Android Circuit: Galaxy Z Fold8 Update, Pixel 11’s Glow-Up, OnePlus Leaves The Stage

OnePlus 15

Ewan Spence

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including the new Galaxy Z Fold8 display, Google confirms Pixel 11 Glow, Redmii Note 17 battery upgrade, OnePlus leaves the stage, more Android app stores, and quickly sharing your contact details.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes.

Galaxy Z Fold8’s New Screen Technology

Ahead of the upcoming launch, Samsung has revealed details on the new display technology for the Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8. Called “Flex Titanium,” it is built around the twin factors of reducing the visibility of the display’s crease and increasing its durability. Forbes contributor Janhoi McGregor reports:

“...the crease was never just a hinge problem, it’s also the result of stress building up across every layer of a foldable screen, the ultra-thin glass, the OLED panel, the adhesive, and the support structure beneath it all. Every fold adds a little more of that stress, and if it isn't evenly distributed, it eventually becomes permanent. Flex Titanium tech supposedly tackles that at source."

Pixel 11 Family Specs Appear

The Made by Google event on August 12 should see the Pixel 11 family officially launched. Before then, a flurry of early Amazon listings has potentially shown the core specs of the models, with a mix of lower-priced models shipping with 12 GB and larger, more powerful models starting at 16 GB. Droid-Life has collected the potential phones:

"All of those Amazon listings that gave us the goods happen to have partial specs lists for the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. While we’re not going to call these “official” just yet, they are quite detailed and even include UPC codes for each device."

Google’s Pixel Gets Its Glow-up

Following the announcement of its Made By Google event in August, Google has teased a bit more of the Pixel 11. As well as confirming the utterly expected branding, these early images highlighted the new ‘Glow’ feature. James Rogerson takes a closer look for TechRadar:

"You can mostly just see the gold-colored sides of the phone, but the camera block is also visible, and this houses a circular multicolored light. This then, must be the rumored ‘Pixel Glow’ feature, which will presumably be able to light up in different colors — or different patterns of colors — to alert you to different kinds of notifications."

Redmii Note 17 Sizes Up For More Power

The latest Redmi phone from Xiaomi continues the advancement of Silicon Carbon batteries in the Android world. The Redmi Note 17 comes with a massive 7-inch screen, and the extra volume allows for some changes to the battery. GSM Arena reports on the new power arrangements:

"The phone comes with an 8,000mAh battery that can last up to 22 hours of playing short videos or up to 10 hours of outdoor navigation. This battery has an energy density of 821Wh/L and is rated for 1,600 charge cycles. The battery supports 45W charging and 22.5W reverse charging so that it can share its capacity with other gadgets."

OnePlus Quietly Leaves The Stage In Europe And North America

As part of Oppo’s restructuring, the popular and established OnePlus brand will disappear from European and North American markets. While the brand will remain active in China, the globally released OnePlus 15 will be the last OnePlus model to be released in these regions. Oppo will continue to provide service and software support for OnePlus handsets as advertised at launch/. Andrew Laxon and Katie Collins look at the changing market and how OnePlus’ goals don’t quite fit in 2026:

"It's much harder and more expensive to stand out now than it once was due to supply chain pressures, rising marketing costs, regulatory requirements, software support, retail presence and after-sales service, added Pescatore. In Europe, OnePlus struggled due to fragmentation and an intensely competitive environment, whereas in the US, its lack of carrier relationships and retail visibility prevented it from gaining mainstream traction."

New Legal Moves Over Third-Party App Store

Following discussions between themselves, Epic and the US Courts, Google has withdrawn its motion challenging the injunction over third-party App Store access to Google’s Android platform. The Verge’s Sean Hollister reports on the impact of the decision going forward:

"Epic Games and Google have just jointly withdrawn their attempt to retroactively settle the lawsuit that’s changing how Android app stores work in the United States — and that means Google will be forced to carry rival app stores inside of its own. In fact, Google tells the court, it’s ready to begin carrying third-party app stores on Wednesday, July 22nd."

And Finally...

Google’s Contact app is being set up to offer a Tap to Share feature, allowing the quick sharing of selected personal information. The update is rolling out now. Ryan McNeal has more details on the changes:

"Your info is a section where you can fill in your information, like your phone number and email address. When you want to pass that information along to someone else, going to Your info will let you do it quickly. And to make it easier to find, Google has placed the feature right at the top of the screen."

Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here, and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch!