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.
The countdown to Samsung’s Unpacked has begun, and in a week, we will see what this year’s models look like. This week, Galaxy S25 leaks came in hot, we got a Moto G launch, the Galaxy Ring just received more updates, Honor Magic 7 Pro launched globally, and the new OnePlus models got their first update.
Samsung S25 leaks
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We all know too well that the week before a launch is crucial. However, this is also a time when we get to see a plethora of leaks. From device colors to AI powers, we got to see them all building the excitement for some or taking the mystery out for others.
Evan Blass has been putting out information about the Galaxy S25 series. In the first set of leaks, Blass reportedly sent an email carrying his newsletter, which contained renders of the Galaxy S25 and its entire alleged color palette. According to Blass, the S25 Ultra is set to receive four options such as black, white, grayish blue, and gray.
In another email, Blass sent alleged official promotional posters from Samsung that painted a picture of how the cameras on these devices will likely appear. The first image shows the two devices, which seem to be the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus models, in deep blue and silver color variants. The image gives us a close-up of the trio’s cameras on the back, with black rims surrounding them.
Additionally, within the image, a new AI feature was spotted that is said to come with the One UI 7. The screen displays an interactive bar at the bottom, dubbed “Now Bar,” with the “Now Brief” prompt visible that reads “Get today’s highlight.”
So… While everyone’s focusing on devices I revealed 5 months ago, today, I’m once again well ahead of the hype by finally bringing you the very 1st look at the #GalaxyS25Slim (360° video + gorgeous 5K renders + dimensions)!😏On behalf of @Smartprix 👉🏻 pic.twitter.com/HSTloqzYj7January 15, 2025
Another device we got to see is the Galaxy S25 Slim. We got a glimpse at renders of the assumed device that were discovered by OnLeaks. The images suggest the device will look a lot like the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus, with rumors suggesting a size closer to the Plus and Ultra with a completely flat display.
The leaker suggests that the Galaxy S25 Slim will be roughly “1.6mm narrower, 3.8mm shorter, and 1.8mm thinner” than the upcoming S25 Ultra. There are claims that the phone will have the same camera setup as the S25 phones—three cameras: a 200MP primary lens, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and a 50MP ALoP telephoto camera with 3.5x zoom.
To know more about what to expect at this January’s Unpacked event, head to our ultimate guide.
Hello Motos
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This week, Motorola launched its first pair of budget devices for 2025—the Moto G Power 2025 and Moto G 2025 (now omitting the “5G” from their names).
Talking about the Moto G Power’s design, it comes with a vegan leather back that covers the 50MP triple camera array. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 6300, with 8GB of RAM on board. The phone also gets the latest Android 15 out of the box with features like audio sharing and Smart Connect.
The device gets a 5,000mAh battery, which Motorola says will enable all-day battery life. The Power 2025 also comes with an 8MP ultrawide camera. What’s surprising is that this time, Motorola has managed to achieve the MIL-STD-810H certification and IP68/IP69 water and dust resistance, similar to the OnePlus 13, in its $299 device. This means the phone can withstand being submerged and should be able to hold out when facing high-pressure water jets. The Moto G Power 2025 comes in Slate Gray and Leaf Green colorways.
The other model, the Moto G 2025, features a smaller 6.7-inch display and the same Dimensity 6300 chipset. The difference between this and the Power 2025 is the lower 4 or 6GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB of expandable storage (compared to 256GB). The device sports a 2MP macro sensor. The Moto G 2025 gets a 5,000mAh battery and upgraded charging speeds up to 30W when compared to its predecessor. This device is set to come in two colors: Forest Gray and Sapphire Blue. It will be available starting January 30 for $199.
Galaxy Ring gets new upgrades
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If you thought that the Galaxy Ring couldn’t get any better, this week, Samsung announced five new ways that it’s doing just that. The Samsung Galaxy Ring now comes in sizes 5-15, adding two larger sizes to its existing ones—14 & 15, in all three colorways, including silver, gold, and black, and will debut on January 22, 2025, alongside the upcoming Galaxy S25 series.
It is also bringing new features to the ring, to start, the mindfulness tracker will be available in the Samsung Health app soon. The new mindfulness section of the app will show a calendar with easy-to-understand, color-coded faces that summarize each day’s mood, breathing, and stress levels.
In the first half of 2025, Samsung will add a new sleep environment report that will use SmartThings-connected devices to add temperature, humidity, air quality, and light intensity to your morning sleep report. Later in the second half of 2025, it will bring another update to the Galaxy Ring that will suggest optimal bedtime and wake-up time based on collected sleep patterns, habits, and conditions.
Samsung is also expanding its availability in 16 new countries, including Cyprus, Czech, Greece, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Slovakia, South Africa, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Zambia.
Honor Magic 7 Pro launch
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Honor launched its Magic 7 Pro in Europe this week. The brand’s high-end flagship is different from the China model that debuted in November 2024. The E.U. model of the Magic 7 Pro has a 6.8-inch screen that comes with a “Natural Light HONOR AI Eye Comfort Display.” It uses the same battery technology with a smaller 5,270mAh capacity. The device has third-gen silicon-carbon batteries that provide higher capacities in smaller sizes, allowing the Magic 7 Pro to measure 8.8mm thick. The Honor Magic 7 Pro comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor.
When it comes to the camera array, the main Honor Magic 7 Pro camera is a 50MP, f/1.4 to f/2.0 adjustable aperture sensor with optical image stabilization. There’s a 200MP periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP wide camera with a 122-degree field-of-view. When it comes to the selfie camera, it sports a 50MP wide camera.
It’s also a very tough phone, as Honor demonstrated by preparing food on the phone, sticking it in a dishwasher, dropping it out of a moving ATV, and then running it over with said ATV.
The Magic 7 Pro will be available in the U.K. starting at £1,099.99 and in the rest of Europe for €1,299.99.
OnePlus 13 and 13R get their first round of updates
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The OnePlus 13 and the OnePlus 13R debuted last week globally. Both phones seemed to have received their first round of updates.
The OnePlus 13R, which launched with Android 15-based OxygenOS 15, has started git its OxygenOS 15.0.0.403 update for users in India, Europe, and North America. The OnePlus 13 has also started getting the CPH2655_15.0.0.402(EX01) build update. This is bringing in tons of improvements and fixes, as well as December 2024 security patches, to the phones.
Most importantly, the OnePlus 13 is receiving core AI updates and the inclusion of Gemini Nano. This will apply to the Google Messages app on the OnePlus 13 with Magic Compose, which is an experimental feature that uses AI to generate suggested replies.
According to the full changelog posted by OnePlus, both phones will see improvements when it comes to shots captured through Photo mode. The shots taken through both handsets’ primary camera and telephoto will start looking better, with color enhancements coming in with the update. The OnePlus 13 and the 13R have a Touch-to-share feature, which now supports iOS devices, making file and photo sharing easier between phones.
That said, the company says this update is being rolled out in batches, and users could expect to see the update as early as this weekend.
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: