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, Google dropped a second Android 16 developer preview, Motorola is at risk of being banned in the U.S., OnePlus teased the 13R with a huge battery, Samsung's Android 15 beta continues, and the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses just got a huge update.
Android 16 is one step closer to beta
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Android 16 is set for an early launch in 2025, so it's no surprise Google has already pushed the second developer preview to eligible Pixel smartphones. With this new update, we're starting to get a better idea of what to expect from the next major update.
There are plenty of under-the-hood changes to help improve app startup, support for adaptive refresh rate, and haptics. There are also updates to Health Connect with support for more data types and APIs for sharing health records. The cloud photo picker is getting a search function, and there are new APIs for predictive back animations and behaviors.
Of course, as is usual with developer previews, there are tons of features under the hood that Google is working on, but it's likely not all will make it to beta or stable. Fortunately, we don't have to wait long to get a good look at the user-facing features, as the Android 16 beta is expected to arrive in January.
Motorola could be banned in the U.S.
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If Ericsson gets its way, Motorola's best phones could be banned from the United States and other regions. This is due to a patent dispute between the companies that found Lenovo infringing on Ericsson's 5G patents.
The phones in question? The Moto G, Edge, and Razr lineups, according to Reuters. Those are the company's primary smartphone families, with the Moto G lineup performing strongly among cheap Android phones, while the Edge and Razr lineups have been popular enough in the U.S. and globally that the company is set to double its business by 2026. As such, the prospects of a ban in the U.S. would be pretty catastrophic for the company and the market, especially after the loss of LG years ago.
Ericsson has won preliminary rulings against Motorola before and is also involved in patent disputes in other regions, but Lenovo has so far managed to stave off a ban in South America. Hopefully, Lenovo can do the same for the U.S., and the two companies can come to some sort of agreement.
The second One UI 7 beta is already here
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Samsung is finally giving us a taste of its Android 15 software, and the second beta is now available for Galaxy S24 models in various countries.
So, what's new in this beta? It's mostly bug fixes aimed at addressing issues that cropped up from the first One UI 7 beta released just a couple of weeks ago. This includes faster transitions, improved GPS, Quick Panel fixes, and much more. However, per the changelog, one known issue that's been pointed out is that the Tool panel sometimes does not appear in the Edge Panels.
If you're new to the One UI 7 beta, the update may come in at around 4GB, while those updating from the first beta may have only a 1GB download. For now, the beta remains exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series in select countries.
We recently published our first impressions of the One UI 7 beta, highlighting the new UI elements (a vertical app drawer!), new features, and more. The stable update is expected to arrive with the Galaxy S25 series in early 2025.
The OnePlus 13 series includes a mighty mid-ranger
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OnePlus recently revealed the launch date for the OnePlus 13 series, which made us wonder if there was also a OnePlus 13R coming along. It turns out there is, as the company confirmed shortly after that we are getting an R-series midranger alongside the flagship.
The phone will seemingly feature a nearly identical design to the regular OnePlus 13, which launched in China in October. According to OnePlus, the 13R will feature a massive 6,000mAh battery, which is larger than the 5,500mAh battery on the OnePlus 12R. It will also apparently feature a new Gorilla Glass 7i, a thickness of 8mm, and a flat display.
There's still a lot we don't know about the 13R, such as the chipset, charging speed, and price. It will likely sport a lesser chip than the Snapdragon 8 Elite that will be featured in the OnePlus 13 and likely less RAM than its flagship sibling's 24GB max.
Both phones will launch globally on January 7, 2025.
More reasons to buy the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses
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If you've been holding off on buying the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses (like I have), this latest update may make you want to finally hit the "Buy" button. Meta just updated its impressive smart glasses with more features that would make even Google jealous.
The new v11 update brings Live AI, which uses video that lets the smart glasses continuously see what you see, allowing it to gain more context and converse more naturally with users without the "Hey Meta" wake word. It sounds a lot like what Google is promising with Project Astra, which aims to use AI to see and remember things for the user that can be brought up later.
Additionally, live translate will automatically translate speech to English, supporting Spanish, French, or Italian, and it will either be played through the built-in speakers or appear as transcripts on your phone.
These new live features are available via Meta's Early Access Program, which is available in the U.S. and Canada.
Lastly, the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses are gaining support for Shazam in the U.S. and Canada, meaning you can ask it about a song that's playing, and it will use Shazam to identify it for you. One less reason to pull out your phone.
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:
- T-Mobile customers can register now to test its upcoming satellite service with Starlink
- Files by Google has a new PDF viewer, and it's ditching Google Drive
- Leaked Unpacked Event teaser image reveals Galaxy S25 series launch for next month
- OnePlus Open 2 tipped to introduce improved IPX8 rating and wireless charging
- Android 15 QPR2 Beta 2 is here with our first look at the working Linux Terminal app
- Google ditches the Play Store's easy 'Share apps' in new System version
- Leaked hands-on Galaxy S25 Plus images double down on old rumors
- Gemini 2.0 Experimental Advanced is Google's best AI model yet, and it's available now
- Gemini Advanced subscribers can now use Gemini Flash 2.0 Experimental in latest Gemini app beta
- Google tipped to bring MediaTek's modem for the first time through the Pixel 10 series
