News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week’s top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for the week’s top tech stories at a glance. This is where we delve into the leading titles that deliver the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, Samsung unboxed several of its devices in Paris, starting with the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Z Fold and Z Filp 6, Buds 3 and 3 Pro, and the Galaxy Watch 7 series. While this launch may grab the spotlight in terms of news, here are some other things that went down in the tech world.
For starters, the XR headphones will be released this year, the new Galaxy Watch series may not have the feature, Google is ending Lollipop support, OnePlus devices are expiring before the summer event, and a new feature may let you search the dark web. Let’s dive in.
Samsung will finally release its XR headphones
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Samsung always ends its events by leaving us wanting more. January’s Unpacked gave us the Galaxy Ring, while the mid-year event ended with a quick mention of the Samsung XR earphones.
Samsung surprised us on stage by announcing that “a new XR platform is coming later this year.” Although we didn’t get to see an image of the device, we speculated about the XR headphones. The company is said to have planned its debut in the summer of 2025, but it looks like we’ll be able to see it in action sometime in the next five months.
All we know for now is that Samsung’s headphones are still in the early stages of development. Samsung’s headset might be more than just for gaming, like the Meta Quest 3, but we expect full access to the Google Play Store with all the apps included. Samsung also wants to make its XR device more affordable — at a third of the price of the Vision Pro, it could cost around $1,000.
The new Galaxy Watch Ultra is missing an important feature
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The new Galaxy Watch series launched something called PowerShare, a wireless charging feature that is compatible with smartphones. In a recent update to the support page, Samsung said that the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch 7 Ultra do not support wireless charging from a paired Galaxy phone. X user Jordy Verboven was the first to notice this change.
This handy feature essentially allows your phone’s battery to wirelessly charge compatible smartwatches by placing them near each other – a great way to give your watch a little boost when it’s almost dead. While this feature won’t be available on the new watches, it’s still present on older-generation devices.
Samsung had to remove this feature due to a design change with the new sensor array, which necessitated a change in the shape of the back glass on both watch models, which increased the distance between the internal wireless charging coil and the external charging surface, making the previous wireless charging impossible. shareability.
No more Android Lollipop
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Google first released the Android Lollipop software in 2014 with its Nexus 6 device. Now, a decade later, the company is stopping official updates.
Google will end Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices starting this month. A Google spokesperson said that the reason for putting the nail in the coffin is the percentage of active devices running Android Lollipop, which is said to be less than one percent at the moment.
Although updates may no longer be available for this version of the software, Google Play Services support will continue to work. However, users won’t get “any new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps.”
Android KitKat updates also stopped last July. With Lollipop gone, Marshmallow phones might be next in line.
Spoiler alert: OnePlus devices are shown before the launch
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A mid-week leak has spilled some major issues regarding OnePlus’ next launch event; he gave us a full list of devices that could be launched on July 16 in Milan. The series includes the OnePlus Nord 4, Pad 2, Watch 2R and Nord Buds 3 Pro.
The leak comes from Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks). According to him, the OnePlus Nord 4 will have an all-metal body, a toned finish and three colors: black, mint and silver. The Nord 4 is rumored to have a 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate. The device will be powered by the Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 and a 5500mAh battery. The dual rear cameras include a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP secondary camera and a 16MP front-facing selfie camera.
Now coming to the OnePlus Watch 2R — renders shared by the publication show that the smartwatch will be available in green and plain black colors. This could be an upgraded version of the OnePlus Watch 2 variant available in the Chinese region with eSIM support.
Next, the OnePlus Pad 2 may look a lot like its predecessor, featuring an aluminum unibody design with rounded corners. The tipster notes that it will feature a 12.1-inch LCD panel with a 144Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of 900 nits.
Finally, the company’s next earphones also seem to have leaked. They look like they’ll have a stem design similar to the older Nord Buds 2, but with an oval aesthetic. The renders further show that the ear tip will have a glossy finish, while the stem will have a matte finish.
Google can tell you if you’re on the dark web
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In April, it was announced that two Google One features were shutting down: the Google One VPN service and free shipping for Google Photos prints. However, one key part of Google One VPN is a feature called the Dark Web Report, which provides subscribers with information about their data—specifically, account logins and personal information—and whether it has been leaked to the Dark Web. free everything.
As spotted by 9to5Google, a banner in the Google One app explains that starting in late July, Dark Web reports will operate as a separate service and will no longer require a subscription.
“Dark web reports will become available to all users with a Google user account,” the company explains, as reported by 9to5Google. “The Dark Web Report is integrated with Results for You as a combined solution to help users protect their online presence.”
Why might this be a good move, you ask? Our staff writer, Brady Snyder, thinks things like this shouldn’t be a paid feature. “This functionality that helps people stay safe and protect their privacy should be free.”
“Even if you stick to the basics, like name, address and email, it’s useful to know what kind of data is out there on the web.” For example, if you see your email showing up on the dark web, you may want to be more cautious when receiving unwanted messages and improve your spam filters.”
These are some of the biggest stories from this week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth catching up on:
