News Weekly
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 saw some major leaks, Android 16’s alleged redesign, Galaxy S25’s launch date and full specs leak, U.K. residents get access to Google’s digital IDs, Samsung teases its new foldable, and Meta’s Q1 earnings show major AI priority shift. Let’s dive in.
Android 16’s UI redesign pops up in a leak
See all the UI changes here.
This week gave us a first look at Android 16‘s redesign and it comes from Mishaal Rahman. He seems to have stumbled on these UI changes while digging through Android 16’s Beta 4. Rahman notices some changes to the shapes of app icons, stating that the OS could bring more “geometric” shape options, as well as the standard circle.
Rahman found choices like a square, a “four-sided cookie,” and a “seven-sided cookie.” Next up is the notification panel which could get a blurred/transparent user interface. The tiles within the panel also seem to have gotten a more rounded- bubble like appearance.
The lock screen also might get a fresh coat of paint. Rahman’s snapshots show Google may alter the font of the clock while moving the date and temperature beneath it. If there are notifications, the clock will still move to the top left; however, the date/temp information will be featured on its right side, not under it.
Additionally, the battery icon may see a pop of color as Google could ditch the old colorless icon for a horizontal battery with its percentage and a color-coded background.
Galaxy S25 Edge showed off in all angles
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WinFuture got its hands on alleged hardware and software information of the upcoming Galaxy S25 Edge.
We’ve been privy to many leaks that gave us similar information about the phone until now, including the latest one that talks about how the phone is set to launch on May 13.
The publication says the device will be 5.85 millimeters thick and feature a relatively small battery as a result. Like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, it will apparently be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite and made of titanium with glass covers on the front and back. As for the display, the Galaxy S25 Edge will allegedly have a high-resolution and high-refresh rate 6.7-inch AMOLED panel.
The leak purports that it uses a single 200-megapixel sensor for the main camera and a 12MP ultrawide lens with a 120-degree field of view.
There will reportedly be three colorways similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra: Titanium Jet Black, Titanium Icy Blue, and Titanium Silver.
UK and more US states get Google’s Digital Wallet
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Google announced in a press release today (April 29) that it is expanding the Digital ID access via Google Wallet to the residents in the U.K. They are joining several states in the U.S., where residents can save their driver’s licenses and state IDs in Google Wallet.
Residents will soon be able to create digital ID passes with their U.K. passports and securely and conveniently store them in Google Wallet. This move makes it seamless for people to verify their identity just with a tap of a button on their phones, rather than pulling out their physical IDs each time.
Google is expanding its digital IDs access to Arkansas, Montana, Puerto Rico, and West Virginia, which will soon be able to add government-issued digital IDs to Google Wallet. Meanwhile, users in Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and New Mexico will be able to use their mobile IDs at the DMV.
Samsung teases a new foldable
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Samsung has finally dropped a hint that its multi-fold phone is in the works and could show up sometime in late 2025.
In its Q1 2025 earnings call, the South Korean tech giant credited its lead in the foldable phone segment to nonstop innovation and hinted that a foldable with a new form factor is in the works.
“Well, we’ve continued to lead the foldable market through our innovation. And this year, with more innovation on the foldable form factor, we will improve the competitiveness of our products even further, enabling more customers to experience the benefits of foldable,” the company stated.
The tri-fold rumor has been doing the rounds for years, but Samsung showed off a sneak peek of what’s coming. Samsung also mentioned that foldables will bring “large-screen experiences for Fold,” which might be a subtle nod to the rumored 9.9-inch screen on the upcoming Galaxy G Fold.
Read more here
Meta made $42.3 billion in its first quarter, and profits grew by 16% over Q1 in 2024, which the company attributed to its AI push.
Reality Labs, which was impacted by layoffs recently, saw a dip in revenue, generating $412 million, short of its $440 million profits in Q1 2024, while quarterly losses grew to $4.2 billion. Meta said these losses were “due to lower Meta Quest sales” but “partially offset” by tripled Ray-Ban Meta AI glasses sales.
Meta’s “five major opportunities” for further growth include using AI to build better ad campaigns, recommending more relevant social media and video content via AI, and creating “AI business agents that can do customer support and sales” in apps like WhatsApp and Messenger.
Lastly, speaking about its challenges, Meta said it’s concerned about the EU ruling stating that its “subscription for no ads model is not compliant with the Digital Markets Act (DMA).” Meta says it’s “in the process of engaging with the European Commission,” and it senses a significant lull in profits could be in the cards.
More stories this week
Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:
