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 a concise roundup of the week’s most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week seemed to be pretty eventful in the tech space with several major tech giants announcing their earnings, from Alphabet to Meta, our first-ever look at Samsung’s long-awaited Trifold (pst.. it has an official name now), Pixel 10a shows up in all angles thanks to some CAD renders leak, and One UI 8.5 could really change the game on your Galaxy. Let’s dive in!
Alphabet reports its first ever $100 billion quarter
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, had a record-breaking Q3 this year as the company reported its “first-ever $100 billion quarter.” The company’s Q3 earnings report revealed a 16% year-over-year revenue increase, reaching a total of $102.3 billion.
This significant growth in revenue was driven by all of Alphabet’s segments, including YouTube Ads, Google Search, and the Platforms and Devices department. “We had a terrific quarter, with double-digit growth across every major part of our business,” said Sundar Pichai, CEO of Alphabet and Google.
Furthermore, the report indicated that the company’s operating income was $31.2 billion, which is a 9% YoY increase when compared to the same time in 2024. This amount includes the $3.5 billion European Commission fine, the company had to shell out.
Looking ahead, Q4 also seems promising for Alphabet, and Pichai noted that Gemini 3.0, its coming “later this year.”
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Samsung also reported its third-quarter earnings this week, and the numbers indicate that they had their strongest quarter in years, thanks to the launch of their foldables. The company’s operating profit surged 32.5% year over year to KRW 12.2 trillion (about $8.5 billion). Samsung’s semiconductor chips are also fueling this boom, but the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and the Z Flip 7 had a major role to play in Samsung’s financial success.
These devices, along with other flagship models, tablet and wearables sales, drove the mobile division’s revenue up 11% from the previous quarter. Samsung saw a consolidated revenue of KRW 86.1 trillion ($60.5 billion) and a net profit of KRW 12.2 trillion in Q3.
As for Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, it did bring in a total revenue of $51.24 billion, which is a 26% increase year-over-year, surpassing analysts’ forecasts. Advertising and Meta’s family of apps have contributed to these record earnings this quarter. Metrics like ad impressions increased by 14% and the average price per ad jumped to 10%.
Meta seems to be spending tens of billions on AI infrastructure to “front-load” computing capabilities for an AI Superintelligence, to the point that investors are worried. Amid ambitious AI investments, the company faces significant hurdles, particularly as Reality Labs continues to operate at a loss of $4.4 billion.
earlier this week (Oct. 28), we were finally privy to an official first look at the most-awaited trifold. At the APEC Summit in South Korea, the company officially unveiled the Galaxy Z TriFold.
Unfortunately, neither media nor attendees were allowed to use their phones at the event, but according to Korean outlet Dailian, the prototype was showcased behind a glass display. An animation played on the glass display, showing how the foldable would work.
The Galaxy Z TriFold will feature two hinges and three folding display parts (hence the name ‘TriFold’). However, unlike the Huawei Mate XT that folds outward and inward, the Galaxy Z TriFold will use a U-shaped mechanism — meaning both outer folding screens will fold inward. The animation also shows another interesting detail about the alleged cameras on the device, which lets you shoot selfies with the main rear cameras.
Google’s next Pixel 10a has been showing up in leaks lately, but we may have just got our hands on official-looking CAD renders of the phone.
The images show the alleged Pixel 10a in a bright blue like the Galaxy Z Fold 7′s colorway, but the publication notes that this is just for display purposes only. That said, the CAD renders show off the device from several angles, giving us a good look at the device’s controls, the overall design, as well as the display of the phone.
As for the 6.2-inch display, the renders also show slightly thinner bezels, which are almost hard to spot when placed next to the Pixel 9a. Volume buttons seem to be below the power button, with their placement remaining unchanged. It seems like Google will keep the camera’s specs similar to its predecessor, so what’s really going to be changing with this phone?
One UI 8.5 leaks have been showing up quite a bit lately, and for good reason, as it looks like some users were able to access the internal build of the update, indicating that Samsung continues to test it.
This feature is for the Pro photographers out there who want every shot to be a masterpiece and like to play around with their camera’s potential. A code within the leaked One UI 8.5 builds hints at the possibility that Samsung may be working on presets for its Pro camera controls. So, you can quickly swap between your saved settings for ISO, aperture, and white balance, instead of having to manually adjust them every single time. It’s perfect for when you need to click those tricky shots, like the moon or a super bright sunrise.
Additionally, recent reports state that Samsung has updated its One UI 8.5 builds with a subtle change for its Quick Settings menu design. Tipsters claim that the update brings better separation between its icon toggles and the blurred aesthetic, which looks a lot like Apple‘s Liquid Glass.
Exclusive 🔥One UI 8.5 YJO now adds outline design to toggles in the Quick Panel 👀✨A small change — but it makes the whole panel look cleaner and more polished! pic.twitter.com/yJwjr1UXWpOctober 30, 2025
