Foldables are fragile, that’s just an unfortunate fact — but this week, Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold had trouble standing up to both damage and scrutiny. When the new phone was put through the paces in a durability test, the results weren’t any better than the first-gen Pixel Fold — and even worse, when reviewers took a closer look at the foldable’s charging situation, things appeared to be more than just one generation old.
The week in mobile saw more than Google’s foldable taking its lumps. Carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile were busy looking out for number one, which we all saw coming, but Apple flipping the switch on RCS was a pleasant surprise. Meanwhile, Samsung’s next fan favorite got an announcement date, but the biggest Galaxy diehards are probably waiting for next year after hearing the latest news.
The Pixel 9 Pro Fold crumples under pressure
It certainly wasn’t a great week for Google’s new $1,800 foldable. We had been holding out hope that the Pixel 9 Pro Fold’s redesigned hinge wouldn’t snap right in half like the original Pixel Fold, but it failed JerryRigEverything’s bend test again in spectacular fashion, snapping right in half.
The foldable’s spec sheet passed the eye test with the same charging numbers as the rest of the Pixel 9 lineup, but that facade came crumbling down once people got their hands on the phone and noticed something off. That’s when it was discovered that the 9 Pro Fold actually charges at the same rate as the 3-year-old Pixel 6: 21W, which is slower than the 27W speed of the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro. On the bright side, iFixIt’s repairability report found it surprisingly easy to disassemble, so it’s got that going for it.
Carriers really don’t care — until it affects their bottom line
One to file under “no duh” here, but carriers reminded us yet again this week that they’re mega-corporations beholden only to the bottom line. Towards the end of the week, it was revealed that AT&T left customer data in the cloud for years when it shouldn’t have, leading to the information getting hacked, of course. Here’s hoping the $13 million fine gets it to take things more seriously next time.
Elsewhere, T-Mobile pushed back against the FCC’s proposed 60-day unlock rule, arguing that it “would hamper carriers’ ability to offer installment plans.” The company warned of the rule potentially “harming competition” while neglecting to mention how installment plans have replaced multi-year service contracts as the trendy way to keep customers from running off to said competition.
Apple finally flips the switch on RCS
On Monday, Apple rolled out iOS 18 to the stable channel, something you might not expect to make waves around here — except this update finally flipped the switch on RCS for iPhones, upgrading cross-platform texting for everyone. Chats with iPhone users aren’t end-to-end encrypted just yet, but Google and the GSMA say that’s on the way. But if you’re an Apple-hating lifer and all this cross-platform harmony just doesn’t sit right with you, you’ll be happy to know Google’s already giving Apple a little good-natured ribbing in its latest Pixel commercial.
The Galaxy S25 is leaking like a sieve
This week saw plenty of news about all three of Samsung’s next flagships. The standard Galaxy S25 model showed up at a certification site already, getting governmental clearance in China. But the interesting revelation from this leak was that the regular S25 is apparently sticking with 25W charging and won’t be joining its Plus and Ultra siblings at the 45W party.
Meanwhile, leaked Galaxy S25+ renders gave us our best look yet at Samsung’s middle child, and battery details revealed some good and bad news about the phone. At the high end of the pricing spectrum, the Galaxy S25 Ultra was said to have thinner bezels than the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a 45% thinner camera bump.
Can’t wait? New Galaxy devices are coming next week
The Galaxy S25 series probably won’t be shown off until early 2025, but if you’re jonesing for a Samsung hardware fix, you probably won’t even have to wait a week. The latest rumors have September 26 pegged as the Galaxy S24 FE’s launch date — along with the affordable smartphone, we’re expecting to see Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S10 series make its debut.
