AC News Weekly
News Weekly is our section where we highlight and summarize some of the biggest stories of the week, keeping you up to date with the latest technology news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise look at the week’s biggest tech stories. Here, we dive into the most important headlines that offer the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week in Paris, Samsung unboxed a number of its devices, starting with the Galaxy Ring, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Fold 6, the Buds 3 and 3 Pro, and the Galaxy Watch 7 series. While this launch may have made headlines, here are some other things that happened in the tech world.
For starters, the XR headset launching this year, the new Galaxy Watch series could be missing a feature, Google is suspending support for Lollipop, OnePlus devices are leaking ahead of its summer event, and a new feature could let you search the dark web. Let’s dive in.
Samsung finally launches its XR headset
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Samsung always ends its events with a desire for more. January’s Unpacked gave us the Galaxy Ring, while the mid-year event ended with a quick mention of the Samsung XR headset.
Samsung surprised us on stage by stating that “a new XR platform is coming later this year.” While we didn’t get to see an image of the device, we’ve been speculating about the XR headset. The company is reportedly planning a summer 2025 debut, but it seems likely we’ll see it in action sometime in the next five months.
All we know for now is that Samsung headsets are still in early development. Samsung’s headset may 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 that come with it. Samsung also wants to make its XR device more affordable: a third of the price of the Vision Pro, it could cost around $1,000.
New Galaxy Watch Ultra is missing a key feature
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The new Galaxy Watch series has ditched something called PowerShare, a wireless charging feature that’s compatible with smartphones. In a recent update to its support page, Samsung said that the Galaxy Watch 7 and Watch 7 Ultra will not support wireless charging from a paired Galaxy phone. X user Jordy Verboven was the first to spot the change.
This handy feature lets your phone’s battery wirelessly charge compatible smartwatches by placing them close to each other. A great way to charge your watch when it’s running low. 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. This required a redesign of the rear glass on both Watch models. This increased the distance between the internal wireless charging coil and the external charging surface, eliminating the previous ability to share power wirelessly.
Android Lollipop no more
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Google first launched Android Lollipop software in 2014 with its Nexus 6 device. Now, ten years later, the company is stopping official updates.
Google is halting Google Play Services updates for Android Lollipop devices this month. A Google spokesperson said the reason for putting a nail in the coffin is the percentage of active Android Lollipop devices, which currently reportedly stands at less than 1 percent.
While updates may no longer be available for this software version, Google Play Services support will continue to work. However, users will not receive “new features, important security updates, and may not be compatible with some apps.”
Android KitKat updates also stopped in July of last year. With Lollipop gone, Marshmallow devices could be next in line.
Spoiler alert: OnePlus devices surface ahead of launch
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A mid-week leak dropped some serious information about OnePlus’ next event launch, giving us a full list of devices that could be launching in Milan on July 16. The lineup includes the OnePlus Nord 4, Pad 2, Watch 2R, and Nord Buds 3 Pro.
The leak came from Steve Hemmerstoffer (aka OnLeaks). According to him, the OnePlus Nord 4 will feature a full metal body, a tinted finish and will come in three colors — black, mint, and silver. The Nord 4 is said to feature a 6.74-inch 1.5K AMOLED display and a 120Hz refresh rate. The device will be powered by Snapdragon 7 Plus Gen 3 and will pack a 5,500mAh battery. The dual cameras on the back will consist of a 50MP primary sensor, an 8MP secondary camera, and a 16MP selfie camera on the front.
Now we come to the OnePlus Watch 2R: renders shared by the publication indicate that the smartwatch will arrive in green and a regular black color scheme. This could be an affordable, revamped version of the OnePlus Watch 2 variant in the Chinese region with eSIM support.
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 pack a 12.1-inch LCD display with a 144Hz refresh rate and 900 nits peak brightness.
Finally, the company’s next earbuds also seemingly leaked. They appear to sport a stem design similar to the older Nord Buds 2, albeit with an oval aesthetic. The renders further indicate that the eartip will get a glossy finish, while the stem will get 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 would be shutting down: the Google One VPN service and free shipping on Google Photos prints. However, a key component of the Google One VPN is a feature called dark web report, which gives subscribers insight into whether their data — specifically account credentials and personal information — has been leaked on the dark web, and is being made freely available to everyone.
As 9to5Google noted, a banner in the Google One app states 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 be available to all users with a consumer Google Account,” the company explained, as reported by 9to5Google. “Dark Web Reports will be integrated with Results About You as a unified solution to help users protect their online presence.”
Why would this be a good move, you ask? Our staff writer, Brady Snyder, believes that this kind of thing 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 address, it’s useful to know what kind of data is out there on the web. For example, if you see your email address showing up on the dark web, you may want to be more cautious about receiving unsolicited 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: