Apple is Google's biggest competitor. The Cupertino, California-based company makes premium tech products, such as its iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods. Along with its premium hardware, the company also has its own operating system and chips to power its devices. Apple has focused on a primarily privacy-first ecosystem and, more recently, has introduced a host of AI capabilities powered by popular models such as Gemini and ChatGPT.

Beyond phones and traditional computing, Apple has also entered other markets to expand its device portfolio. More recently, the company introduced Apple Vision Pro, its premium XR headset, making it a direct competitor to Meta and, more recently, Google's Android XR. The company is also expected to introduce foldable devices and smart glasses to round out its hardware offerings.

It's that time of the year again. Apple executives took to the stage to announce some new features and additions coming to the iPhone with the upcoming iOS 27 update. While Apple mostly focused on refining the fundamentals (read: fixing what it broke), the company also introduced a handful of useful additions that make iOS 27 feel like more than just a maintenance update.

Sure, Google fixed a few of our annoyances with the Android 17 update by adding features like updated emojis and the ability to create widgets just by describing them. But Apple still came up with a few great ideas this year, including some AI features (an area where Google usually loves reminding everyone it's ahead).

And after watching the iOS 27 announcements, there are a few features that I genuinely wish Google would steal and bring to Android.

Android needs to take parental controls more seriously

Apple spent a big chunk of the WWDC keynote focusing on the new and improved parental controls coming with iOS 27. And as someone who's soon going to enter the parenting stage myself, I can absolutely see why Android users would want some of these features on their phones as well.

Apple has added a number of thoughtful parental control improvements in iOS 27. It's no longer just about restricting app downloads based on age ratings, but the company is going much further this time.

One of the biggest additions is Time Allowances, which lets parents set limits for specific app categories rather than individual apps. For example, you can decide how much time your child can spend on entertainment apps versus educational apps.

There are also more granular controls throughout the system. If a child visits a website they've never accessed before, parents can approve it directly from their own device before access is granted. Apple has also expanded its communication safety tools.

In addition to automatically blurring nudity, iOS 27 can now detect and blur graphic or violent content in shared images and videos as well.

Google Family Link lacks most of these capabilities, and it feels like it's time for Google to give its parental controls a much-needed upgrade.

It's time to bring Shortcuts-like automation to Android

As advanced as Android has become when it comes to AI and automation, it still doesn't have a true equivalent to Apple's Shortcuts app. Google offers Pixel Rules, but it's fairly limited in what it can do.

Samsung is really the only Android brand offering something close to it with its Modes and Routines feature, but that's Samsung-exclusive and not available across Android as a whole.

Google really needs to bring a native automation app like this to Android. With iOS 27, Apple has made creating shortcuts and automations even easier. For creating Shortcuts, users no longer need to dig through complex menus. Instead, they can simply describe what they want using natural language, and the system builds the automation using AI.

With Google pushing Gemini so aggressively across Android, it feels like the perfect time for the company to build a similar app. Android already has the AI capabilities; it just needs a proper, system-level automation app to tie everything together.

Siri mode in the Camera app

This is something I've been asking for on Android for years. We're in 2026, and there are still Android phones that don't even support basic things like native QR code recognition directly through the camera app. Meanwhile, Apple has gone much further by integrating Siri Mode directly into the camera experience.

With Siri Mode, you can simply point your iPhone at something and take action immediately. Point it at a plate of food, and it can identify nutritional information. Point it at a restaurant bill, and it can help split it. You can even point it at a flyer or poster and have it automatically create a calendar event with the relevant details.

What I really like is that all of this is built directly into the camera app. It's not that Android lacks these capabilities. In fact, most of them already exist, and Google Lens is available in the camera app on many Android phones. The problem is that these features remain fragmented across apps and services.

Google can already recognize objects and information through AI, but you often need to launch Gemini Live, which is actually tucked into Google Lens. Similarly, Google Lens can identify all sorts of things, but that often requires opening the app. If Google forces Gemini mode directly into the camera app across all Android devices, it would make the overall experience feel much more cohesive and useful. Perhaps that means evolving Google Lens.

Spatial reframing

Google already offers Auto Reframe on Pixel phones, which can help change the frame of the shot you've already taken. But Apple is taking things a step further with a new feature called Spatial Reframing in iOS 27.

What makes Spatial Reframing interesting is that it doesn't just let you extend the frame using generative AI. It can actually change the perspective of a photo after it has been captured. In addition to changing the frame in 2D, you can shift the whole camera angle and then have AI generate and fill in the missing parts of the image to match the new framing.

It's a much more ambitious take on photo editing than simply expanding the edges of a picture, and something, I think, a lot of Android users and especially Google Photos users would benefit from.

Google killed Pixel Studio at the worst possible time

The timing couldn't be more ironic for this one. It's only been a few days since Google officially killed off the Pixel Studio app on Pixel devices, while Apple has gone in the opposite direction by introducing a significantly upgraded Image Playground app in iOS 27.

The previous version of Image Playground was mostly limited to generating emojis and cartoon-style images, but the new version goes much further. Apple now allows users to generate more realistic and genuinely useful images through its Private Cloud Compute infrastructure.

Like most modern AI image generators, you can choose the style you want, whether that's realistic, cartoon-like, artistic, or something else entirely. But what I really like is that Apple is thinking beyond just image generation itself.

You can tell the app exactly where the image will be used. For example, whether you want a landscape image, a portrait image, or even a wallpaper, it will optimize the output accordingly.

That might sound like a small thing, but it's exactly the kind of detail that turns AI image generation from a gimmick into a genuinely useful tool.

If you're an Android user, you know the deal. Every year, Apple takes the stage to announce a bunch of "new" features that you've been using for years. It might be annoying if it weren't so predictable, but it gives Android users a sense of pride, knowing they're always on the cutting edge when compared to their iPhone-toting friends.

Apple's iOS 27 update is no exception to this, and I w̶a̶s̶t̶e̶d̶ spent a solid 2 hours of my life watching Apple's WWDC 2026 on June 8 to see which updates you can now ̶b̶r̶a̶g̶ ̶a̶b̶o̶u̶t̶ celebrate with your friends.

There are plenty of times every year when my mind is blown by one of Apple's announcements, but it's never for the reason they're hoping. Rather, I'm constantly blown away by what features iPhone users didn't have, and it reminds me that I regularly take my favorite Android features for granted. Here are all the iOS 27 features already on Android.

Animations and transparency

Last year, Apple launched iOS 26 with a new "Liquid Glass" aesthetic that was quickly panned. Liquid Glass evolved substantially from its announcement to the eventual release a few months later, but iOS 27 is finally adding a proper transparency slider to allow users to customize their preferred look.

Many Android OEMs rushed to update their Android 16 releases in the fall with a similar transparent glowing glass aesthetic, but all of them either offered a way to disable this effect entirely, and OEMs like Honor even offer a transparency slider (pictured above).

Apple also talked about enhanced, smoother animations throughout the OS, something Android OEMs specifically touted years ago, and have further doubled down on in the past two years.

Core features that weren't so "core"

Apple gushed about how its phones can now seamlessly hand off data between Wi-Fi and cellular data connections, like it was some amazing breakthrough. I'll have to see exactly what's different here to fully understand Apple's angle, but Android users have had what appears to be an identical feature for years. Reminds me a bit of when iPhone users couldn't make phone calls and browse the web at the same time.

Likewise, Apple Messages is apparently just now getting a "still sending" indicator for when your messages haven't quite made it to the other side. How was this not a baseline feature before, especially given how many additional features that platform has over other messaging platforms? Very weird.

AirPods now also support custom EQs for users who care about that sort of thing, and I'm 100% sure I've been doing this on my Android phones since 2009. This Motorola Razr Fold I'm using right now, for instance, has Dolby Atmos built in and offers advanced EQ options plus automatic smart adjustments with virtual surround sound options.

Apple's password manager can now automatically identify compromised passwords and help you change them. Meanwhile, Google Assistant was able to do this four years ago, and Google Password Manager has identified compromised passwords for users for more than half a decade.

Apple's Photos app now supports automatic sharing and group albums, two features the Google Photos app has had for a very long time.

Apple is also overhauling its parental controls suite with a bunch of features that are already in Android's Google Family Link app, albeit with a better UI than Google's app. But I've long used the Bark app for my son's Android phones because it offers far better parental controls than either Google or Apple's built-in solutions. Apple doesn't allow these services to access usage data on iPhones, and that severely hampers the usefulness of such apps.

Siri, but make it Gemini

Well, it's 2026, so did you expect anything different than a company spending 40 minutes on new AI announcements? Even Apple isn't immune to this, announcing an upgraded Siri AI assistant with all the great features Android users have been enjoying for the past year or two via Google Gemini, Galaxy AI, OnePlus AI, Motorola AI, Honor AI, or whatever other favorite Android vendor you've been using.

Apple spent lots of time dunking on other companies for breaching your privacy with AI tools, but just saying "iPhone is more private" may not necessarily be true. After all, Apple is launching its new Siri AI features in the U.S. only at first, with availability in other regions (like the more privacy-focused EU and UK) "sometime in the future" once Apple has worked around regulatory restrictions.

As we heard last fall, Gemini is the brains behind the new Siri AI and, as such, every new Siri feature Apple announced is already available on most Android phones. That all starts with the new adjustable Siri voice that finally doesn't sound like it was made in the AOL days, something Google debuted with its ancient Google Assistant roughly a decade ago. Curiously, Siri AI is only available in English to start, while Gemini currently supports 70 languages.

There's also now a dedicated Siri app that keeps all your searches and other relevant data in one place for you to access later. It's wild to me that Siri is just now getting a dedicated app, but, hey, that's an iPhone for you. Google Assistant and Gemini have always had dedicated apps, but I like the way Apple is pulling together information in one place, similar to the way Pixel Screenshots, Nothing Essential Space, and other Android phones do.

There's even a new Siri camera mode that looks identical to Google Lens, which has been integrated into Android phones since 2017. Siri AI is also coming to the Apple Watch and likely offers similar functionality to the existing Gemini app on Wear OS watches.

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence is Apple's catch-all term for AI features that are separate from the Siri AI assistant. Essentially, if you're using an AI feature that's not asking Siri for something, it's Apple Intelligence. Apple's initial rollout of Apple Intelligence last year was downright terrible, but the company went back to the drawing board for this year's implementation.

Apple Intelligence will now be able to pull relevant information in certain apps on your phone, like pulling in your airline reservation into the phone app when calling that airline. This identical scenario was shown off with Google's Magic Cue on the Pixel 10 series last fall, and Now Nudge on the Galaxy S26 series also offers identical functionality, thanks to Android's Personal Intelligence.

Apple Intelligence is also able to populate context-sensitive buttons when you search your screen. Late-2024 phones like the Honor Magic 7 Pro experimented with similar features, and the Android 16 update for Honor phones further improved that. Google's own Circle to Search also sports similar functionality, including the ability to ask Gemini context-sensitive commands based on what you circle.

Apple Photos now has a ton of new AI-powered editing tools, all (but one) of which have been available in Google Photos for years. You can also now use Siri to write emails, generate ideas from photos, scans, or prompts, edit calendar entries using natural language, and perform plenty of other similar activities that felt extremely familiar to me as an Android phone reviewer. Apple also added Google's excellent AI-generation warning to photos.

Apple is working toward fixing its terrible keyboard by enhancing voice dictation with Siri AI. Google integrated Assistant with Gboard back in 2020, and OEMs like Nothing and Google have recently started rolling out natural language dictation, as well, which is a generation ahead of what Apple showed off today. Autocorrect might finally not suck on iPhones, too, but we'll have to wait and see the public verdict on that one.

Apple's Home app is getting an Apple Intelligence glow-up that looks identical to the Google Home app upgrade that was announced last fall. That includes asking Siri about context-sensitive info in recorded videos, aggregating and analyzing smart home data to deliver better notifications, and more.

More to come

So yeah, Android users have been enjoying a lot of features that Apple users still won't have access to until iOS 27 launches in a few months. Even then, if history has proven anything, not all of these features will be available when iOS 27 is made public.

We also fully expect Apple to reserve some unannounced features for the upcoming iPhone 18, like the rumored anti-theft protection that Android also already has. If you want the latest and greatest features, it's pretty clear that Android continues to be the best platform to own.

What you need to know

• Apple's upgraded Siri and Apple Intelligence features are indirectly powered by Google's Gemini technology.
• Apple says all AI requests run on-device or through Private Cloud Compute without sharing user data.
• Apple Foundation Models are trained by Apple but refined using techniques from Gemini frontier models.

Apple's upgraded Siri AI stole the spotlight at WWDC today, and it turns out Google Gemini is playing a bigger role behind the scenes than expected.

Earlier this year, Apple announced that it was partnering with Google to leverage Gemini's capabilities, and today we finally saw the first major result of that collaboration. Apple introduced a number of new Apple Intelligence features across its ecosystem, including a much more capable Siri, improved dictation, and even small and thoughtful features like the ability to create Shortcuts using natural language prompts.

On its website, Apple says these new experiences are powered by its own Apple Foundation Models. However, those models were developed in collaboration with Google and Gemini.

Apple also emphasizes that the models run on-device whenever possible, and when cloud processing is required, requests are handled through the company's Private Cloud Compute infrastructure. According to Apple, that means user data isn't shared with either Google or Apple itself.

Apple later clarified that iOS 27 doesn't directly use Gemini apps or Google's client-side code to power these features (via 9to5Mac).

That said, Apple's AI chief, Subramanya, explained that the new Apple Intelligence experience is built on four Apple Foundation Models, or AFMs. At the base level is AFM Core, which is somewhat similar to Gemini Nano and handles on-device AI tasks.

Above that sits AFM Core Advanced, which adds multimodal capabilities. On the cloud side, Apple uses AFM Cloud and AFM Cloud Image models for more demanding requests.

Apple says these models are trained on the company's own proprietary datasets but are refined using techniques derived from Gemini's frontier models.

All things considered, while Apple is understandably positioning Apple Intelligence as its own AI tech, it's pretty clear that Google's Gemini models played a significant role in helping Apple get there.

How good the actual implementation ends up being is a completely different question, though. We'll have to spend more time with iOS 27 before making that call.

What you need to know

• Apple's latest privacy ad depicts Android phones with thick bezels and dated designs that don't reflect reality.
• The ad focuses on Safari privacy but portrays Android hardware as far more outdated than it actually is.
• Modern Android flagships like the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Find X9 Ultra look nothing like Apple's examples.
• The ad feels like another unnecessary jab at Android rather than a showcase of iPhone privacy features.

Apple has released a new "Privacy on iPhone" ad, but it goes out of its way to portray Android phones as thick, outdated-looking boxes — all over again.

It's nothing new for Apple and Google to take shots at each other. Tech companies have been doing that for years. What's ironic, though, is that Google often seems more willing to embrace Apple's products than Apple is to acknowledge modern Android phones. We've seen Google launch apps on iPhones first and even use MacBooks on stage during Google I/O.

Apple, meanwhile, still seems to have a very outdated idea of what Android phones actually look like.

Its latest Privacy on iPhone ad heavily focuses on Safari and privacy, showing Android users being tracked everywhere they go while browsing. Then, as soon as an iPhone user opens Safari, all of those trackers disappear into thin air.

The funny part isn't the privacy message itself. It's the Android phones Apple chose to represent Android.

The devices shown in the ad have huge bezels around the display and a notched front camera design. Ironically, in 2026, it's Apple that still sells devices with a notch cutout (the iPhone 16e), while most Android phones have moved on to punch-hole cameras and much slimmer designs.

The phones in the ad also feature a single rear camera, which feels even more disconnected from reality. Modern Android flagships like the Oppo Find X9 Ultra and even the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are packed with camera hardware that goes far beyond what Apple is depicting here.

Personally, ads like this just don't really land for me anymore. They feel disconnected from what the smartphone market actually looks like today. Maybe they work for Apple's audience, but when the devices being mocked don't resemble modern Android phones at all, the whole thing starts to feel a bit silly.

It's not the first time Apple has released an ad like this, but we're halfway through 2026, and I feel like Cupertino can do better than taking these kinds of cheap shots. If anything, the ad says more about how Apple views Android than how Android actually looks today. What Apple gets out of these ads at this point is honestly beyond me.

What you need to know

• Research company, Omdia, reported on the U.S. smartphone market for Q1 2026, stating it has dipped by 3% YoY.
• The company says that rising memory and storage costs aided this decline, as well as "restrained carrier upgrades."
• Samsung dropped 5% YoY, but it still led the charge for Android, taking up 24% of the market; however, Apple (down 3%) took the number one spot with 60%.
• The only Android maker to go positive was Motorola, which marked an 18% growth in the U.S. smartphone market.

Reports discussing how smartphones performed in Q1 are surfacing, and they're telling the story of a struggling market.

The research company Omdia shared a press release this morning (May 27), highlighting how the U.S. smartphone market performed in Q1 2026. According to its research, the market did not perform as well YoY (year-over-year). Omdia states the market dipped by 3% YoY in Q1, as companies shipped 33.4 million units across the country.

The cause? Omdia says "shipments were pressured by a more restrained carrier upgrade environment, rising memory and storage costs, and delayed device launches that compressed sell-through for key premium models." Though the decline was "modest," Omdia could not ignore the aforementioned catalysts behind the market's decline in Q1.

The situation breaks down company performance, too, with Apple leading the charge with 60% of the U.S. phone market. However, the company isn't unscathed, as Apple posted a 3% dip in Q1. Coming in second is Samsung with 24% of the U.S. market, shipping 7.9 million phones. Omdia says that the Korean OEM actually marked a 5% decline, which was likely aided by the late Galaxy S26 launch. It also states that despite the S26 series' later debut, it outperformed the Galaxy S25 by 25% in pre-orders.

Google fell quite short, shipping 800,000 phones in Q1 and accounting for 3% of the market. However, Motorola made a splash early this year. The company took up 11% of the market from January to March, and is the only company that went positive with an 18% growth. Omdia's data suggests this could be attributed to its "refreshed" Moto G selection.

A lot of moving parts

Omdia breaks down the market in terms of sectors, such as the premium and entry-level (even mid-range). Its report says that the premium market (devices priced $800 or more) saw a small 1% decline in Q1. Curiously, entry-level devices increased by 8%. These phones, typically priced under $300, could've been aided by prepaid plans and the like. The research company predicts that the struggles hounding the market early in 2026 will continue.

It projects that 2026 could decline by 4% overall for the U.S. smartphone market.

We're having a different discussion than we were earlier this year when Q4 2025 reports came out. Now, this was a different story, as that report concerned global smartphone shipments. Either way, globally, smartphones rose by 2.3%, and Samsung and Apple led the charge. Samsung shipped 61.2 million units globally in Q4 2025, taking up 18.2% of the market. Apple took up 24.2%, shipping 81.3 million units.

What you need to know

• AS if to divert our attention, Apple announces WWDC 2026 is set to run from June 8-12.
• The company plans to give viewers insights into its new technologies during the main keynote on June 8 at 10 am PT (1 pm ET).
• However, our sights are firmly set on Google's I/O 2026 event tomorrow, May 19 at 1 pm ET, where Android XR, Android 17, and Gemini Intelligence will likely shine.

As if it were written in the script, Apple has started sending out notifications for its next major event, and it's all about what's next for its tech.

Today (May 18), Apple officially announced what's coming up next, and if you guessed WWDC 2026, you'd be right. The company's reveal comes with a brief view schedule for the event, which runs from June 8-12. As usual, Apple states this conference will bring together "developers from around the world to explore the tools, frameworks, and technologies" across its platforms.

The "main event" is set for June 8 at 10 am PT (1 pm ET), involving Apple's keynote and a "first look at the latest updates coming to Apple platforms." Of course, users can tune in via Apple's YouTube or its main website (even the Apple TV app). Following this, users can continue to stay on board for the Platforms State of the Union. If you're looking to get your nose into Apple's tech, it says users will find a deeper dive into its new features, APIs, and more.

The Apple Developer YouTube channel will take the lead here, as well as the associated app and developer website. Video Sessions and Guides, Group Labs, the Apple Design Awards, and the Swift Student Challenge are all lined up from June 8-12.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves

Apple will get its time to shine early on in June; however, facing our immediate future is Google's I/O 2026 event. The meat and potatoes of this event are set for May 19 at 1 p.m. ET. It's during this time that we're expecting to see what Google's been cooking for Gemini (Gemini Intelligence, too, maybe), Android XR, smart home updates, and much more. We've been speculating what could go down tomorrow for a while now, and all that's left is to see the event.

Samsung's Galaxy glasses are another aspect. While Android XR is likely to be a major feature during I/O 2026, perhaps Samsung's first pair of smart glasses will make an appearance. Either way, we're less than 24 hours away from the main event. To keep you involved and "in the know" about I/O, you can check our I/O 2026 Live Blog up until the event, and even after.

Android Central's Take

Apple had quite a bit to talk about last year, and some of it looked like it was directly inspired by Google. I'm expecting quite a bit from Apple this year, too. It's always interesting just seeing what they're coming up with, even if I don't own an iPhone. My main focus right now is on I/O (and that Live Blog, which you should check out). Gemini Intelligence, Android XR, and Android 17 are my big expectations for tomorrow.

What you need to know

• Apple and Google are finally bringing end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging to iPhone and Android chats with the iOS 26.5 beta.
• The new encryption system is built directly into the GSMA’s RCS Universal Profile instead of relying on Google’s old proprietary solution.
• If both users have the latest software and a supported carrier, encrypted RCS should work automatically with no complicated setup.

After years of keeping their encrypted walls high, Apple and Google are finally letting iPhone and Android users talk to each other without leaving their privacy at the door.

Apple is beta-testing end-to-end encrypted RCS messaging. It is the central feature of the new iOS 26.5 update, and it's the first time these two ecosystems have gotten along on security standards. This is the fix you’ve been waiting for if you’ve ever felt a little uneasy sending sensitive info to a friend on the other side of the smartphone divide.

For the uninitiated, iMessage has always been encrypted, but only when you were texting to another iPhone. As soon as an Android user joined the chat, it defaulted to SMS or basic RCS, which is basically open postcards that anyone with the right tools can read. Years ago, Google tried to push its own encryption for RCS, but it was a proprietary layer that Apple wouldn’t adopt.

The breakthrough here is a collaborative effort to embed encryption directly into the GSMA’s RCS Universal Profile.

Major carriers are already on board

There aren't a lot of hoops to jump through to get this working. If you are running the iOS 26.5 beta and your Android friend is using the latest version of Google Messages, the encryption should just work. Just make sure you’re on a supported carrier as major players like AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon in the U.S., and Rogers, Bell and Telus in Canada are already on board.

You can see a little lock logo in the chat thread to confirm the connection is secure. If you don’t see that lock, it’s likely because one of you is on a carrier that hasn’t enabled it yet. This is still a beta rollout so please do note that it may take a few weeks to reach every user across the globe.

Apple and Google have promised to set it as the default for all RCS chats from now. Once it leaves beta, the green bubble might still be green, but it won't be a security risk anymore.

Android Central's Take

I'll call it a win for cross-platform security, but it is so incredibly exhausting that it took us until 2026 to get here. Apple was happy to sit on their hands for more than 10 years and leave our cross-platform messages unencrypted just to weaponize a green bubble and trap people in their ecosystem. Basic privacy shouldn’t be a hard-won concession from a tech overlord. So yes, you finally get the peace of mind knowing your group chats are secure no matter what phone everyone bought, but I’m definitely not giving Apple a standing ovation for doing the bare minimum years too late.

What you need to know

• The encryption-focused update for RCS messaging between iPhones and Android has been detailed.
• Apple states that this feature will arrive once iOS 26.5 debuts, which is speculated to do so next week.
• The RCS standard never had E2EE protections, it was Google that decided that for Messages; however, a GSMA update in 2025 announced that encryption was on the way.

It's been a while since we were all RCS crazy, but an update brings those vibes back, as Apple finally prepares to make good on a promise.

Highlighted earlier today (May 5) by 9to5Mac, Apple is reportedly preparing to make good on its word to add encryption to users' messages with Android. The company posted the changelog for its iOS 26.5 RC build, which is the final testing iteration of the software before it hits the servers for everyone. In its notes, Apple states that it will "introduce end-to-end encrypted RCS (beta) messaging."

It adds that its RCS encryption will come online for "supported carriers." The publication speculates that this update will begin rolling out sometime next week; however, Apple's post suggests its encryption won't be simultaneous. This support will be "rolled out over time," meaning some users and carriers may see E2EE whenever it arrives, while others will have to wait a while.

It would be nice if all iPhone users could get it at once, but to hold us over, 9to5Google alleges what this might look like on those devices. The post states that users will likely have to dive into their settings (Settings > Messages > RCS Messages) and make sure their end-to-end encryption toggle is active. Once completed, your chats will display a locked icon with "Encrypted" beside it. This is similar to the locked icon with "RCS chat with X" in Google Messages on Android.

Protected

It's funny to think that Apple's iPhones got RCS support in iMessage late in 2024, but we're just now getting encrypted texts. There's actually a reason for that. In 2019, Google decided to offer end-to-end encryption to protect users' text messages in Messages. Apple's adoption of such protections for users was a collaborative effort between multiple companies and the GSM Association.

The GSMA announced in 2025 that its update at the time (RCS Universal Profile 3.0) would support E2EE for users. Apple confirmed quickly after that it would add "support for end-to-end encrypted RCS messages to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and watchOS in future software updates.”

Android Central's Take

All I can say is finally. It's been a long road, one that Google trekked down tirelessly with its "Get the Message" campaign. All this means is now, Android and iPhone users talking to each in other RCS supported chats have that strong encryption behind their texts. Protecting and shielding them from prying eyes.

What you need to know

• Apple is undergoing a leadership change for the first time in roughly 15 years, as Tim Cook will step down as CEO later this year.
• John Ternus, Apple's current senior vice president of hardware engineering, will be the company's next CEO.
• Cook will remain as CEO through a transition period, and Ternus will take over Sept. 1, 2026. Then, Cook will become Apple's executive chairman of the board of directors.

Apple's Tim Cook is stepping down as chief executive and John Ternus will become the next CEO, the company announced in a press release today, April 20. Cook will stay on and work with Ternus during a transitional period, and Ternus will officially become Apple CEO on Sept. 1, 2026. As part of the leadership change, Cook is set to become Apple's executive chairman of the company's board of directors, and Ternus will also get a board seat.

Cook has held the CEO title since 2011, when he took over for the late Steve Jobs. Ternus has worked for Apple for over 25 years, most recently as the company's senior vice president of hardware engineering. Previously, he served as a vice president of hardware engineering and a member of the product design team. Apple says Ternus helped introduce the iPad and AirPods, and worked on product generations of iPhones, Macs, and Apple Watches.

Ternus has an engineering background and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Apple, he was a mechanical engineer for Virtual Research systems.

"John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future," Cook said in a press release. "I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman."

Ternus spoke positively about Apple's future in his introductory press release as incoming CEO. "I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us," said Ternus. "I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century."

Part of the change includes Johny Srouji expanding his role to include Ternus' previous duties. Srouji's new title is chief hardware officer at Apple.

As the transition takes place behind the scenes, there are key milestones to keep an eye out for. Apple will host a quarterly earnings call this Thursday, April 30, where we could hear from Ternus and Cook for the first time since the announcement. Additionally, the Sept. 1 transition is right before Apple typically holds its annual September event. This will likely be the first keynote hosted by Ternus as Apple's CEO.

Cook penned an open letter to customers and the Apple community following the announcement. "This is not goodbye," Cook writes, "but at this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you."

What the industry is saying

Immediately following the announcement, Apple shares fell roughly 0.8% in after-hours trading, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Cook had an incredible run at the helm of Apple, as the International Data Corporation (IDC) tells Android Central in an email. Specifically, IDC calls it "one of the most successful tenures in the history of technology," adding that "Cook inherited a $350 billion company and handed over a $4 trillion one."

However, IDC also notes that Apple is at an inflection point:

With a hardware engineering background, Ternus could be judged on whether he can lead Apple through an AI-driven technological boom. "Apple's next decade will be defined less by hardware perfection, which Ternus clearly understands, and more by whether the company can build a strong AI platform and ecosystem strategy before competitors consolidate their positions," says Francisco Jeronimo, who is the vice president of client devices at IDC.

Android Central's Take

I'm looking at the news of Apple's upcoming leadership change with optimism. There is no doubt that Cook's tenure as Apple CEO will go down as historic, by virtually every metric. However, it's clear to anyone watching that Apple's dominance and characteristic innovation appears to be fading.

Its most innovative product in over a decade, Apple Vision Pro, wasn't a major success — and its future feels uncertain. The company has stumbled in the AI era, failing to ship already-announced features, like the overhauled Siri voice assistant. It is leaning on third-party companies like OpenAI and Google to make up for in-house weaknesses in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, competitors like Google, Samsung, Microsoft, and Meta are leaning into internal AI development more than ever.

The big victory of Cook's time as Apple CEO is arguably the emergence of M-series Apple silicon laptop and desktop processors. Starting with the Apple M1 in 2020, Apple has established itself as the leader in Arm-based silicon, with powerful and efficient chips. It also overhauled the iPad and Mac hardware lines, most recently debuting the budget MacBook Neo, joining the redesigned MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

These are all hardware initiatives led at least in part by Ternus and Srouji. That's why I'm excited to see the two take on expanded roles at Apple. When Ternus takes the helm as Apple CEO in September, he will become the first chief executive with a mechanical engineering background in decades. And Srouji, who is almost entirely responsible for the success of Apple silicon, is becoming the first-ever Apple chief hardware officer.

Jobs was a legendary marketer and innovator, and Cook is an all-time-great operations specialist. Ternus and Srouji could be similarly excellent at developing hardware, and it could be just what Apple needs.

What you need to know

• Google announced that it's making the Gemini app available for macOS computers v15 or higher today (Apr 15).
• The app brings a native shortcut, which surfaces Gemini for quick questions and answers, as well as AI image/video generation.
• Apple users can also share their window's content with Gemini to better understanding and more accurate help.

Apple users are getting a major boost in their AI capabilities today (Apr 15), thanks to Google's software arriving on desktop.

Google announced this morning that it's bringing the Gemini app to Apple's macOS devices. The post highlights this as a "native desktop experience" for Mac. One of its capabilities that Google mentions is the ability for users to take advantage of shortcuts. When you're busy multitasking and hopping between windows, Google says you can surface Gemini using the Option+Space shortcut. It adds that doing so won't remove you from the current window.

A quick Q&A session, drafting help for documents, or AI-generated images and videos are all possible through this shortcut for Gemini.

However, for those instances when you need Gemini to "see" exactly what you're talking about, Google points macOS users toward the "Share Window" option. Once the Gemini app is on your computer, Google says you can "share anything on your screen with Gemini to get help with exactly what you’re looking at, including local files." Sharing the content of your window can be accompanied by a prompt (or question), so Gemini knows exactly what you're looking for.

The Gemini app for macOS users is available today (Apr 15) for devices with v15 and higher. Google says this is rolling out for computers globally, as its download is now available.

Integrated, like it was meant to be

This announcement of a "native" experience for macOS devices comes a few months after Google and Apple announced a multi-year collaboration. The collaboration involved the two companies finding ways to integrate Gemini into Apple's next-gen devices to enable "enhanced AI features." It was stated that Gemini would empower Apple's Siri, while also unifying AI for Android and iOS. Apple also stated that it would "retain user privacy," as it leverages Google's AI software.

Apple's iPhones got the Gemini app officially a couple of years ago. The debut was accompanied by Imagen 3, but it also brought Gemini Live, which was a boon for students looking to study. Its capabilities were pretty much identical to what Android users received, but for those who were missing out.

Android Central's Take

Since Apple's iPhone has the app, it only makes sense macOS would get it, too. It did take a while, and that's likely because of the integrations Google seemingly wanted to make for it. I'm sure users on a Mac would find this useful. If you consider the fact that the alternative would be to head to Gemini on the web, having the AI right at your fingertips makes a huge difference.

What you need to know

• Apple will start showing ads in Apple Maps search results in the US and Canada with clear labels.
• Promoted listings will appear at the top of results with a blue highlight to differentiate from normal results.
• Apple says Maps ads will be privacy-focused, with no user data linked to accounts or shared externally.

Ads are something we don't usually associate with Apple, but it looks like that might change soon, with ads coming to Apple Maps.

Apple today (Mar 24) confirmed that, in addition to the App Store and Apple News app, ads will soon appear in Apple Maps. Starting in the U.S. and Canada, ads will show up in search results.

When you search for something in Apple Maps, a promoted result will appear at the top of the "Suggested Places" list. These ads will be clearly labelled and highlighted with a subtle blue halo to differentiate them.

Like ads in the App Store and Apple News, Apple says Maps ads will maintain user privacy. The company claims that a user's location and ad interactions aren't tied to their Apple account. Personal data stays on the device and isn't collected, stored, or shared with third parties.

Ads may be new for Apple Maps, but they are nothing new for Google Maps users. Google has had them for years, and honestly, most people are fine with ads as long as they don't get in the way of the core experience. Google Maps still dominates in the U.S., while Apple Maps trails behind.

That said, this move makes sense for Apple as it looks to grow its services revenue.

Alongside this, Apple also unveiled a broader Apple Business program. This will act as an all-in-one tool for businesses and brands. Apple Business is designed for companies of all sizes and will include features like mobile device management for distributing apps to employees, account management tools, and the ability to set up business email, calendars, and web domains directly through Apple.

Businesses will also be able to create and manage listings on Apple Maps and run ads through the same platform. Apple Business is set to launch on April 14, 2026.

Android Central's Take

This feels like a very un-Apple move, but also kind of inevitable. As long as the ads stay limited to search and are privacy-first, I don't mind it much.

That said, Apple slowly leaning into ads across its services doesn't sit entirely right, especially for a brand that prides itself on a clean, premium experience.

Apple is attacking the midrange smartphone market with the iPhone 17e, and the second-generation "iPhone e" model includes a few major upgrades. The smartphone now starts with 256GB of storage, up from 128GB, and includes a faster Apple A19 processor. The company fixed a major omission by adding MagSafe charging to the iPhone 17e at up to 15W. All around, it's a solid smartphone, even if there are some corners cut.

That said, there are some iPhone 17e characteristics that'll be sure to make Android users cringe. The iPhone 17e still has a notch, rather than a hole-punch or pill-shaped front-facing camera cutout, that protrudes deeply into the display. Speaking of the screen, it's only 60Hz. There's also just one rear camera, and while it's a capable 48MP sensor, it can't replace dedicated ultrawide or telephoto lenses.

Those are just a few reasons you might not love the iPhone 17e despite its attractive $599 price point. Whether you want a cheaper phone or simply more features, these four Android phones can offer better value or a better experience than the iPhone 17e.

Google Pixel 10a

Any conversation about budget Android phones has to start with the Google Pixel 10a. It's the gold standard in value proposition, with decent specs, a no-nonsense approach, and a long software support guarantee. The Pixel 10a might actually be supported longer than the iPhone 17e, as Apple typically only guarantees five years of updates, while Google confirms seven years of support. Google's midranger is priced at $499, which is $100 cheaper than the iPhone 17e.

The iPhone 17e beats the Pixel 10a in a couple of notable ways. It has the faster Apple A19 processor, twice the base storage, and MagSafe compatibility. However, the Pixel 10a also bests the iPhone 17e in several ways, with a larger 6.3-inch display, a dual-camera system, a larger battery, and a completely flat back. The screen is not only larger, but also offers a 120Hz refresh rate and a much smaller camera cutout.

The iOS versus Android debate usually comes down to personal preference, but Google AI and Gemini clearly outperform Apple Intelligence, so the Pixel 10a beats the iPhone 17e there. At a lower price than the iPhone 17e, the Pixel 10a offers much more of what really matters in daily smartphone use.

OnePlus 13R

The OnePlus 13R has the best chance of beating the iPhone 17e in performance. The two phones are priced the same, at $599 each, and the OnePlus 13R is just as capable. It's powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor with flagship performance, and it packs a giant 6,000mAh battery. If you want the biggest midrange display, the OnePlus 13R offers a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel that can handle 120Hz refresh rates.

The camera system is much better than that of the iPhone 17e, too. It uses a triple-camera rear system that includes a 50MP Sony LYT-700 primary shooter, a 50MP Samsung JN5 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP Sony IMX355 wide-angle lens. There are ways that the OnePlus 13R's cameras could be improved — the optical zoom length is still lackluster and ultrawide quality is poor — but it's decidedly more versatile than the iPhone 17e's single 48MP rear camera.

You might be wondering why we're not talking about the OnePlus 15R, and there's a simple reason. It's $100 more expensive than both the iPhone 17e and the OnePlus 13R, and it also includes downgrades, like a missing telephoto camera. You'd be better off getting the older and cheaper OnePlus 13R instead.

Moto G Stylus 2025

The Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 isn't as premium as some of the other phones on this list, including the iPhone 17e, but it's also the cheapest. At just $400 and frequently much cheaper than that, the Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 is different and affordable enough to give the iPhone 17e a run for its money. The standout features are the built-in stylus for writing and drawing, and the PANTONE-styled colorways that make the Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 stand out.

As for specs, the Moto G Stylus 5G 2025 has a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel that's both larger and has a higher refresh rate than the iPhone 17e. On the inside, there's a weaker Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 and 128GB of storage. However, you do get expandable storage by way of a microSD card slot and a headphone jack. These are two features you won't find anywhere near the iPhone 17e.

Motorola's midranger also offers a dual-camera system with a 50MP wide lens and a 13MP ultrawide, giving you an extra rear camera compared to the iPhone 17e. The one area where the iPhone 17e is the much better option is software support, as Motorola only guarantees two years of full Android OS upgrades.

Nothing Phone 4a Pro

If you want a smartphone that truly stands out, look into buying the Nothing Phone 4a Pro. It's a brand-new midrange phone priced at $500, making it $100 cheaper than the iPhone 17e. Additionally, it's the first Nothing phone to look somewhat normal, with an aluminum chassis. There is a flashy camera bump with Nothing flair and a Glyph Matrix display, but it's more refined than prior models and gives the Phone 4a Pro more character than the iPhone 17e.

In terms of specs, the base model gets a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. You can upgrade the Phone 4a Pro to a 12GB/256GB configuration to make it more comparable to the iPhone 17e. Make no mistake, the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor won't be completely on par with the A19 in the iPhone 17e, but it should be good enough for the price.

You also get a larger 5,080 mAh battery, faster 50W wired charging, and the largest 6.83-inch screen in this category. A notable omission is wireless charging, but otherwise, the Nothing Phone 4a Pro covers all the bases.

It's not every day that Apple releases an excellent midrange smartphone, and when it does, it tends to get a lot of attention. That's true of the iPhone 17e — a new $599 device with the latest A19 chip, 256GB of base storage, and native MagSafe/Qi2 support. However, Android phone brands have had a stronger, more consistent presence in the budget and midrange markets than Apple, so the iPhone 17e will face stiff competition.

Apple and Samsung are two of the largest smartphone manufacturers in the world, and it's only fitting that the iPhone 17e will go up against the Galaxy S25 FE. The latter is a slightly more expensive, but much more polished, midranger than the iPhone 17e. It has a larger screen and two extra cameras, but it's also bigger and heavier overall, while lacking crucial Qi2 support. As such, the choice between the iPhone 17e and the Galaxy S25 FE is hardly a slam dunk for either device.

If you're in the market for a midrange smartphone, here's what you need to know to decide between Apple and Samsung's latest offerings.

iPhone 17e vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Design and display

The designs of the iPhone 17e and Samsung Galaxy S25 FE really couldn't be much more different. Apple went with a simple, minimalist, and refined design, while Samsung opted for a heavier, larger chassis. These differences are reflected in the hardware, too, as the Galaxy S25 FE's larger footprint allows it to pack more cameras and a larger battery. At a glance, you'll notice that the iPhone 17e has a single rear camera, while the Galaxy S25 FE has three.

The materials are nearly identical, as both Apple and Samsung use an aluminum frame and glass back. Crucially, the iPhone 17e uses Apple's new Ceramic Shield 2 covering, introduced on flagships like the iPhone Air, which offers better scratch-resistance than its predecessor. Samsung offers Gorilla Glass Victus Plus, but it's not as good as thwarting nicks and scuffs. Both phones have IP68 certification against dust and water ingress.

As for the dimensions, the iPhone 17e is significantly more compact. Due to its smaller 6.1-inch display, the iPhone 17e is narrower and shorter than the Galaxy S25 FE, which is great for small phone fans. The Galaxy S25 FE is thinner than the iPhone 17e, measuring 7.4mm compared to 7.8mm, respectively. However, the iPhone 17e does win the weight battle by a wide margin, coming in at only 169 grams. The Samsung Galaxy S25 FE is much heavier at 190 grams and might be harder to hold due to the larger footprint.

Both phones have bezels on the larger side, but the iPhone 17e has a large notch that cuts into the display. This notch houses the phone's Face ID hardware, but it looks dated compared to the Dynamic Island on newer iPhones or the hole-punch cutout on the Galaxy S25 FE.

The iPhone 17e's display is otherwise solid, as it's an OLED panel with a sharp 2532x1170-pixel resolution and a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi). The Galaxy S25 FE offers a similar OLED display with a 2340x1080 resolution, which translates to a pixel density of roughly 385 ppi. In simple terms, this means the iPhone 17e's display is sharper than the Galaxy S25 FE's screen. On the flip side, the Galaxy S25 FE has a more responsive panel, as it supports 120Hz refresh rates, while the iPhone 17e is still limited to 60Hz.

Of course, size is another consideration. There's a pretty big jump between the 6.1-inch iPhone 17e and the 6.7-inch Galaxy S25 FE screen sizes. I tend to prefer more compact handsets, but you'll have to consider the size difference based on your personal taste.

The iPhone 17e offers full MagSafe and Qi2 support with built-in magnets. The Galaxy S25 FE lacks this useful feature, but it does support fast wireless charging. Otherwise, both phones tend to feel more premium than the midrange price point might suggest. You won't find low-quality glass or plastic backs here — just high-end aluminum and Corning glass.

iPhone 17e vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Hardware and specs

Apple and Samsung are both using custom processors in their midrange phones that are generally considered a step down from flagship chips. Still, they're more than capable for daily use. Apple uses the A19 chip in the iPhone 17e — seemingly the same one as the base iPhone 17 — but there's a catch. It's a binned version with one fewer GPU core. The average user is unlikely ever to notice this, but it's worth pointing out.

The Galaxy S25 FE is powered by the Exynos 2400 mobile processor, which powers flagship Galaxy phones in some regions, with Qualcomm handling flagship chips in markets like North America. It's a chip fabricated on a 4nm process node and is slightly less advanced than the 3nm Apple A19 Pro. Again, impact on daily use will be minimal, if noticeable at all.

Both phones come with 8GB of memory and can handle basic AI tasks, though you can expect Galaxy AI and Gemini to be more robust than Apple Intelligence.

An appealing aspect of the iPhone 17e is that it comes with 256GB of base storage as standard. The $650 version of the Galaxy S25 FE comes with half the storage, so it's more expensive and offers less storage. To get a 256GB or 512GB model of the Galaxy S25 FE, you'll end up paying much more than the comparable iPhone 17e.

The Galaxy S25 FE has a larger 4,900mAh battery and supports up to 45W wired charging. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17e has a 4,005mAh capacity and supports the aforementioned MagSafe and Qi2.

iPhone 17e vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Cameras

Finally, there are the cameras. Or camera, singular, in the case of the iPhone 17e's rear offering. It's hard to say how much you value a multi-camera system in a midrange phone, but there's no doubt the Galaxy S25 FE's triple-camera setup is more versatile. It offers a physical primary shooter, a telephoto zoom lens, and an ultrawide camera that can perform in any situation. The iPhone 17e's 48MP main camera is great for point-and-shoot shots, but beyond 2x sensor-crop zoom, it can't do more.

Samsung put a 50MP primary sensor on the Galaxy S25 FE, but the phone's secondary cameras are weaker. The 3x optical zoom telephoto lens is just 8MP, and the ultrawide isn't much sharper at 12MP. That said, you don't get these lenses at all on the iPhone 17e.

iPhone 17e vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 FE: Which should you buy?

If you're seeking the best-value phone at the most affordable price, and you don't care much about granular specs or features, the iPhone 17e wins. It has a capable Apple A19 processor and iOS 26 software packed into a thin, compact, and lightweight phone. With a versatile single 48MP main camera and MagSafe support, it covers all the basics for a casual user. Those who couldn't tell the difference between a 60Hz and a 120Hz display will love the iPhone 17e.

People with higher minimum expectations for what a smartphone should be in 2026 should absolutely upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE. If you think a 60Hz display in this day and age is laughable, Samsung's midranger is for you. It has a high-quality display, a large battery capacity, and a triple-camera system. The iPhone 17e might have a fine primary shooter, but it can't match the versatility of the Galaxy S25 FE's camera offerings.

Really, you can't go wrong with either the iPhone 17e or the Galaxy S25 FE, but try to get the latter at a discount as it's midway through its release cycle.

What you need to know

• The new $599 MacBook Neo marks Apple’s most affordable MacBook in years, targeting Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs.
• However, instead of an M-series processor, the Neo runs on the A18 Pro.
• The laptop ships with macOS Tahoe, plus features like iPhone Mirroring and Apple Intelligence.
• With bright color options and an education price as low as $499, Apple is going after buyers who usually pick Chromebooks.

Apple usually stays out of the budget laptop market. That’s why the new MacBook Neo is such a big change.

At $599, this is Apple’s most affordable MacBook in years, the company says. It’s aimed at the market usually filled by Chromebooks and entry-level Windows PCs. For students, first-time laptop buyers, and anyone who just wants a simple everyday machine, Apple is suddenly offering a far lower price of entry into macOS.

Until now, the cheapest MacBook was the MacBook Air, starting at $1,099 for the latest models. The Neo is about $400 less than any new MacBook before it, making a clear gap between this budget option and the rest of the lineup.

A Mac powered by an iPhone chip

To lower the price, Apple made a bold move. The MacBook Neo uses the A18 Pro chip, which is the same processor found in the iPhone 16 Pro.

This is different from Apple’s usual M-series laptop chips, but it matches what the Neo is meant for: everyday tasks like browsing, working on documents, video calls, and streaming.

Even so, the hardware is solid. The Neo has a 13-inch Liquid Retina display (2408 × 1506 resolution, up to 500 nits brightness), 8GB of unified memory, storage options of 256GB or 512GB, a Magic Keyboard, a large multi-touch trackpad, a 1080p FaceTime camera, side-firing speakers with Dolby Atmos and spatial audio, and up to 16 hours of battery life.

The laptop comes with macOS Tahoe and supports features like iPhone Mirroring and Apple Intelligence tools. It still fits well into Apple’s larger device ecosystem.

Preorders are open now, and the MacBook Neo will be available starting March 11.

Apple cut corners, and that’s intentional

The Neo’s price tag doesn’t come without trade-offs. The base $599 model includes 256GB storage, but skips Touch ID, while the $699 version adds 512GB and the fingerprint sensor. There’s also no option beyond 8GB of RAM, and storage tops out at 512GB.

There are a few other missing features. The Neo doesn’t have Thunderbolt ports, MagSafe charging, fast charging, or a backlit keyboard. It only supports Wi-Fi 6E.

Apple’s goal is clear. It’s aiming at price-sensitive buyers, especially students and casual users who might otherwise choose a Chromebook or a low-cost Windows laptop.

The colorful design supports this goal. The MacBook Neo is available in Citrus, Blush, Indigo, and Silver, with matching keyboards. This makes it feel more like Apple’s playful iMacs than the usual minimalist MacBooks.

Apple also has an education price as low as $499, putting the Neo right in the same price range as mid-tier Chromebooks.

Android Central's Take

The MacBook Neo could be a big deal for many people. A $599 Mac makes it much easier to join Apple’s ecosystem, especially for students and casual users who just need something reliable for schoolwork, browsing, and streaming. The specs are basic, but if Apple can deliver the smooth macOS experience people expect, this could finally give buyers a real alternative to Chromebooks and low-end Windows laptops, without having to spend over a thousand dollars.

It sure sounds like the iPhone Air is being treated unfairly. That's not to say that the iPhone Air is a smash hit, or that it's for everyone. In fact, I say the opposite in my iPhone Air review. But is it really the commercial failure everyone seems to think it is?

A new survey from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, reported by CNN, suggests iPhone buyers aren't choosing the iPhone Air nearly as much as the new iPhone 17 models. The survey asked U.S. iPhone shoppers which iPhone model they chose in the fourth quarter of 2025, and only 6% of buyers spent their money on the iPhone Air.

The rest of the lineup seemed to resonate more with iPhone buyers: 22% purchased the iPhone 17, 25% purchased the iPhone 17 Pro, and 27% purchased the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Considering the iPhone Air was the only new iPhone model that didn't break double figures, analysts continue to criticize weak demand for the iPhone Air. The CNN report itself describes consumer reception to the iPhone Air as "frosty," partly citing this survey as evidence.

But I'm confused — is this supposed to be bad news for Apple?

It's easy to use these numbers to continue the narrative that the iPhone Air is a failure. No one knows Apple's internal expectations for the model, so it's impossible to know whether that is actually true. It very well could be. However, I look at the situation differently. I see Apple selling more iPhones than ever, dominating global market share, and upselling potential customers to higher-priced Pro and Max models.

In a lineup of four new phones — five, if you include the iPhone 16e — some are going to be more popular than others. Most of us don't go out and buy multiple iPhones, we pick the one we like the most. If the new lineup, including the iPhone Air, propelled Apple to ship 81.3 million smartphone units in Q4 2025 and claim a 24.2% share of the global market, can we really call it a failure?

Android and iPhone lineups are like a sports team

If you're not a sports fan, you'll have to bear with me through this quick analogy. When you're watching a team sport, your team can win without every player shining in a great individual performance. Some players are facilitators: they don't show up on the stat sheet, but they impact the team's overall success. Smartphone lineups work the same way — the Google Pixel 10, Samsung Galaxy S25, and iPhone 17 series are all teams, and each phone model is a player.

Samsung has the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra. Google offers the Pixel 9a, Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Apple sells the iPhone 16e, iPhone 17, iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. If a brand entices you to choose just one of its models over a competitor, it wins. Remember: the iPhone Air isn't competing against the iPhone 17, it's the entire iPhone lineup against Android.

Let's review the Consumer Intelligence Research Partners survey figures in this context. Here's a quick recap:

• iPhone 17 ($799): 22%
• iPhone Air ($999): 6%
• iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099): 25%
• iPhone 17 Pro Max ($1,199): 27%

It's easy to look at those numbers and say that the iPhone Air is a flop, or that it's not resonating with buyers, or that there's low demand. But the same numbers also tell a completely different story. More than half of new iPhone buyers (52%) bought the two most-expensive models in Q4 2025 with the lineup as currently constructed. The best-selling model, the iPhone 17 Pro Max, is also the most expensive model.

Most new customers (58%) are choosing a more expensive iPhone model than the base iPhone 17. That's an absolute win for Apple. We don't know the exact profit margins for each model, but it's safe to assume that Apple wants to push prospective buyers to pricier models. This iPhone lineup is doing just that.

As a reminder, preliminary data obtained by International Data Corporation notes that Apple smartphone shipments in Q4 2025 increased by 4.9% year-over-year. So, Apple is selling more phones than ever while simultaneously getting buyers to overwhelmingly choose their most expensive iPhones.

How every phone brand builds its lineup

There's a few things we don't know about the iPhone Air in the context of its performance. We don't know how much it cost to develop — though that cost may be offset by its clear standing as a precursor to an iPhone Fold — we don't know how many Apple made, and we don't know how many expected to sell.

It's Apple's job to gauge demand before developing and releasing a new model. If the company correctly expected only 6% of new buyers to pick the iPhone Air, it's not a failure. It's simply existing within the iPhone lineup, and one that's crushing it in sales numbers.

This is true of every major phone brand, including Android ones like Samsung and Google. When a company sells four or five models each year, it's inherently forcing users to make a choice.

The lineup is a balance. Apple, Google, and Samsung want to offer multiple value propositions across various price points to appeal to a wider customer base. They also want to create a "ladder" model and pricing structure that entices potential customers to upgrade to more expensive models.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is exorbitantly priced at $1,299. With the Galaxy S25 Plus below it at $999, it becomes an easier sell. And the higher-priced Galaxy Z Fold 7 benefits too. It's a staggering $1,999, but that's only $700 more than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and you arguably get more versatility out of it. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 isn't a failure when users pick the Galaxy S25 Ultra instead, because Samsung still sold a phone and earned a customer.

The iPhone Air 2 might be cancelled. I wouldn't be surprised if it was, but that wouldn't mean it failed. If you need further proof of that, consider that the iPhone "mini" and iPhone "Plus" models that came before it were also canned.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the iPhone Air is considered a success internally at Apple. It's really hard to spin Apple selling more iPhones than ever, at higher prices than ever, as a bad thing. People are trying anyway.

Thin phones are having a moment. Samsung kicked things off with the Galaxy S25 Edge, Apple took the trend one step further with the iPhone Air, and TECNO provided its own take with the Spark and Pova Slim. Now, Motorola is entering the space with the Motorola Edge 70, and it's impressive.

Motorola's Edge 70 is a slim phone for those who want to dip their toes into the water of thin smartphones. It's not the thinnest, but it also comes with fewer compromises. It's not the most powerful, but it's also not as expensive. So, how does the Motorola Edge 70 compare to the iPhone Air? While it's hard for any phone maker to beat the design marvel that is the iPhone Air, the Motorola Edge 70 does as good a job as any competitor.

Motorola Edge 70 vs. iPhone Air: Design and display

With thin phones, it's important to understand that the advertised thickness refers to the overall body, not the camera bump. This applies to both the Motorola Edge 70 and the iPhone Air. The former comes with a thick, squircle-shaped camera platform on the top-left portion of the back of the phone. Meanwhile, the iPhone Air has a "camera plateau" that extends across the topmost section of the back of the phone. Both camera bumps are significantly thicker than the rest of these thin phones.

The iPhone Air is more compact than the Motorola Edge 70 overall, since the latter has a larger display. This makes the overall dimensions taller, with the Edge 70 measuring 159 x 74 x 5.99mm. The iPhone is shorter and thinner, but slightly wider, measuring 156.2 x 74.7 x 5.64mm. Both phones fall under the 6mm mark, though the iPhone Air is decisively thinner. When phones get this thin, the marginal differences in thickness matter more than you think.

Apple uses a titanium frame for the iPhone Air. It's the only iPhone to use titanium this year, and it's crucial here to add strength while keeping the chassis lightweight. Otherwise, the phone is a glass slab with Ceramic Shield on both sides. Motorola is using its classic materials for the back cover of the Edge 70, using plastic, fabric, or faux leather in place of traditional glass. In this case, buyers can choose between four PANTONE colorways on the Motorola Edge 70.

Notably, Motorola has the design advantage in two key areas. The Motorola Edge 70 is six grams lighter than the iPhone Air. It also supports IP69 durability protection, going one step further than the iPhone Air's IP68 support. The Gorilla Glass 7i cover glass on the front of the Motorola Edge 70 is weaker than the iPhone Air's Ceramic Shield, however.

The iPhone Air sports a 6.5‑inch OLED display supporting 120Hz variable refresh rates and 3,000 nits of peak brightness. By comparison, the Motorola Edge 70 offers a 6.67-inch pOLED screen with 4,500 nits of peak brightness and a maximum 120Hz refresh rate. However, Motorola didn't use LTPO, so its refresh rates are locked to preset tiers.

Motorola Edge 70 vs. iPhone Air: Hardware and specs

On the inside, the scales tip in favor of the iPhone Air. Apple's slim handset is powered by the Apple A19 Pro and 12GB of memory. It's worth noting that this is a binned version of the chip with one fewer GPU core than the version you'll find in the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. However, given the power and thermal constraints of the iPhone Air, this isn't surprising. It'll still perform better than the Motorola Edge 70, both in benchmarks and real-world use.

The Motorola Edge 70, by comparison, is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 mobile platform. This is an upper-midrange chip released in May 2025, so it's not outdated, but it sits firmly below flagship levels. The phone can be configured with either 8GB or 12GB of memory and either 256GB or 512GB of storage.

The iPhone Air also offers stronger support for the latest connectivity standards with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread support. The Motorola Edge 70 only supports Wi-Fi 6E and Bluetooth 5.4, lacking Thread support entirely.

However, the Edge 70 does offer stereo speakers. The iPhone Air only has a single earpiece speaker, although it's louder than you would probably expect.

The iPhone Air has built-in magnets for connection with Qi2 and MagSafe chargers and accessories. The iPhone Air charges faster wirelessly, supporting 20W speeds compared to the Edge 70's 15W support. On the flip side, the Motorola Edge 70 charges much faster over a cable, supporting Motorola's 68W TurboPower.

Motorola Edge 70 vs. iPhone Air: Cameras

Another controversial aspect of the iPhone Air is the phone's inclusion of just one rear camera sensor. It's a 48MP lens that can double as a 2x telephoto camera using sensor crop. This works fine for my needs, but there's no true replacement for the lack of an ultrawide camera. If you like taking wide shots, the iPhone Air's single camera might not be enough for you.

The iPhone Air might make up for its rear camera deficiencies with a standout selfie camera. It's a square sensor that can take horizontal and vertical photos without needing to physically rotate the device. Using CenterStage software, you can zoom out and take 0.7x ultrawide shots.

The Motorola Edge 70 crucially has a second rear camera, for a total of two 50MP sensors. There's a primary shooter paired with a 50MP ultrawide, so if you love zooming out, the Edge 70 will do better than the iPhone Air. On the front, you get another 50MP sensor, albeit without the cropping and rotating tricks you'll find on the iPhone Air.

Motorola markets the Edge 70 as having a third rear camera, but this is actually just a light sensor, so don't be fooled.

Motorola Edge 70 vs. iPhone Air: Which should you buy?

I own both an iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which means I can appreciate a quality thin phone. If you're in the U.S. like me, you can't buy the Motorola Edge 70, so your choice is limited to those two options. That's a real shame, because I tend to like Motorola's take on an ultra-slim smartphone. While it's not the thinnest phone on the market, it is one of the lightest options at just 159 grams, making it lighter than both the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

That quality alone is enough to grab my attention. There are other perks too, like IP69 protection against high-pressure and high-temperature water jets — something we don't often see on any phone, let alone a thin one. It also addresses some of the iPhone Air's deficiencies by offering a dual rear camera system and stereo speakers.

We can't ignore the Motorola Edge 70's shortcomings, though. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor powering the smartphone is unimpressive and likely won't age well. The phone is also only guaranteed to get three years of major Android OS upgrades. Meanwhile, the iPhone Air's A19 Pro chipset and five-year software support guarantee inspire a lot more confidence.

If you want a thin phone that won't break the bank, the Motorola Edge 70 is a stellar option. For those who want the best, however, the iPhone Air is still hard to beat.

What you need to know

• Global smartphone shipments rose by 2.3% YoY in Q4 2025, totaling 336.3 million units.
• Samsung shot up as one of the strongest performers, shipping 61.2 million units and contributing to 18.2% of the total global market share.
• Apple leads with 24.2% market share, while Chinese brands face new challenges amidst rising competition.

The holiday season seems to have worked in favor of the global smartphone market as shipments climbed by 2.3% YoY in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to preliminary data obtained by International Data Corporation (IDC). Despite the ongoing industry issues, like memory chip shortages, unprecedented tariffs, and other disruptions, the smartphone market seems to have ended the year strong.

In total, 336.3 million smartphones were shipped globally during the quarter, bringing the full-year shipments to roughly 1.26 billion units, which is a 1.9% increase from the same time last year.

Speaking of positive numbers, Samsung shot up as one of the strongest performers, shipping 61.2 million units and contributing to 18.2% of the total global market share. IDC says that Samsung delivered its best in Q4 since way back in 2013, all thanks to "strong sales of its Galaxy Z Fold 7 and affordable AI-enabled Galaxy A-Series devices," the report stated.

Samsung's new foldables basically contributed to Samsung's strongest Q3 in years, and the Galaxy Z Fold 7 sales in the US exceeded the Z Fold 6 by 50% within the same timeframe after launch. It also became the fastest-selling Galaxy Fold in Western Europe, selling more than double the units of the Z Fold 6 in its first four weeks. Giving the Korean OEM a 64% hold on the global foldable market.

Apple continued to hold its place at the top of the board, shipping over 81.3 million units, contributing to 24.2% of the global market share. Which hints at the fact that people are certainly reaching for high-end premium devices, according to Nabila Popal, senior research director for Worldwide Client Devices, IDC.

Chinese brands like Xiaomi held onto their third place with 37.8 million shipments, but the brand faced a YoY decline amid challenges like higher price points and competition from other brands within the country. Vivo and OPPO both held onto 8% of the market, shipping 27 million and 26.9 million units, respectively. IDC noted that Vivo's growth was due to its sales and performance in India, while OPPO's was bolstered by its new launches in China.

Meanwhile, other brands like Google, Motorola, Honor, etc that fall under the "others" category, accounted for 30.4% of the total market, down from 31.9% in the same period the previous year (4Q24).

What you need to know

• Apple and Google collaborate to integrate Gemini into Apple's next-gen devices for enhanced AI features.
• Gemini will power future Siri and unify AI across both Android and iOS platforms.
• Apple retains user privacy while leveraging Google’s AI technology for innovative advancements.

Apple and Google are kicking off 2026 with a major announcement that could essentially rewrite the rules of the AI race. The companies have entered a multi-year collaboration that will put Gemini at the core of Apple's next generation of phones. This collaboration is also set to power Apple's intelligence features, including a more intuitive and personalized Siri later this year.

In a joint statement, the companies announced this move officially via X on the News from Google profile. After what is described as "careful evaluation," Apple decided that "Google's AI technology provides the most capable foundation, and is excited about the innovative new experiences it will unlock for Apple users." For Google, this comes as a massive milestone as Gemini will now become a platform that not just powers AI on Android, but also Apple's AI future as well.

As of now, Apple's devices have OpenAI's ChatGPT integrated into iOS as an optional assistant for more complex queries, rather than relying solely on Siri. That partnership gave Apple a fast way to catch up with GenAI; however, ChatGPT didn't become the foundation of Apple's devices. Things look different for Gemini as it now sits at the very core of Apple's AI strategy.

This means that Google's Gemini is no longer just Google's answer to ChatGPT or Siri; it could essentially become the underlying intelligence for both Android and iOS. This is such a big deal since Apple has always positioned itself as a company that builds everything in-house, from hardware to software.

Apple's decision to utilize Google for its upcoming AI advancements subtly implies an acknowledgement that the AI race is moving too fast for even a $3 trillion company to keep up alone.

While this move is incredible for all parties involved, the post also states that Apple will continue to use its own devices and secure cloud servers to protect user data and keep things private. This means Apple will retain control over data handling, user privacy protections, and integration with iOS, iPadOS, and macOS. In short, Apple wants to leverage Gemini without giving up on its tightly controlled ecosystem.

In 2025, Google, Apple, Samsung, and everyone else who announced new tech products delivered beautifully curated keynotes that told us exactly what they wanted us to hear about the said devices.

I agree that Google went above and beyond this year for its Pixel 10 launch, delivering something that felt less like a Keynote and more like a massive production hosted by Jimmy Fallon. On the opposite end, Meta literally winged it with live demos of their new smart glasses. While the demos didn't go as planned, they stayed fairly realistic, which is what we, as consumers who pay a hefty price for electronics, would appreciate seeing.

If tech companies want launch events to matter in 2026, they need to stop giving us Keynotes that could have been emails or overcomplicating them to the point where we lose interest. Instead, they need to offer more clarity and a better understanding of how an average person seeking to buy a new anything will perceive and use these products.

Here's what I'd love to see change in 2026 — and what's worth keeping.

Give it to me straight — in plain English

Too often, companies end up explaining features the way they'd talk to engineers and not, well, us. We hear about "tokens per second," model sizes, or how "Siri now has a deeper understanding of your personal context."

There's a ton of technical jargon, and not much about how those things show up in the real world. Launch events need to answer questions when explaining a new feature — It comes down to the basics: "Why would I actually need it, when would I use it, and what problem would it solve?"

If I don't understand the practicality of a new feature and how it would help me in the real world, then what's the point of having some elaborate speech about it?

Take Google's Gemini, for instance: instead of telling me it's faster, smarter, and more "multimodal," tell me whether Gemini can look at a photo I took and explain why it looks bad and how to fix it before I share it. Even Samsung and Apple end up using loads of jargon in their Keynotes.

Apple loves to show off those emotionally hitting polished stories — the Apple Watch saving a life, the iPhone shooting a fancy music video (with tons of extra gear, post-production edits, of course). Samsung often bombards viewers with so many features so quickly, with little guidance on which actually matter.

But they skip the messy part: regular people trying to use that same tech and ending up with a terrible photo, bad lighting, or just a picture that looks nothing like the ad. In 2026, I want to see companies balance those magical tales with what these features actually look like for a totally average user. Because great stories definitely make people care, but great explanations push people to buy the product.

Keep consumer launches and developer events separate

Google's I/O and Apple's WWDC keep developer updates separate from their launch events, but they sometimes blur the line between the two. For example, this year's I/O featured major product announcements, including the launch of Android 16, a demonstration of Gemini's multimodal capabilities, and a preview of a prototype of Google's XR glasses.

This mix at an event aimed just for developers is definitely cool. Google's probably trying to get more than just coders interested in I/O, but it's also leaving people confused about whether they should be glued to I/O or just watch the "Made by Google" for consumer-focused announcements. If you ask me, I'd say keep the two separate, don't overcomplicate it. That way, the audience knows what to expect at each event and won't miss anything of interest.

Keep the live demos — even if they fail

Both Google and Meta actually tried live demos in 2025, and sometimes, despite practicing it a zillion times before D-day, they don't go as planned. WiFi dropped, or connectivity lagged, leading to awkward pauses during a live show.

But that necessarily isn't failure. While people pick on these moments to criticize the company, make a ton of memes, they can also work to the company's favor. It showed us the reality that mistakes happen — especially with common issues like connectivity problems, and this to me comes across as more authentic and raw, rather than scripted videos.

It also gives companies a real-world moment to look at what works and what still needs work before a product reaches consumers.

So, for 2026, companies should totally keep the live demos. But they could try to swap out the celebrities for everyday people to make things more relevant for someone watching on their couch at home. You know, parents, students—those who don't care about the techy buzzwords but who will actually be using these cool new devices and features.

And just keep things simple, to the point, showing us how features will help normal people, rather than over-the-top shows with so much going on that people forget about it as soon as the show's over.

The consumer electronics market in 2026 will be shaped by two opposing forces: bold innovation and tight supply chains. Foldables, smart glasses, and AI-driven wearables are set to redefine how we interact with technology, while memory shortages and slowing PC demand will create significant challenges for both brands and consumers. Here’s what to expect—and how to navigate it.

Foldables finally break out

After years of incremental progress, foldables are poised for a breakout year. Apple’s entry into the category will be the defining moment, driving awareness and premium demand. IDC forecasts nearly 30% year-over-year growth for foldables in 2026, with Apple capturing roughly 22% of unit share and over a third of market value thanks to a price point near $2,400. This move will force Android vendors to double down on durability, crease reduction, and software optimization.

Samsung is already setting the tone with its Galaxy Z TriFold, featuring a 10-inch inner display. The TriFold promises to blur the line between smartphone and tablet, creating new possibilities for multitasking and productivity.

Smart glasses enter the mainstream

Smart glasses are finally moving beyond niche status. Meta has expanded its Ray-Bans lineup to include a display, while Google and Samsung prepare to launch Android XR glasses in partnership with fashion brands like Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. Two types of glasses are expected: audio-first models for ambient AI experiences and display-in-lens designs for richer interactions.

Early demos have been promising, but both Google and Meta face critical challenges: ensuring their AI-powered assistance is reliable, fast, and privacy-conscious. If they succeed, smart glasses could become the next big wearable trend.

Wearables get “helpful, not noisy”

Wearables are evolving from notification hubs to health companions. Screen-free devices like Oura and Whoop have captured consumer attention by focusing on deep biometrics such as sleep, recovery, and readiness. Expect more rings and bands that prioritize wellness insights over constant alerts, along with medical-adjacent features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring. Traditional smartwatches will lean harder into on-device AI and safety features to justify their premium positioning.

PC growth slows

Following a strong refresh cycle in 2025, PC growth is expected to cool in 2026. DIY builders face an especially challenging year as DRAM shortages drive up component costs. Windows on ARM products could also see a mild boost as second-generation products hit shelves, leading to further discounts on the prior generation. Plus, Nvidia is rumoured to launch a chip in late 2026, which should help the entire category.

Who wins in 2026?

Apple is well-positioned to dominate headlines and margins. Its foldable iPhone will validate the category and put pressure on Android vendors, while its tight control over hardware and supply chains will help it weather DRAM-related shocks better than most PC makers. A mainstream-priced Mac is expected to launch early in 2026, which will also put a lot of pressure on the Windows PC makers.

However, Samsung isn't far behind. The Galaxy Z TriFold will reinforce its leadership in foldables, and its smartphone strength and scale will continue, allowing the company to steal share from smaller Android smartphone players. The strength in smartphones often translates into wearable success since Samsung is great at bundling products, and with the upcoming XR glasses, Samsung is poised to play a major role in the smart glasses market.

When it comes to chipsets that will back these smartphones, Qualcomm remains the silent powerhouse. Its chips power nearly every premium Android flagship and dominate XR hardware. The upcoming Snapdragon X2 Elite will bring major CPU and GPU gains to PCs, along with an 80-TOPS NPU for AI workloads. Expect thin, sleek designs and perhaps even gaming-focused laptops built around this platform.

That said, Android XR looks promising, but Google still needs to prove it can deliver polished software and seamless Gemini integration at scale. Similarly, rumors of Android PCs persist, but Google’s track record in this space is weak. Even with Qualcomm’s hardware muscle, it’s unclear why consumers would choose Android over Windows or Mac.

Not everyone wins

Consumers will feel the pinch as prices rise across categories. Memory shortages will lead to fewer upgrades at the same price points, smaller discounts on older models, and aggressive de-specing across devices. If you know you’ll need a phone or PC in 2026, buying early could save you money.

Smaller vendors face an even harsher reality. In tight supply cycles, memory suppliers prioritize top brands, leaving smaller and local players with little leverage. Some may exit the market entirely as BOM costs make devices unviable.

How to navigate 2026

If you’re eyeing a foldable, consider waiting until Apple’s launch later in the year, as pricing and trade-in dynamics will shift. For memory-sensitive devices like smartphones and PCs, buy early to avoid DRAM-driven price hikes. If you travel frequently or multitask heavily, 2026 is the year to try smart glasses. And for wellness, pairing a screen-free wearable with a smartwatch offers the best balance of insights and convenience.

That is to say, 2026 will be a year of convergence under constraint. AI will become ambient across phones, glasses, wearables, and PCs, but supply shocks and rising costs will test both brands and buyers. Foldables and smart glasses will dominate headlines, PC growth will slow, and smaller vendors will fight for survival. For consumers, timing purchases strategically will matter more than ever.

About IDC

IDC is a leading global provider of technology research, insights, and events. With a network of more than 1,000 analysts across over 100 countries, IDC delivers trusted intelligence on tech markets, trends, and opportunities to help businesses and IT leaders make informed decisions. Learn more today at IDC.com.

2025 has shaped up to be a year of breakthroughs and experimentation for the tech industry; smartphones and wearables don't just look different, but have started to become more user-friendly, thanks to AI. Trifold devices have arrived, ultra-thin designs are on the rise, and smart glasses are gaining popularity.

At the same time, throw in rising prices driven particularly by global tensions, and this year also marked a turning point in consumer tech, giving us a feeling that we are indeed living in the future.

Here are some of the top stories and trends of 2025 that shaped the year.

The foldable glow up: Trifold goes mainstream

While tri-fold devices aren't a new concept, they didn't really catch on, at least not in this part of the world. Huawei's Mate XT was the first to prove that this concept was indeed possible; its limited availability made it more of a distant dream rather than a usable device.

But Samsung may have changed it overnight. The company finally launched the Galaxy Z Trifold on December 1, which is said to bring the power of "the most advanced foldable technologies" right into the palm of your hands.

Essentially, making the form factor more valid and widely available to the broader smartphone market. When Samsung launches a new device, the entire ecosystem follows, from Google optimizing Android for it to carriers that might be willing to subsidize it for consumers. This also means developers will start creating apps compatible with multi-window support on a larger scale. But it doesn't just end there.

Samsung's aim wasn't about adding another screen, but to experiment with whether a trifold could actually be a usable product. While it may not replace traditional slab phones anytime soon, it could double as a tablet and a productivity tool. This kind of shift in thought from "Why would you want this?" to "Who is this actually made for?" is a huge deal. This move by Samsung could push competitors to make their own tri-fold and potentially drive people to consider owning this device.

AI takes center stage as companies shift focus

Google I/O AI Part from r/google

For the past few years, AI has been a buzzword for every major tech company. However, in 2025, we've finally started to see it pulling its weight with models like Gemini 3 Pro, ChatGPT 5.2, Meta's Llama 4, and so on.

Instead of being in the background on many devices so far, generative AI has become a core feature of smartphones, to the point that it has been baked into every aspect of the device. It can literally "see" what you see, help you navigate better, and even let you "try on" clothes while shopping online. From search and photography to productivity tools, AI can even help you create better workflows to manage your day. So much so that we even have an AI Home robot in our midst.

This year wasn't about flashy demos — it was about showing us how AI could work its way into our lives. Companies like Google, Samsung, and OnePlus also redefined the user experience with more intuitive AI. Now it doesn't just respond to your commands, but it learns from your daily routine and gives you personalized suggestions in real time.

AI has rapidly transitioned from optional software to a foundational feature on smartphones. This has altered how we interact with our devices, marking a monumental shift in consumer tech.

The rise of the ultra-slim smartphones

This year, we also witnessed several tech companies obsessed with making super-thin devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge and the iPhone Air, measuring 5.8 mm and 5.6mm, respectively. Fitting all the necessary components into such incredibly slim casings is an engineering marvel in itself.

Despite the hype both companies tried to create with phones, the S25 Edge and the iPhone Air saw underwhelming sales, so much so that Samsung has reportedly decided to ditch the Edge lineup for good.

Yet we feel that the slim-phone era is really just getting started. These devices may serve as crucial stepping stones toward future foldables or even slimmer rollable phones. It almost feels like the manufacturers are using these designs to experiment with new materials, improved battery technology, and more, in a quest to slim down hardware without compromising on performance.

Tariffs, Tariffs and, more Tariffs

Well, all wasn't merry in the town of Tech. Earlier this year, under the Trump administration, the U.S. imposed hefty tariffs that impacted the tech supply chain.

At first, a 10% tariff was levied on all Chinese imports, which was later increased to 20%. At the same time, the U.S. also imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico. At one point, tariffs went as high as 145%, which really shook up Apple investors, and the discussion quickly broadened to include all smartphone manufacturers. That imposed a 25% tariff on smartphones, including Apple, Samsung, and other OEMs that manufacture phones outside the country. The result?

This sent all the tech companies into a frenzy, leading Samsung to reportedly ramp up production of this year's Galaxy S25 series in a preemptive move and OnePlus to suddenly increase the price of its Watch 3. These tariffs even targeted semiconductor chips and key electronics, such as memory chips and circuits, which are mostly imported from outside the country, especially from China. After a few days, the White House decided to exempt certain electronics from these tariffs temporarily.

That said, it created enough confusion for consumers and tech companies alike. This means phones aren't getting expensive just because of their hardware, but also the global polices that dictate pricing. For now, Samsung and Google have both stuck to the same price tags with their flagships; however, this could change with your next phone.

XR finally gets its moment

XR had its best moments this year as several companies raced to put the future of tech on your face. Android pushed deeper into XR and VR with the launch of Samsung's much-awaited Galaxy XR headset in October, to challenge Apple's Vision Pro.

Galaxy XR came built on Android XR, and with Google’s Gemini AI baked right in. This means it’s not just a headset running Android apps but also an AI-powered device that understands your surroundings and responds through voice, vision, and gestures.

Meta also launched new AI-powered smart glasses this year, and the Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses push the boundaries of wearable tech. As these glasses let you do pretty much anything while keeping your phone tucked away, from checking messages to basically navigating through life, you get to do it all with just one glance at the in-lens display.

Google also didn't shy away from showing off its own innovations in the XR field. It gave us a quick surprise demo of its glasses at I/O and offered a first look at Project Aura from XREAL, which is reportedly equipped with a 70-degree field of view and optical see-through technology, set to launch in 2026.

What you need to know

• Google is reportedly still working on an alternative to Apple's NameDrop for Android users.
• Recent discoveries show that an animation could play when sharing contact details before your sharing contents are (ideally) displayed.
• This feature was first spotted in early code strings last month, as Google mentioned "Gesture Exchange," NFC usage, and more.

Sharing contact info is simple, but it could be faster and even more seamless, which is why Google is supposedly chasing a method Apple has already done.

Smaller Google updates tend to give tipsters, like AssembleDebug at Android Authority, information about new developments, which is where this NameDrop-reminiscent feature comes from. After sifting through a recent Play Services beta, AssembleDebug was able to (in a way) activate Google's version of Apple's contact sharing feature. The tipster's video evidence shows how this could work between devices, as they hold one phone atop the other.

There appears to be some distance between phones; however, an almost creamsicle-colored animation appears shortly after.

The lights appear along the top portion of both phones, rolling through their rounded corners and down the display partway. The animation will likely appear, alongside the contact information you've shared and received. The animation recedes to the punch hole selfie camera once the process is completed.

NFC still appears to play a major part in this contact exchange, but, as the tipster states, it's unclear just how reliant on it the feature will be. As development progresses, the tipster speculates that NFC could simply kickstart the feature before throwing things over to a user's Bluetooth or even Wi-Fi connectivity for the rest.

One tap, done

This is the second time Google's version of Apple's NameDrop has appeared in rumors. The first instance occurred in November when early strings of Google's code reportedly alluded to its existence. The code called the feature a "Gesture Exchange," while other important code bits highlighted its reliance on NFC. It's been speculated that, much like Apple, Google's version would let users share their phone number, photo, name, and email.

That earlier discovery even leverage a small menu, which could greet users before sharing information.

Users may find a checklist of details they'd like to share before "tapping" their phone on somdone else's to begin the transfer. Another menu was spotted, one that would explain the contents of what the opposite phone has given you in return. It seems that Google's Calling Cards aren't enough, as it seeks to truly streamline and make it easy to keep in contact with others.

What you need to know

• Samsung and Apple covered all of the top 10 spots on Counterpoint Research's best-selling smartphones list for Q3 2025.
• Apple dominated the premium market, which includes all phones with a wholesale price of $600 or above.
• Samsung cashed in on the midrange and budget sector, with all five of its phones being part of the Galaxy A series.

Samsung and Apple each claimed five of the top 10 spots on Counterpoint Research's best-selling smartphones list for the third quarter of 2025. However, that only tells part of the story. Apple earned the top four spots, and four of its five best-selling smartphones were "premium" models. Meanwhile, Samsung didn't have a single premium handset on the top charts, instead earning its five places on the best-selling list with midrange Galaxy A models.

The best-selling smartphone in Q3 2025 was the base-model iPhone 16, by a wide margin. It had a 4% volume share, and this helped the iPhone 16 keep its first-place spot for the third consecutive quarter. Surprisingly, the top four spots were held by the iPhone 16 series — the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, and iPhone 16e, in that order — which usually experiences a seasonal sales decline before new models come out.

Another surprise was the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which earned the 10th-place spot despite going on sale at the tail end of the Q3 2025 tracking period. This suggests there is strong demand for the iPhone 17 series, and specifically, the most-expensive iPhone 17 Pro Max.

Samsung's bread and butter in Q3 2025 was the midrange market. It held the fifth-place through ninth-place spots with its latest Galaxy A-series phones. The best-seller of the bunch was the Galaxy A16 5G, followed by the Galaxy A06, Galaxy A36, Galaxy A56, and Galaxy A16 4G. Samsung didn't have a single premium smartphone on the list. Last year, Samsung had the base-model Galaxy S24 on the Q3 2024 best-sellers list.

Counterpoint Research thinks Samsung's addition of AI features to the Galaxy A series via "Awesome Intelligence" could be driving sales.

"The mid-price segment’s presence in the top-10 best-selling smartphones is expected to remain strong, driven by the growing integration of GenAI features," the report explains. "These advancements make the segment more competitive, deliver greater value to consumers, and further bridge the user experience with flagship models."

The Samsung Galaxy S25 could be experiencing an early seasonal decline as buyers look ahead to the Galaxy S26 series. However, its absence from the list is a big deal for Samsung. With only the Galaxy A-series appearing on the best-sellers list, Samsung doesn't have a single phone with a wholesale price of over $600 here.

Additionally, 5G phones covered all of the top five spots for the first time, with Counterpoint Research calling the technology "a key consumer preference across regions" as of Q3 2025.

What you need to know

• Two legendary designers from Apple are headed to Meta's Reality Labs division to design the next generation of wearable devices, including VR and smart glasses.
• Alan Dye has served as the head of Apple's user interface team since 2015. He will now head design for hardware, software, and AI integration for Meta.
• Billy Sorrentino has been responsible for Apple's Vision OS design, Liquid Glass, the iPhone camera, and more at Apple since 2016 and will also be joining the lead design team at Meta.

Meta's Reality Labs products are about to get a lot more streamlined, if a duo of new hires are anything to judge the future by. Alan Dye and Billy Sorrentino have both departed Apple's lead design teams after a decade of service at the company, now moving "to help build the future of computing at the intersection of AI, wearables and spatial computing," according to a social media post by Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth.

Alan Dye's name was first leaked by Bloomberg earlier today, then confirmed by Bosworth a few hours later. Dye comes from a solid decade of design work at Apple, including overseeing the Vision OS user interface design, big redesigns of several of Apple's operating systems, as well as playing "a central role" in many of Apple's apps, the Apple Watch, and the iPhone X.

Dye will begin work as Chief Design Officer for Meta's Reality Labs division, starting December 31, where his major focus will be "revamping Meta's consumer devices with artitificial intelligence features," according to Bloomberg.

Meanwhile, Billy Sorrentino is also joining Meta's Reality Labs division and comes from an enviable position at Apple where he lead design on "VisionOS, this year’s ecosystem-wide Liquid Glass redesign, iPhone camera, computational photography, and Visual Intelligence experiences," according to his LinkedIn profile.

Sorrentino has won many design awards over the past decade at Apple, and his work on VisionOS will no doubt be used to influence sweeping design changes for Meta's Horizon OS, which powers its Meta Quest headsets and future 3rd party VR headsets.

Meta has long struggled to design interfaces for its VR headsets and smart glasses, often launching complete UI overhauls and redesigns every few months in an effort to find something better. The company's newest UI, called Navigator, is still in beta and has seen several major redesigns since initially being introduced in a public test firmware earlier this summer.

Since both Dye and Sorrentino were part of VisionOS's lead design team, there's little doubt that Meta will utilize their talent to help create better UI's for its products, potentially as early as the launch of Meta's upcoming minimalist headset, expected later in 2026.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the best times to get sweet discounts on our favorite tech, and if you're in the market for the best wireless earbuds, then this Powerbeats Pro 2 deal just might be for you. In fact, it's the one product that I actually bought.

At $50 off, the Powerbeats Pro 2 drop from $250 to $200. It's not quite as low as we saw during Prime Day, but a sale is a sale, and I simply couldn't wait any longer, especially since I don't know when they'll be on sale again.

• Amazon's Cyber Monday deals are LIVE: see the full list of deals

✅Recommended if: You're a runner or frequent gym-goer who wants long-lasting earbuds that will stay in place and offer great ANC.

❌Skip this deal if: You're an Android user who wants access to features like Fast Pair or Google's Find My Device network.

Fantastic everyday and workout earbuds

The Powerbeats Pro 2 were easily the closest thing I could find to a replacement for the now-defunct Jabra Elite series. Among the reasons is the presence of physical buttons, something that's not super common on even the best wireless earbuds. I'm not a fan of capacitive buttons, so this is a huge plus for me. In addition to standalone volume buttons, the 'b' buttons can be customized for switching audio modes or triggering your AI assistant.

Also, like the Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2, these are built for exercise and other physical activity, making them some of the best fitness earbuds we've tested. The earhooks ensure that they fit extremely well while you're on a run, and you get five eartip sizes so you can get a good seal.

I've had the Powerbeats Pro 2 for a few days now, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying them. Audio sounds fantastic, and ANC is better than I expected. I also like the transparency mode, as it's easy to activate and makes voices very clear, so I don't have ot take out my earbuds when speaking to others.

The battery also lasts a long time, and the charging case adds up to 45 hours of battery life. Oh, and did I mention that it can monitor your heart rate and connect to other apps/workout equipment? That's right, the Powerbeats Pro 2 have built-in heart rate sensors for better workout tracking, adding even more value to an already-impressive pair of earbuds.

I use Android, so the Powerbeats Pro's functionality is somewhat limited, but I still find them a joy to use. However, if you're an iPhone user, there are even more reasons to enjoy them. One of my iPhone-toting friends told me that they preferred these to Apple's AirPods Pro, and I already convinced another friend to purchase them since she does a lot of physical activity.

The only thing I don't like about these earbuds is the fact that the charging case is so large. I'd hate to carry these around without a bag or purse to put them in.

Cyber Monday 2025 - quick links

• Best Buy: up to 60% off Chromebooks, Android phones, and more
• Amazon: early discounts on headphones, smart home tech
• Walmart: early price drops on ASUS laptops, locked phones
• Samsung: new Galaxy XR headset, trade-in opportunities
• Verizon: free phones with new line, trade-in
• T-Mobile: free Galaxy phones, $300 back w/ 5G Home Internet
• Mint Mobile: 50% off Pixel 10, BOGO Unlimited plans
• AT&T: get a free Z Flip 7 with trade-in, new line
  
  More Cyber Monday coverage
• The best Google Pixel deals of Cyber Monday
• The best Samsung deals of Cyber Monday
• The best Motorola deals of Cyber Monday

What you need to know

• Google's Quick Share update disrupts Wi-Fi connectivity for Pixel 10 users.
• Temporary workarounds include uninstalling the Quick Share extension or using Bluetooth.
• Google has not officially commented on the ongoing Wi-Fi issue.

Google's recent Quick Share update, intended to streamline file sharing between Pixel 10 devices and Apple users, has inadvertently led to Wi-Fi connectivity issues, leaving many users frustrated as their connections drop at the mere touch of the app (as spotted by Piunika Web).

Some users took to Google's forum to report that opening the Quick Share menu immediately kills the phone's Wi-Fi connection. The user said that as soon as they opened the sharing menu to send a file, the Wi-Fi disconnected. And when they try to reconnect while the menu is open, the network list shows their network, but they won't connect to it.

According to several reports so far, this issue stems from the new Quick Share extension update (1.0.815689706). According to another user on Reddit, their Pixel 10 Pro XL began malfunctioning immediately after the Quick Share extension update. After a quick troubleshooting of the extension, they were able to confirm that the Wi-Fi issue stemmed from this update alone.

What could likely be causing this issue, according to Gemini, is that the standard Wi-Fi hardware (like in the Pixel) is usually built for Wi-Fi Direct (a standard protocol). But now with this new update, Google could be forcing this hardware to mimic AWDL (a proprietary Apple protocol), which could be causing the network to get glitchy and drop out.

While Google hasn't yet officially addressed the issue, some temporary workarounds are being passed around that could help fix this issue. Pixel 10 users have two options to choose from: You can either choose to get rid of this extension until a fix arrives, by heading to Settings > Apps > See all apps, locating the "Quick Share extension," and selecting "Uninstall updates."

Or, if you urgently need to send a file to an Apple device, you can temporarily bypass this by turning off the Wi-Fi manually before opening the Quick Share menu; this forces the transfer to happen via Bluetooth or mobile data, though you may need to restart your phone afterward to connect back to your Wi-Fi.

Android Central has reached out to Google about the issue, and we'll update this article once we have more information.

What you need to know

• Google's Quick Share update causes significant Wi-Fi connectivity issues for Pixel 10 users.
• Workarounds involve uninstalling the Quick Share extension or using Bluetooth for file transfers.
• Google is yet to officially address the Wi-Fi problem impacting Pixel 10 users.

Google announced an industry-changing move just about a week ago, making it easier for Pixel 10 users to share images, files, and basically anything on their phone to Apple devices. However, it seems like some Pixel 10 users seem to be facing a significant software bug that seems to be impacting their Wi-Fi connectivity (as spotted by Piunika Web)

Some users took to Google's forum to report that opening the Quick Share menu immediately kills the phone's Wi-Fi connection. The user said that as soon as they opened the sharing menu to send a file, the Wi-Fi disconnected. And when they try to reconnect while the menu is open, the network list shows their network, but they won't connect to it.

According to several reports so far, this issue stems from the new Quick Share extension update (1.0.815689706). According to another user on Reddit, their Pixel 10 Pro XL began malfunctioning immediately after the Quick Share extension update. After a quick troubleshooting of the extension, they were able to confirm that the Wi-Fi issue stemmed from this update alone.

What could likely be causing this issue, according to Gemini, is that the standard Wi-Fi hardware (like in the Pixel) is usually built for Wi-Fi Direct (a standard protocol). But now with this new update, Google could be forcing this hardware to emulate AWDL (a proprietary Apple protocol), which could be causing the network to get glitchy and drop out.

While Google hasn't yet officially addressed the issue, some temporary workarounds are being passed around that could help fix this issue. Pixel 10 users have two options to choose from: You can either choose to get rid of this extension until a fix arrives, by heading to Settings > Apps > See all apps, locating the "Quick Share extension," and selecting "Uninstall updates."

Or, if you urgently need to send a file to an Apple device, you can temporarily bypass the driver conflict by manually toggling your Wi-Fi off before opening the Quick Share menu; this forces the transfer to happen via Bluetooth or mobile data, though you may need to restart your phone afterward to connect back to your Wi-Fi.

Android Central has reached out to Google about the issue, and we'll update this article once we have more information.

Apple took a big swing with the AirPods Pro 3 this year, and while they won't be for everyone as a result, these earbuds will be the absolute best for most people. I reviewed the AirPods Pro 3, and found them to have the best active noise-canceling performance of any pair of wireless earbuds I've tested. They've only been out for a few months, and that's why it's incredible to see AirPods Pro 3 already discounted to $219.99 on Amazon.

The same deal is live on Best Buy, Target, and Walmart as well, and it means now is the perfect time to save on AirPods Pro 3 as Black Friday approaches. It's the lowest price we've ever seen for this model of AirPods, down from their usual $249.99 retail price. Here's who the AirPods Pro 3 is (and isn't) made for.

✅Recommended if: you need the best ANC earbuds, you want earbuds with a heart-rate monitor, you like a bassy sound profile.

❌Skip this deal if: you like the design and sound of AirPods Pro 2; you don't like the in-ear feel of foam ear tips.

There are a few things to know about the AirPods Pro 3, starting with their ANC and sound quality prowess. Apple calls it "the world's best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones," and I absolutely believe it. The AirPods Pro 3 can turn almost any environment into near-silence, without needing to play any background music to drown out compressed ambient sound. Other earbuds like AirPods Pro 2 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 can get close, but nothing surpasses AirPods Pro 3.

Additionally, the sound quality, though a bit bass-heavy, is stellar. There's the advanced Apple H2 audio processor inside to handle sound and ANC quality. Despite all the inner-workings going on to provide best-in-class ANC power, these earbuds still last for eight hours on a single charge.

From a design and comfort standpoint, Apple changed the angle at which the ear tips enter your ear canal to be more comfortable for most. They're now foam tips wrapped in silicone, so they won't fall out of your ears as easily and will passively block more noise. Some people, including myself, find the new design to be less comfortable. However, if you've found the usual AirPods design to be comfortable in the past, the AirPods Pro 3 should fit just fine.

Combined with the best ANC you can find in a pair of earbuds, AirPods Pro 3 are a compelling package. At $30 off, these are some of the best you can find for just $220 for a limited time. And thanks to holiday return policies from stores like Amazon and Best Buy, you can try them out worry-free into January 2026.

Black Friday 2025 — quick links

• Best Buy: up to 60% off Chromebooks, Android phones, and more
• Amazon: early discounts on headphones, smart home tech
• Walmart: early price drops on ASUS laptops, locked phones
• Samsung: new Galaxy XR headset, trade-in opportunities
• Verizon: free phones with new line, trade-in
• T-Mobile: free Galaxy phones, $300 back w/ 5G Home Internet
• Mint Mobile: 50% off Pixel 10, BOGO Unlimited plans
• AT&T: get a free Z Flip 7 with trade-in, new line
  
• Black Friday Samsung Galaxy deals
• Black Friday Google Pixel deals
• Black Friday Motorola deals

I've really been wanting some new earbuds for a while, and I've been hesitant about buying a new pair since Jabra doesn't make consumer earbuds anymore. None of the other options really offer everything I want in earbuds, although some come close, and that's why I finally opted to get the Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 as soon as they went on sale for Black Friday.

The Powerbeats Pro 2 are normally $250, but right now you can save $50 and snag them for $200. It's not quite the same low we saw during Prime Day when they were just $180, but I couldn't wait any longer, as I don't know when they'll be on sale again, let alone for such a low price.

• Amazon's Black Friday week is LIVE: see the full list of deals

✅Recommended if: You're a runner or frequent gym-goer who wants long-lasting earbuds that will stay in place and offer great ANC.

❌Skip this deal if: You're an Android user who wants access to features like Fast Pair or Google's Find My Device network.

What made me pull the trigger

What I loved and miss about Jabra earbuds was the physical buttons. They made it much easier to control my music and calls hands-free, without having to worry about accidentally activating something or changing the song if I wanted to adjust the fit. They also made it easy to turn the earbuds off without needing to put them in a case, which often negated the need to carry the charging case around.

The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 are the closest thing I could find that offers the same kind of functionality. The physical buttons are great for switching tracks, and they even have separate volume buttons, so I don't really have to take out my phone at all. The only thing that's missing is the ability to turn them off with the buttons, but it's a feature I think I can live without.

I've only just received the Powerbeats Pro 2, but so far I'm thoroughly enjoying them. Audio sounds great, and ANC is better than I expected. I'm still getting used to putting them on, as I haven't worn earbuds like this in a long time, but once they're secure, they're secure.

The battery also lasts a long time, and the charging case (which is unfortunately rather large) adds as much as 45 hours of battery life. Oh, and did I mention that it can monitor your heart rate and connect to other apps/workout equipment? I haven't tried this yet, but we've found them to be rather accurate in our testing.

Black Friday 2025 - quick links

• Best Buy: up to 60% off Chromebooks, Android phones, and more
• Amazon: early discounts on headphones, smart home tech
• Walmart: early price drops on ASUS laptops, locked phones
• Samsung: new Galaxy XR headset, trade-in opportunities
• Verizon: free phones with new line, trade-in
• T-Mobile: free Galaxy phones, $300 back w/ 5G Home Internet
• Mint Mobile: 50% off Pixel 10, BOGO Unlimited plans
• AT&T: get a free Z Flip 7 with trade-in, new line
  
  More Black Friday coverage
• The best Google Pixel deals of Black Friday
• The best Samsung deals of Black Friday
• The best Motorola deals of Black Friday

What you need to know

• Google announced that its Android phones, the Pixel 10 series, can now send files from Quick Share to iPhones using AirDrop.
• Users must enable their devices to accept "Everyone for 10 minutes" before being able to send files between Android and iPhone.
• Google says it will look to incorporate more Android phones into the mix, enabling more options for users to send files to iPhones.

Google announces a major update that's starting to roll out for its Pixel phones and Apple's iPhones that makes file sharing even easier.

Announced this morning, Google states that it's preparing an update for its Pixel 10 series that makes it possible for Android's file-sharing app, Quick Share, to work with Apple's AirDrop. Once this arrives, when tapping Quick Share to send a file to another phone, users with a Pixel 10 should begin to pick up iPhones. This new capability is said to work vice versa, as well.

Though these are different (even competitive) devices on different operating systems, Google said it built this capability "with security at its core."

The company states it has tested its "strong safeguards" with "independent security experts" to ensure that the data you're sending between devices remains protected. It's worth mentioning that so long as your Android device and iPhone are prepared to receive files from others, this Quick Share/AirDrop update will work seamlessly. Moreover, Google says this won't stay a Pixel 10 exclusive ability.

The post states that the company will look to improve how Quick Share and AirDrop function alongside one another, as well as looking to offer this update to "more Android devices." There's no timeline set for this just yet, so it's unclear how long other phones will be waiting.

Android & iOS look like the best of friends

This update should begin rolling out today (Nov 20) for the devices involved, so keep your eyes peeled for it.

This is, in essence, a major update for how Android and iOS (Google and Apple) work with one another, following the whole RCS situation. Last September, Apple started rolling out RCS on its iPhones through iOS 18. This update finally brought read receipts, sharper photos, and an overall well-improved chatting experience between iPhones and Android devices that previously leveraged the old, clunky SMS standard. This was everything Google was fighting for in its #GetTheMessage campaign, even if it had nothing to do with its implementation in the end.

However, it wasn't until earlier this year that iPhones got the E2EE (end-to-end encryption) side of that RCS update, which is really what we're all here for. The GSM Association announced the new RCS Universal Profile 3.0, which brought encryption to RCS. Why this might seem strange (since Google Messages has encryption), RCS never had encryption levels like that. Google was the one that implemented it for users. Now, with the RCS standard as a whole adopting stronger protections for user messages, everyone can get in on it, including Apple's iPhones.

What you need to know

• Apple is reportedly finalizing a $1 billion-per-year deal with Google to use a custom Gemini AI model boasting 1.2 trillion parameters.
• While Google provides the AI model, Apple plans to run it on its own Private Cloud Compute servers to maintain its privacy-first stance.
• The upgraded, Gemini-powered Siri is expected to debut in spring 2026, likely alongside iOS 26.4.

Siri has often trailed behind Google Assistant and Alexa, especially in handling complex tasks, understanding context, and using generative AI. To catch up, Apple seems ready to use a solution from an unexpected source: Google.

A Bloomberg report says Apple is about to sign a deal to pay around $1 billion each year for a custom version of Google’s Gemini AI model. This model has about 1.2 trillion parameters, while Apple’s current model has about 150 billion.

Apple reportedly plans to run this Gemini-based model on its own Private Cloud Compute servers. This means Google supplies the model, while Apple keeps it behind its own walls to preserve its privacy narrative. The revamped Siri is expected to roll out in spring 2026, possibly as part of iOS 26.4.

This move also shows that Apple recognizes its AI models are not yet ready. Earlier this year, Apple looked at other AI partners, such as OpenAI and Anthropic, before choosing Google. The deal does not mean Google’s search engine or brand will appear in Apple’s interface; most of the integration will happen in the background.

Temporary boost

For Apple, this is a smart temporary solution. It gets access to a powerful model now while it works on its own future AI. The report says Apple is developing its own cloud-based model with about 1 trillion parameters.

However, there are caveats. The agreement isn’t fully public yet, so details might change. And while more parameters usually mean stronger models, user experience depends on a lot more than just size — datasets, latency, privacy, integration all matter. Also, Apple has had AI-feature delays before.

If the deal pans out, Siri could become much more capable by spring 2026, thanks to Google’s AI. The $1 billion per year price may make heads turn, but since Apple is catching up in AI, paying for access makes sense right now.

Since their first generation, AirPods Pro have been widely regarded as some of the best wireless earbuds available. They offer outstanding sound quality and superb active noise cancellation, but they've always come with a few qualifiers. They're the best if you happen to be deep into the Apple ecosystem. They're the best if they fit comfortably and securely in your ears.

Apple tried to address one of these pain points with the AirPods Pro 3, and you can probably guess which one. AirPods Pro 3 aren't any friendlier with Android or Windows devices, but they do have a refreshed design with new ear tips that claim to address comfort and fit for the masses. The earbuds borrow quite a bit from the Powerbeats Pro 2, including the insertion angle and heart-rate monitor for workout tracking.

The AirPods Pro 3 are said to have "the world's best ANC of any in-ear wireless headphones," along with improved sound quality. After a month of testing, I can say that's probably true. However, as someone who has struggled with comfort on the AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2, I'm disappointed to report that the AirPods Pro 3 aren't much better.

Testing AirPods Pro 3 with an unforgiving ear shape reminded me that standout ANC or sound quality can't compensate for weak fundamentals, such as fit. For those who find the AirPods Pro 3 comfortable and secure, these are the best-in-class earbuds. They're just not a one-size-fits-all solution, and competitors do a better job at accommodating different ears.

AirPods Pro 3: Pricing, specs, and availability

Apple launched the AirPods Pro 3 on Sept. 19, 2025 following an announcement alongside the iPhone 17 series. They're now widely available retailing for $249, but have already seen a few brief discounts at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. AirPods Pro 3 are only available in white. The earbuds work best with Apple devices, but can connect to any Bluetooth device.

AirPods Pro 3: What's good

While comfort is a dark cloud over the overall experience for me, the AirPods Pro 3 have plenty of redeeming qualities, and they'll shine especially bright for those who find they fit great.

Similar to the Powerbeats Pro 2, the AirPods Pro 3's ear tips and audio drivers are angled differently. This allows the sound to go straight into your ear canal for better quality and volume. The redesigned earbuds, packing vents that control airflow, help create a better spatial feel and improved sound quality across the board.

AirPods Pro 3 appear to use the exact same drivers as their predecessor, which Apple calls a "custom high-excursion driver." The earbuds are also powered by the same chip, the Apple H2. It may be hard to believe, but the AirPods Pro 3 really do sound better, largely due to the redesigned "multiport acoustic architecture" and fresh tuning.

Apple uses an "Adaptive EQ" to set the sound signature for AirPods, and it isn't customizable like most earbuds. This time, the AirPods Pro 3 feature much deeper and stronger low-end frequencies with bright highs. Apple says its new Adaptive EQ "transforms the bass response" and "brings vivid vocal clarity to higher frequencies," which is readily apparent even to casual listeners when playing music with AirPods Pro 3.

I don't mind the new sound signature, although a common criticism with this style of tuning is that mids are occasionally lost through overemphasizing the lows and highs. In this case, I find that AirPods Pro 3 are exciting to listen to, even if they aren't the most balanced earbuds on the market.

Songs that already have a good amount of bass, like Raekwon's "Guillotine," are reproduced well without an overwhelming feel. The bass-centric audio profile seems to affect tracks that lie in the middle, such as Alessia Cara's "Slow Motion," a pop piece with a groovy baseline that AirPods Pro 3 turn into a focal point. It's also not rare to see the earbuds highlight sounds at the high end of the spectrum, which I heard from the hi-hat and ride cymbal in Supertramp's soft rock title "Oh Darling."

The problem is that, because Apple presets Adaptive EQ and you can't adjust it yourself, listeners will have no recourse if they hate it. I'm sure there are some people who will prefer the AirPods Pro 2's sound signature over the new one, and it's a shame custom EQ support isn't here.

Active noise-canceling is also improved, with Apple claiming it's up to two times better than the AirPods Pro 2 and up to four times better than the AirPods Pro 3. Those claims check out, but they may be related to the brand's switch to hybrid ear tips, which combine foam and silicone to passively block more unwanted noise than the older silicone versions.

Unless you're trying to use the AirPods Pro 3 as your only pair of ANC headphones, ditching over-ear headphones entirely, the gains probably won't matter much. That said, I can use the AirPods Pro 3 on a plane in a pinch, which I haven't been able to say about other in-ears.

It's also worth giving Apple a tip of the cap for all the software features it added to AirPods Pro 3. There's live translation, automatic pausing when you fall asleep, adaptive charging, and remote camera control. Best of all, Apple tends to upgrade AirPods over time and release software updates regularly — many of these features are also coming to AirPods Pro 2 owners for free.

As an added bonus, AirPods Pro 3 have an optical heart rate sensor for light workout tracking. It's nice for when you forget to wear a proper workout tracker, and we have in-depth coverage of the feature here. However, Powerbeats Pro 2 will be undoubtedly better for workouts than AirPods Pro 3, and were the first to add the functionality.

AirPods Pro 3: What's not good

In my experience, Apple's ambitious claims about improved fit are only partially true. The hybrid ear tips, which feature a silicone exterior for flexibility and sweatproofing plus a foam interior that expands to fill your ear canal when inserted, work as expected. The AirPods Pro 3 are the most secure pair of AirPods I've used, and they stayed in place during a 5K run, requiring only a handful of adjustments throughout.

While they are secure, I don't find them very comfortable. To get a great seal (necessary for ANC) and a fit that won't slip out of your ears, you might need to use an ear tip size larger than you'd typically find comfortable. If you go smaller, comfort might be improved, but fitment and seal suffer.

I struggled with AirPods Pro and AirPods Pro 2 fit, too, but I prefer the older models. Even being slightly less secure, they're more comfortable and seem to create a better seal while doing so.

Of course, I'm only one person, and I've seen all kinds of takes regarding AirPods Pro 3 on social media. There are camps that find AirPods Pro 3 better, worse, and the same in terms of fit. It's unfortunate that there is a strong possibility AirPods Pro 2 owners will upgrade only to find their fit isn't as good. The only way to find out for sure is to try them in your ears firsthand.

AirPods Pro 3: Competition

For most, the AirPods Pro 3 will be competing with the AirPods Pro 2. The jump from AirPods Pro to AirPods Pro 2 was quite significant, but the one to AirPods Pro 3 is more modest. Apple claims the new earbuds are up to twice as effective in certain situations, which is likely due to the switch to foam ear tips for improved passive isolation, rather than a technological overhaul. The big reason to upgrade will be the redesigned earbuds, which might fit better or worse, depending on your ears.

Android users will be trying to decide whether AirPods Pro 3 are better than the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, or OnePlus Buds Pro 3.

The truth is, each pair first-party earbuds have their own advantages, and you should probably pick the ones that match your phone. Apple takes the crown in ANC, Google has the comfort locked down, and Samsung has the standout sound signature. OnePlus has the value situation covered, costing less than the rest at just $180.

But if you want the best, and most versatile, my pick is none of the above. Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2 earbuds steal the show with their balance — these earbuds are comfortable and great-sounding with ANC that can challenge AirPods Pro 3. They'll also work across iOS and Android seamlessly.

AirPods Pro 3: Should you buy them?

You should buy these if...

• You've tried AirPods Pro 3 and know they fit comfortably (or are buying from a retailer with a flexible return policy)
• You want supreme ANC quality and a sound signature that's detailed and bass-heavy
• You primarily use Apple devices, or are willing to give up a few features when using the earbuds in basic Bluetooth mode

You shouldn't buy these if...

• You have picky ears and haven't found AirPods comfortable in the past
• You prefer the sound signature of AirPods Pro 2 and don't need extras, like a heart-rate sensor
• You use an Android phone and don't want the hassle of using AirPods Pro 3 with limited features

Comfort is a crucial aspect of wireless earbuds, and it's also a category that's impossible to master. There's no pair of earbuds that will fit perfectly for everyone. With that being said, AirPods Pro are known for being hit or miss in terms of comfort, and AirPods Pro 3 don't do much to change that perception.

The other additions don't move the needle for me. If there were extras that made me want to look past the AirPods Pro 3's questionable fit, I'd consider keeping them as my daily driver. That isn't the case, and perhaps that's because I have AirPods Pro 2 and Powerbeats Pro 2. The older AirPods are slightly more comfortable, albeit less secure, and Powerbeats Pro 2 have the heart-rate tracking features and a hook for maximum stability.

If you're in the same boat and have AirPods Pro 2 or Powerbeats Pro 2, you probably don't need to upgrade. In fact, you might want to consider grabbing Powerbeats Pro 2 instead of AirPods Pro 3 if a better fit and heart-rate tracking are what you're after. The upgrade is a lot easier to justify if you're coming from the first-generation AirPods Pro.

And if you're a longtime Android user, it probably won't be worth the trouble of trying to use AirPods Pro 3 with your favorite devices — even if sound quality and ANC are marginally better.

FAQ

What you need to know

• Apple is still on track to upgrade Siri with custom Google Gemini models starting next year.
• The custom Gemini models will run on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers for security and will be branded as Apple Intelligence features.
• Apple could launch the revamped Siri as early as March 2026 with the iOS 26.4 update.

There has been talk of Google and Apple working together to improve Siri performance on iOS, and a recent report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman confirms the company is still planning to use Gemini foundational models starting next year. Gurman reports the new Siri rollout is roughly tabbed for March 2026, and could launch with iOS 26.4 next spring. However, the collaboration between Google and Apple is said to be much different from its arrangement with OpenAI for ChatGPT integration.

Bloomberg reaffirms that custom Google Gemini models are planned to run on Apple's own Private Cloud Compute servers. Unlike the ChatGPT integration, Apple will securely control user data and complete requests on its PCC hardware and software, which is publicly made available for peer security reviews. By comparison, when iPhone users tap into Apple Intelligence's ChatGPT integration, they are opting-into OpenAI's data sharing policies.

The custom Gemini models will reportedly serve as a planner and summarizer, powering two out of three main components of the upcoming Siri revamp. The third, a knowledge search system, could also use Gemini models, but that is not confirmed.

Gurman noted in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) that the report is "nothing new," but at the very least, it is a confirmation that Apple's release schedule is still on track for 2026. Apple confirmed as much on its most recent earnings call. However, Apple's Siri redesign was first announced more than a year ago and faced numerous delays. It was initially marketed as an iPhone 16 series feature to debut with iOS.

Since then, iOS users flocked to Google AI products, with Gemini becoming the top free app for iPhone in September 2025.

The delays were major enough that the iPhone 16 has been replaced with the iPhone 17, and yet the new Siri is still nowhere to be found. Apple was forced to walk back its iPhone 16 claims about Siri in March 2025 by adding a disclaimer to iPhone and Apple Intelligence product pages (via MacRumors). So, the comments from Apple and Gurman's latest report do hold weight as evidence that the Siri upgrade is still penned for early next year.

Why Apple wants Gemini

Apple's in-house large language models (LLM) and foundational models are seen as lacking compared to the competition. That's in part why it struck a deal with OpenAI, and is expect to come to a similar agreement with Google. The company will reportedly not promote the Gemini deal, instead marketing the features as Apple Intelligence.

Per the report, Apple Intelligence foundation models will likely remain for on-device compute. Google does have its own Gemini Nano models for local processing, but Apple is expected to stick with its in-house models for now.

Apple dropped the ball on its Siri upgrades, which were marketed over a year ago and still haven't shipped, and that's why it is reportedly turning to Google for help.

The Android XR era is officially here with the debut of Samsung Galaxy XR, the company's first headset developed in collaboration with Google. It's the natural rival to Apple Vision Pro, the innovative, but generally unsuccessful, VR headset priced at a whopping $3,500. It looks like Samsung used Vision Pro as a baseline for Galaxy XR — the headset nearly matches Apple's offering spec-for-spec, even besting it in some categories.

Samsung priced the Galaxy XR at $1,800, almost exactly half the price of the Vision Pro. Naturally, that makes the Samsung Galaxy XR a bit easier for tech enthusiasts to justify. Both are still firmly early-adopter products, regardless, but which one is best? Let's compare all the features and differences between Galaxy XR and Vision Pro.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Design and displays

Samsung took notes from the VR headsets that predated the Galaxy XR, and it paid off. Instead of trying to copy one headset, the company picked the best features from Meta Quest Pro and Apple Vision Pro in designing Galaxy XR. The end result is a headset with a striking appearance and the ability to be used with or without light blockers.

By comparison, Vision Pro is designed to be used with its light seal all the time. There are no first-party options for Vision Pro open facial interfaces. If you get creative, third-party accessories and 3D print files can fill the gap. Either way, Vision Pro isn't designed to be used without light seals like Galaxy XR.

Vision Pro uses a cloth strap, and there are multiple first and third-party straps available. Samsung took a different approach with Galaxy XR, using a rigid strap for better weight distribution and stability.

Apple may have solved its cloth strap issues with a new Dual Knit Band with counterweights for stability, but Samsung's strap design has other benefits. It houses a USB-C port separate from the battery connector for accessory connection.

Both Apple Vision Pro and Samsung Galaxy XR have impressive, industry-leading micro-OLED displays. Samsung has a slight edge in quality, with a 3,552 x 3,840 resolution and 96% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut.

Apple still offers a resolution of 4K per eye, but only 23 million pixels, compared to Samsung's 29 million. Vision Pro does have the edge in refresh rate, with the latest model topping out at 120Hz. Galaxy XR can only hit 90Hz, and the default setting is 72Hz.

Each headset supports prescription lens inserts for people with vision correction needs. There are no official hardware controllers for Vision Pro, but PlayStation VR controllers are fully supported. Samsung does make controllers for Galaxy XR, although they're sold separately.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Hardware and specs

While Samsung has the clear edge in design and displays, Apple has an advantage in performance. The original Vision Pro was a solid performer with the M2 chip, but the latest Apple M5 revision is even better. It adds 120Hz support, hardware-accelerated ray tracing and mesh shading, and better rendering.

In other words, Vision Pro will deliver crisper images with M5 despite using the same display hardware. The headset also uses an Apple R1 co-processor specialized for taking in and processing data from the headset's wide assortment of cameras and sensors.

Meanwhile, the Samsung Galaxy XR is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon XR2 Plus Gen 2 processor. It's still a very good chip, bringing a 20% higher CPU frequency and 15% higher GPU frequency than the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2. The latter powers the Meta Quest 3 and Quest 3S, but the more powerful variant is key to running Galaxy XR smoothly.

Samsung sells Galaxy XR in one 256GB storage configuration with 16GB of RAM. Apple offers more storage options, with the headset starting at 256GB and going up to 1TB.

When equipping the Galaxy XR with cameras and sensors, it looks like Samsung took a few cues from Apple Vision Pro. Both headsets feature two passthrough cameras, six world-facing cameras, and four internal eye-tracking sensors. Each one also offers a depth sensor, four inertial measurement units, and a flicker sensor. Apple set the baseline, and Samsung matched it.

However, Apple still goes a step beyond with a LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth camera. Each headset comes with two open-air speakers for audio playback.

Samsung is the winner in connectivity, supporting Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 on the Galaxy XR. Apple Vision Pro still only supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3. Considering so much on Vision Pro is done wirelessly, it's shocking that the headset still supports such an outdated standard.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Apps and software

Samsung's Galaxy XR is the first headset to run Android XR, while Apple's Vision Pro runs visionOS 26. Both operating systems aim to leverage the Google and Apple app ecosystems, respectively, to deliver the best experience. Ideally, the Google Play Store and App Store support allows XR headset users to access their favorite apps without developers needing to build for these specific platforms.

In practice, that doesn't work great on Vision Pro. Developers can choose to opt out of the platform, and some big names already have. When an app isn't optimized for Vision Pro, it effectively runs in a virtual iPad-sized window.

There are some things about visionOS that just make sense, like navigation, spatial photos and videos, and widgets that you can place on your real-life walls. However, apps and content explicitly built for Vision Pro feel lacking over a year after its release.

Android XR feels like a winner in app and content support, but it's too early to know for sure. It leverages the Google Play Store ecosystem similarly to Vision Pro, and adds 30 games built specifically for the headset. It can be used with apps like Virtual Desktop for productivity and PC VR applications.

If you're still craving more, the Samsung Galaxy XR's onboard USB-C port can take in display data from basically any source, turning the headset into a virtual monitor.

Samsung Galaxy XR vs. Apple Vision Pro: Which should you buy?

Of the two headsets, Samsung's Galaxy XR will provide a better experience today than Apple Vision Pro. It's also a better value, costing about half the price of Vision Pro while delivering similar hardware. When you consider all the perks you get if you buy Galaxy XR before 2026 — a year of Google AI Pro, YouTube Premium, NBA League Pass, and more — the headset becomes a pretty solid deal.

There are a few aspects of Vision Pro that exceed Galaxy XR's capability. Notably, the headset is powered by the Apple M5 chip, which can run laps around the Snapdragon processor in Galaxy XR. That enables real-world perks, like 120Hz refresh rates. However, it feels like the visionOS app ecosystem isn't ready to utilize the Vision Pro's hardware advantages.

For now, the Samsung Galaxy XR is the extended-reality headset to buy if you want next-generation hardware and a great app ecosystem. It's still a tough sell, much like Vision Pro, because of its price. There are cheaper options available now, such as the Meta Quest 3 or Quest 3S, and the price of premium headsets will surely come down over time.

What you need to know

• Apple is testing an AppMigrationKit framework that will streamline iOS to Android transfers.
• This new framework makes it possible to transfer app data between iOS and Android.
• The enhanced migration systems for iOS and Android will make it easier to switch between platforms.

Apple and Google are both working to make the switch between iOS and Android easier. Currently, it's possible to transfer some things across the two platforms, but certain items like app data get left behind. Apple is working to change that with a new AppMigrationKit framework specifically designed to transfer app data between iOS and Android devices.

AppMigrationKit is currently in beta, and it's being tested alongside the beta releases of iOS 26.1 and iPadOS 26.1. In rare fashion, the documentation for AppMigrationKit specifically states this framework is not intended for use within the Apple ecosystem:

The documentation specifically calls out Android, signaling that iOS devices will soon be able to transfer app data to and from the Google platform. Apple says developers can use the AppMigrationKit to "export your app’s on-device data to another device running a non-Apple platform, or to import from another platform, or both."

In other words, the migration process will be supercharged when setting up a new Android phone with an iPhone. It's already possible to transfer apps between iOS and Android while setting up a new device, but individual app data stored on-device is lost. When apps start supporting AppMigrationKit, and the features become publicly available, that will change.

Additionally, apps will be able to download data stored in the cloud automatically when the device-to-device migration finishes.

Apple and Google are finally building better migration tools

AppMigrationKit could become publicly available as soon as the release of iOS 26.1. It's a sign that both Apple and Google are working quickly to improve the migration process between their respective mobile platforms.

Apple is working on a "Transfer to Android" feature for iOS 26, and Android is similarly prepping a "Transfer to iPhone" tool. Part of Google's efforts to streamline Android to iPhone transfers were revealed in May 2025 via Android 16 QPR1 beta teardowns.

Google and Apple both developing better migration tools simultaneously is excellent news for Android users. It'll remove potential barriers to switching from iOS to Android, and vice versa.

Did the iPhone Air already force Samsung out of the thin phone market? Samsung kicked off the slim phone resurgence in 2025 with the Galaxy S25 Edge. Now, the question is how the tech giant will respond to emerging competitors. The outlook is uncertain, with rumors unsure whether a Galaxy S26 Edge will even be released.

We've seen global challengers from TECNO and mainstream contenders stateside, including the iPhone Air from Apple. Although the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge has more features, the iPhone Air does manage to be slimmer.

Apple achieved this feat by cleverly using the camera bump on phones to its advantage. By hiding components within the bump, which it now calls a plateau, it made the overall body thinner. Well, we now expect Samsung to copy Apple's homework with the Galaxy S26 Edge. It's rumored to be even thinner than the iPhone Air while packing an even bigger camera bump.

That's quite a lot to consider, so which ultra-slim phone should you buy? Let's compare the rumored Galaxy S26 Edge specs against the current iPhone Air offerings in this speculative breakdown.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Pricing and availability

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is only a few months old, but we might see a successor soon alongside the complete Galaxy S26 lineup. The earliest rumors tipped the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge to replace both the Galaxy S25 Edge and Plus models in the new series, set for release around January or February 2026. Since then, conflicting rumors point to a disjointed development process for the entire Samsung Galaxy S26 series.

In mid-October, the Galaxy S26 Edge was reportedly cancelled, and the Plus model was due for a return. Only about two weeks later, another set of rumors pointed to the Galaxy S26 Edge being still on track for release, albeit possibly later in the year than expected. Another curveball in the mix is a rumor that claims the entire Galaxy S26 series is delayed until March, which would mark the latest Galaxy S launch of the past few years.

The Galaxy S26 Edge should be priced at the same $1,099 price, which will get you at least 256GB of storage. The iPhone Air is slightly cheaper at $999, and it's available now. The phone ships with 256GB of storage as standard and is available in four colorways: Cloud White, Sky Blue, Space Black, and Light Gold. It's configurable with up to 1TB of internal storage.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Design and display

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge is expected to take major design cues from the iPhone Air. Apple stuffed the majority of the iPhone Air with battery, relegating the logic board and key system components into the camera bump — now called a camera plateau. As such, the iPhone Air camera bump extends across the back of the phone, despite only holding one camera lens.

This strategy allowed the iPhone Air to usurp the Galaxy S25 Edge's thickness. The iPhone Air measures 5.64mm exactly, making it the thinnest iPhone ever and the thinnest commercially available phone in the U.S. right now.

Now, Samsung will do the same with the Galaxy S26 Edge, but to a greater degree. It will keep its dual vertically-oriented rear cameras, according to leaks and rumors, but the camera bump will now extend across the back. This will result in a camera island — or plateau, or whatever you prefer to call it — that's greater in surface area than the one on the iPhone Air. Rumors claim the camera bump itself is 5.3mm alone on the Galaxy S26 Edge.

Of course, this large camera bump allows Samsung to make the body of the Galaxy S26 Edge even thinner. It's said to measure 5.5mm thick, meaning Samsung would pass Apple yet again.

It's up to the consumer to decide where to draw the line as to which camera bump styles cheat dimensions. Is the iPhone Air really 5.64mm thick if it has a camera plateau? Or is the Galaxy S26 Edge really 5.5mm thick when a camera island taking up a third of the phone's back adds another 5.3mm of thickness? Only you can decide that, but it's worth thinking about.

Something to consider is that recent talk of a revived Galaxy S26 Edge is related to the development of a phone codenamed "More Slim." It's clearly a play on the Galaxy S25 Edge's "Slim" codename, but there's a catch. Reports claim "More Slim" development started after the device referred to as the Galaxy S26 Edge. So, the rumored device we've discussed might not be released in favor of a more ambitious Edge model in the future.

A notable difference between these two phones will be their screens. The iPhone Air has a 6.5-inch display, putting it firmly between standard and "Plus" or "Max/Ultra" phones. However, the Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to sport a 6.7-inch AMOLED panel for another year, making it the exact same size as a typical Plus model from Samsung. Both the iPhone Air and the Galaxy S26 Edge will certainly have 120Hz refresh rate support, as well as HDR support.

The iPhone Air excels in two key areas: brightness and outdoor visibility. The phone's display can hit 3,000 nits in outdoor settings, whereas the Galaxy S26 Edge might top out at 2,600 nits if current specs hold. Additionally, the iPhone has a slight anti-glare coating, while the Galaxy S26 Edge may not.

For durability, both phones will use a titanium chassis and offer IP68 certification against dust and water ingress.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Hardware and specs

The iPhone Air has specs that look great on paper, but real-world usage may be a different story. It's powered by the Apple A19 Pro chipset, although this is a binned version with one fewer GPU core than what you get in the iPhone 17 Pro. The chip itself also appears to be throttled in our testing, and for good reason — it gets hot quickly during intensive tasks, which will drain battery fast.

By comparison, Samsung is expected to use the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy in the Galaxy S26 Edge. It'll improve on the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy within the current Galaxy S25 Edge.

That chip already outperforms the iPhone Air in many situations, so we should see even better performance from the new Samsung. It also could offer 16GB of memory, per recent leaks, which would one-up the 12GB in the iPhone Air.

Both the Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air compromise in certain areas, but the Air seems to give up more. It doesn't have a secondary ultrawide camera, stereo speakers, or USB 3.2 support. These are all things the Galaxy S26 Edge is tabbed to provide, plus magnetic Qi2 support, rectifying a major omission on its predecessor.

Battery life could be better on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge, too. It'll ship with a larger 4,200mAh battery, according to rumors. That's still less than most phones in its size class, but it is way more than the 3,149mAh battery in the iPhone Air.

Truth be told, Apple manages to squeeze a surprising amount of battery life from the iPhone Air, so we'll have to test these phones before giving a battery verdict.

Another separator between these phones is their camera offerings. Apple has the advantage in selfie capture, with a square sensor that can take vertical or portrait shots without rotating the device. It can also use Center Stage to zoom out in the software to fit everyone in the photo. In comparison, the Galaxy S26 Edge's selfie camera isn't expected to include any of these tricks.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge will have the standout rear camera system, with a 200MP primary shooter and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The iPhone Air only has a 48MP camera sensor on the back. While it can use sensor crop to mimic 2x optical zoom like the Galaxy S26 Edge, there's no getting around the lack of an ultrawide cam for wide shots.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs. iPhone Air: Which should you plan to buy?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge and the iPhone Air figure to have just as many differences as similarities. They're both thin phones, but the iPhone Air seems to prioritize minimal design as much as a slim and lightweight build. That's evidenced by the inclusion of only one rear camera and the relatively small camera plateau — at least compared to the Galaxy S26 Edge's rumored camera island.

Meanwhile, it's clear that the Galaxy S26 Edge will be the winner on paper. It's trying to be the thinnest phone with the least amount of compromise. In that effort, the Galaxy S26 Edge becomes an eyesore in the way the iPhone Air and even the Galaxy S25 Edge are not. However, it also adds a more capable ultrawide sensor, a larger battery, and a more powerful chip, according to rumors.

If you want the prettiest thin phone, I'd argue the iPhone Air still satisfies that craving best. Those wanting the most features in the thinnest package should wait for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge instead. However, with the Galaxy S26 Edge's release being uncertain, perhaps it's best not to count on it.

Beyond rudimentary use cases like generative photo or video creation and text editing, artificial intelligence is starting to help out in real-world situations. Notably, live translation features that eliminate language barriers in real-time are on the rise.

We've seen features debut in smartphones, earbuds, and even smart glasses. Truthfully, the idea of live translation isn't new, but it's coming into its own in 2025 thanks to improvements in support and performance. Apple recently highlighted Live Translate as a perk of its new AirPods Pro 3, and a similar feature leveraging Google Translate already existed on the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

So, is Google's or Apple's version of live translate the best? We tried them both, and although neither is perfect, these are the key ways they compare — and which one we prefer.

All the differences between Apple and Google's live translate features

Live Translate is marketed as a unique earbud feature in 2025, but the legwork is still being done on your smartphone. To use Apple's live translation with a supported pair of AirPods, you'll need an iPhone 15 Pro or newer running iOS 26 or later. While it might seem like an arbitrary cutoff, an iPhone 15 Pro is needed because live translation uses Apple Intelligence, which isn't available on the base iPhone 15 or older models.

This also means that Android users who own a pair of AirPods for wireless audio (yes, they do exist) won't be able to take advantage of Apple's live translation features at all. By comparison, Google's equivalent is much more forgiving. You only need an Android phone running Android 6 or later to use live translation on a pair of Google Pixel Buds.

This includes all Google Pixel phones, but also the vast number of Android phones by other brands that meet the version requirement. You can use a pair of Google Pixel Buds with a Samsung or OnePlus phone and still use Google's live translation feature, for instance. You'll just need to ensure your phone has the latest version of the Google and Google Translate apps installed, as both are required for live translation.

Both the Apple and Google implementations of live translate use off-device processing by default, so you'll need an internet connection. However, you can download languages for offline translation via the Settings app on iOS and the Google Translate app on Android.

Apple also offers an "on-device mode" that will always use offline, on-device processing for translations. However, it's worth noting that this mode only applies to the Apple Translate app, which is used for AirPods translation. If iPhone users want to translate with Siri or Safari, those translations will always be processed in the cloud.

The way you trigger live translation on Pixel Buds and AirPods is also slightly different. For Google Pixel Buds, the preferred method of using Live Translate seems to be using Google Translate on your phone and tapping Conversation mode. Alternatively, you can use Google Assistant to trigger live translation by saying a phrase like "Hey Google, help me speak [language]."

There's no way to use Conversation mode hands-free without using Google Assistant; otherwise, you'll need to pull out the Translate app on your Android phone. Apple's implementation differs slightly. You can use Siri for translation, but the preferred method is to hold down both AirPod stems to trigger live translation.

Do you need the latest AirPods or Pixel Buds to use them?

Both Apple and Google have tremendous support for live translation features, even on older devices. However, Google clearly offers an edge. It has been shipping real-time translation on earbuds since 2017, dating back to the very first pair of Google Pixel Buds. The feature has since been available on every pair released since, from the high-end Pixel Buds Pro 2 to the affordable Pixel Buds A-series and new Pixel Buds 2a.

Apple's feature is currently listed as a beta offering, so it won't be perfect. It was announced alongside the AirPods Pro 3, but it's also coming to AirPods Pro 2 and the ANC model of AirPods 4 via a software update.

So, chances are, if you have a new enough pair of Apple or Google earbuds, you'll be able to utilize live translation.

Are the AirPods Pro 3 or Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 better for live translation?

The aforementioned differences between calling up live translation on AirPods and Google Pixel Buds are the most impactful to the experience. It's nice to be able to walk up to someone who doesn't speak your language, hold both stems, and start hearing a translated version of their speech in your ears. There are no voice commands or smartphone taps required when using a supported AirPods and iPhone, which is ideal.

By comparison, it can be cumbersome to use clunky voice commands or pull out your phone to use Conversation mode with live translation on a pair of Google Pixel Buds. Certainly not a dealbreaker, but it's a minor inconvenience.

In terms of quality, there's still a ways to go before we're conversing at a natural pace with others between languages. The live translation features on both Apple or Google earbuds have a noticeable delay — currently necessary for processing and wireless transmission — that might impede the flow of a conversation.

Additionally, it isn't uncommon to have either feature completely miss a sentence or phrase. All it takes is someone speaking too fast, a noisy environment, or an unfamiliar dialect to throw Apple Translate or Google Translate off its game. However, it's certainly easier to use AirPods or Pixel Buds for live translation than flipping through a language phrasebook or guide.

Like almost everything leveraging AI these days: when it works, it's magical, but you can't depend on it.

Whether we realize it or not, we make choices and compromises every time we purchase a new tech product. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra users give up a bit of room for a bigger battery in favor of a siloed S Pen, and foldable users often sacrifice camera quality for the dual displays and hinge.

In 2025, smartphone brands are emphasizing thinness and lightness as key features. It started with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, which drew ire from Android fans, and Apple took that concept to the next level with the iPhone Air, which seems to concede something in every area in the pursuit of a futuristic design. It's the epitome of form over function.

As a result, the iPhone Air is inherently controversial. I admittedly love thin and light phones, and using the iPhone Air for two weeks cemented that as it's much easier to handle. That said, I also agree with the iPhone Air's detractors that Apple made significant compromises to get there, and it's an incredibly niche device for that reason.

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Apple iPhone Air: Pricing, availability, and specs

The iPhone Air launched alongside the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup on Sept. 19, 2025, and is now widely available in the U.S and globally as of September 26. The phone retails for $999 and comes with 256GB of storage, but can be configured with up to 1TB for a max price of $1,399. It's sold in Space Black, Cloud White, Sky Blue, and Light Gold colorways. Notably, the iPhone Air is eSIM only worldwide.

You can order it directly from Apple, purchase it unlocked from retailers like Best Buy, or obtain it from your cellular carrier. Global pricing for the iPhone Air starts at £999 in the U.K., AU$1,799 in Australia, and €1,239 in Europe.

Apple iPhone Air: Design

• The iPhone Air's unique design has practical and style benefits, and it's the only titanium model this year.
• The giant camera plateau looks smaller in person and doesn't impact daily use.

Many see the iPhone Air as a breakthrough first-generation product that might not be fantastic today, but sets the stage for future Apple products (foldable iPhone, anyone?). I don't see it that way. The iPhone Air is more of a return to form for Apple, reverting to a time when its product design prioritized a delicate balance between form and function — and leaned more toward form when necessary.

Even the idea of cramming the iPhone Air's logic board into the camera plateau isn't really new to Apple; the design strategy used to build the iPhone Air can be traced back to as early as 2015.

The iPhone Air is extremely thin and impressive, but in a way that aligns with recent products like the iPad Pro M4. It measures 5.64mm thick across much of the body, with a sloping camera plateau that stashes away the internals and a single rear camera.

The plateau appears much larger in photos than it actually feels in person. In fact, I've come to use it as a place to rest my pointer finger while holding the Air, sort of like a grip or PopSocket. It helps for stability and usability, as I can hold the iPhone Air one-handed without it slipping due to the plateau.

It's covered with glossy glass, but the main rear glass slab of the iPhone Air has a matte, frosted finish. I'm not sure I like the contrasting materials on the back, but the glossy plateau matches the polished titanium side rails. Between all the glass and titanium, the iPhone Air feels premium, possibly the most premium out of the iPhone 17 lineup.

The colors are relatively uninspiring. The Sky Blue Air used for this review looks very similar to the Cloud White or Light Gold models. I was so unimpressed that I returned mine for Space Black, which I think is the best color.

The titanium frame, Ceramic Shield 2 glass, and IP68 protection should enhance the iPhone Air's durability. I didn't baby my Air at all, rocking it caseless and dropping it accidentally on occasion, and there was no notable wear. The material choices here should help it fare better than the iPhone 17 Pro, which has anodized aluminum that can scratch off or scuff up over time.

An underrated feature of the iPhone Air is its weight, as the phone weighs just 165g. It's slightly heavier than the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it's still incredibly light for a phone in this size class.

On the bottom, you'll find a slightly off-center USB-C port that's actually 3D printed to make it as thin and durable as possible — a magnificent engineering achievement for Apple. You won't find any speakers, because unlike the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup, the iPhone Air only has an earpiece speaker.

This is understandably shocking, as we've taken stereo speakers on phones for granted in recent years. However, it's worth noting that the earpiece speaker is louder than expected, reaching a volume of around 70dB in my testing. Its volume is suitable for speaker calls, watching quick videos, or listening to a song. Quality is another matter entirely, because there's heavy distortion when the volume is set above 70%.

Even as a budding audiophile, I don't think the iPhone Air's mono speaker is a dealbreaker. It's fine in a pinch, and I can use earbuds, headphones, and proper speakers when I care about quality. If you're someone who uses their phone speaker, steer clear of the iPhone Air.

Apple iPhone Air: Display

• The 6.5-inch OLED display (120Hz) is gorgeous, but brightness throttling remains a pain point.
• The Ceramic Shield 2 anti-reflective coating isn't as good as Samsung's, but improved scratch resistance is a win.

The iPhone Air replaces the iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup, but only on paper. The iPhone Air slots right between larger and smaller iPhones with a 6.5-inch display, making it the best of both worlds.

I'm a small phone lover, and the iPhone Air's size and weight made it easier to use a 6.5-inch handset. Still, it won't feel as compact as smaller phones or as spacious as bigger ones.

In terms of specs, it's "Pro" all the way. It features an OLED panel with high resolution and pixel density. The iPhone Air supports all the features you'd expect, like always-on display (AOD), ProMotion tech with 120Hz refresh rates, HDR, and P3 wide color. It also introduces new accessibility options, including the ability to disable pulse smoothing entirely, which is particularly beneficial for individuals sensitive to pulse-width modulation (PWM).

Ceramic Shield 2 is a new version of Apple's premier display glass, claimed to be 3x more scratch-resistant than its predecessor. It also sports an anti-reflective coating, similar to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but Samsung's version makes a bigger impact.

Glare will still be a problem, and it's too early to know for sure how much more scratch-resistant the Air is compared to my prior iPhones.

Combined with the iPhone's tendency to aggressively dim brightness in direct sunlight due to thermal throttling, I found outdoor visibility on the Air to be very unimpressive. The phone's 3,000-nit outdoor peak brightness rating exists merely on paper, as the Air dims almost immediately after stepping outside.

To be clear, this affects many iPhones, and smartphones in general, but it may be worse on the iPhone Air. The tight form factor and titanium chassis may make the Air hot, resulting in lower brightness.

Apple iPhone Air: Performance and battery

• Apple's A19 Pro chip in the iPhone Air isn't quite as good as the variant in the Pro models.
• It's still plenty fast, but the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge delivers better top-end performance.

The iPhone Air is powered by the A19 Pro chipset with 12GB of RAM, but it has one fewer GPU core than the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. It will also be limited and throttled due to thermal considerations. There's also an Adaptive Power mode (not exclusive to the Air) that can limit performance when you're using more battery than usual.

As such, this won't be the fastest iPhone on the block, and benchmark data supports that. The iPhone Air typically outperforms the Tensor G5 chip in the Pixel 10 Pro, but falls short of the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip in the Galaxy S25 Edge. It's also expectedly slower than the iPhone 17 Pro with its non-binned A19 Pro, vapor chamber, and aluminum shell.

The device tends to heat up during taxing tasks, including downloading large amounts of lossless music or heavy outdoor usage. There doesn't seem to be a significant impact on daily performance, although I noticed the camera viewfinder dropping frames at one point. This had no impact on recording, but it demonstrated that iOS graphics struggled to keep up in high temperatures.

Battery life is a tricky subject. It should be enough for most users — I got roughly six hours of screen-on time and extra standby hours on a single charge. That said, I'm a power user, so I averaged using about 125% to 150% of battery daily during my review period. Expect to charge around midday if you're a power user like me, or invest in a Qi2 battery pack.

iPhone Air is powered by iOS 26, the successor to iOS 18. It's more than just a new name scheme; there's a redesigned Liquid Glass design language that permeates throughout the experience. While not for everyone, Liquid Glass grew on me, and it seems fitting for a device that feels like one glass slab. It's glossy and reflective by default, and unfortunately, it seems to make simple tasks require extra taps.

Apple Intelligence intentionally feels like an afterthought here. Apple still hasn't delivered on the AI features it promised alongside last year's crop of iPhones, and we're waiting on long-overdue features like an overhauled Siri. For now, you get AI tools that seem to counter Google options — Writing Tools are like Help me write, Clean Up is like Magic Eraser, and Visual Intelligence is like multimodal Gemini Live.

But it's clear that Google still has the edge in mobile AI, and most iPhone users I know turn to Gemini or ChatGPT instead of Apple Intelligence.

Apple iPhone Air: Camera

• The primary camera is just fine for standard photos, and the 2x sensor crop is "good enough."
• The iPhone Air gets the cool square sensor on the front, allowing for ultrawide, vertical, and horizontal selfies without moving the device.

There's only one rear camera on the iPhone Air — a 48MP Fusion lens with an f/1.6 aperture — but Apple wants you to think it's really two, thanks to a 2x crop that provides a bit of zoom at optical-quality. Two things can be true: it's not a gimmick, but it's also not a replacement for a telephoto camera.

Here's how the 1x and 2x shots look on the iPhone Air:

The camera button remains, and it's easier to use on the iPhone Air's thin frame. Notably, the extra touch-sensitive features are off by default.

You shouldn't sleep on the iPhone Air's primary camera. It takes great photos in all conditions, from sunny days to dark nights. While not as good as the primary camera on other models, it produces great shots with stellar color accuracy. Again, it can't replace a dedicated ultrawide or telephoto lens, but the 48MP sensor is great for basic shots.

The front camera is perhaps the best upgrade this year. It's an 18MP square sensor that lets you take vertical or horizontal shots without physically rotating your phone. Additionally, the Center Stage feature can automatically crop in or move out to ensure everyone is included in the selfie. I guarantee this is a feature that Android phone makers are taking notice of, because it's the real deal.

Apple iPhone Air: Competition

• The iPhone Air's clear advantage over the Galaxy S25 Edge is Qi2 and MagSafe support.
• The Galaxy S25 Edge is the well-rounded phone, with a better chip, extra camera, and more features.

The iPhone Air's main competition in the U.S. is the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge, as they're both thin and light phones. The Air is thinner, but the Edge is lighter. The Air has MagSafe for easy midday charging, but the Edge has better performance and an ultrawide camera. In other words, both phones have major compromises; you'll just have to choose which ones you'd rather live with.

There's also the iPhone 17 ($799) and iPhone 17 Pro ($1,099), which provide a better feature set than the Air, albeit in different form factors.

Apple iPhone Air: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if...

• You want a large phone that's still easy to hold and maneuver
• Thinness and lightness matter more to you than cameras or battery capacity
• You don't need or use an ultrawide or telephoto lens often

You shouldn't buy this if...

• You want the best-value hardware in an iPhone (get the iPhone 17 or a Pro instead)
• You want a slightly thicker, but still thin, phone with fewer compromises (get the Galaxy S25 Edge)
• You'd rather wait and see what improvements an iPhone Air 2 might be

The iPhone Air is aimed at people who think having a thinner and lighter phone will make using it easier, such as runners who want to carry a phone with them while working out without it being unwieldy. Whatever your reason, the combination of a 6.5-inch screen, 5.6mm thickness, and 165-gram weight is a market anomaly that only exists in the iPhone Air.

That said, it's true that this version of the iPhone Air will be the worst one to ever exist, as if an iPhone Air 2 comes out next year, it'll assuredly be better. Don't underestimate the compromises made to create the Air, either, because they're real, and they might change what you can do and how you can do it on your smartphone.

It's also true that the rumored foldable iPhone will almost certainly take cues from the Air's design. If either of those prospects excites you, perhaps you should skip the iPhone Air and wait. On the flip side, if you want a slightly thicker and more "normal" phone than the Air, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is a sleeper.

Apple and Google are always natural competitors, and they just so happen to have two of the best smartwatches hitting the market: the Apple Watch Series 11 and the Google Pixel Watch 4. Since you can't easily use an Apple Watch with an Android phone or vice versa, the decision largely rests upon which ecosystem you've already invested in.

However, if you're wondering how the Series 11 stacks up against the Pixel Watch 4, we have you covered. After all, there is a way to use an Apple Watch without daily driving an iPhone, so Android users can use the Series 11 as their smartwatch if they really want to. Let's break down all the differences between the latest Apple Watch Series 11 and the Google Pixel Watch 4.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Design and display

Neither Apple nor Google deviated significantly from their typical smartwatch design language when creating the Series 11 or Pixel Watch 4. They resemble their predecessors closely, but are distinct from one another. Apple Watches tend to sport a mostly square design with a cover glass and chassis that are slightly curved. Meanwhile, Pixel Watch models feature a "waterdrop" design with a circular shape and curved glass that seamlessly integrates into the chassis.

Overall, the Pixel Watch 4 looks more minimalist and dainty than the Series 11. The Apple Watch Series 11 is available in either 42mm or 46mm case sizes, whereas the Pixel Watch 4 is offered in 41mm or 45mm case sizes. Although the Pixel Watch is more compact on the wrist, it's much thicker, measuring 12.3mm compared to the Apple Watch's 9.7mm thickness.

The weight between the two watches is nearly identical, with about a gram separating the non-LTE versions of Series 11 and Pixel Watch 4.

The Apple Watch Series 11 is decidedly more premium, with both aluminum and titanium case options available. Google only sells the Pixel Watch 4 in either matte or polished aluminum. There are also more colors and band configurations on the Apple Watch side, and the Series 11 has the advantage of being backwards-compatible with all prior bands within their size bloc (38mm, 40mm, 41mm, 42mm bands are interchangeable; 42mm, 44mm, 45mm, 46mm, 49mm bands are interchangeable).

The Pixel Watch 4's display is now domed to match the cover glass and is brighter than the Series 11 with a peak brightness rating of 3,000 nits. By comparison, the Apple Watch Series 11 has the advantage of supporting wide-angle OLED technology, which should make it easier to view off-angle than the Pixel Watch 4. The Series 11 display is also slightly higher in resolution, with a pixel density of 326ppi compared to 320ppi on the Pixel Watch 4.

In terms of durability, the titanium Series 11 uses a sapphire crystal covering, and the aluminum Series 11 uses Ion-X glass. Ion-X is more crack-resistant, while sapphire crystal is more scratch-resistant. Google has Custom Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the Pixel Watch 4 for scratch and crack protection. Additionally, both watches are swimproof and rated for 5ATM.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Hardware and specs

From a hardware perspective, both smartwatches will be plenty fast. The Apple Watch Series 11 is powered by the S10 chip, a system-in-package processor that includes a dual-core processor and a quad-core Neural Engine. Meanwhile, the Pixel Watch 4 includes a Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 Gen 2 chip with a Cortex-M55 co-processor.

Google's leveraging of the co-processor for certain tasks helped it improve battery life for the Pixel Watch 4. The smaller version of the Pixel Watch 4 now lasts up to 30 hours, while the larger model can run for up to 40 hours. That's longer, at least on paper, than the Series 11, which is rated for 24 hours of battery life. It's worth noting that in the past, you could get more battery life out of Apple Watches and Pixel Watches than officially claimed.

Apple hasn't confirmed the amount of memory onboard the Apple Watch Series 11, but it does provide 64GB of storage. That's extra space for apps, workouts, music, podcasts, and more. The Pixel Watch 4 has 2GB of memory but only 32GB of storage.

Additionally, the Series 11's cellular model supports 5G and LTE, becoming one of the first smartwatches to do so. You can equip the Pixel Watch 4 with cellular, but you'll only have LTE, not 5G. On the other hand, the Pixel Watch 4 features satellite connectivity, whereas Apple requires you to purchase the Ultra 3 for that capability.

Apple hasn't changed its watch charger in a decade of making smartwatches, yet Google is on its third charger in four generations. That isn't great for compatibility. However, the smaller Pixel Watch 4 does charge slightly faster than the Series 11, reaching 80% in just 25 minutes. The larger Pixel Watch 4 and both Series 11 models need 30 minutes of charging to hit 80%.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Fitness and software

Apple seems to have the advantage in fitness and health features, both in hardware and software. The software experience is sound with Apple Fitness, which has excellent workout tracking and features like Training Load. Best of all, the entire experience is subscription-free — you'll only have to pay for Apple Fitness Plus if you want guided workout videos; no features are hidden behind that paywall.

Some Pixel Watch 4 features are hidden behind the Fitbit Premium subscription, which costs $10 per month. The core experience is free, though, and built upon the Fitbit ecosystem. The watch can track over 40 different types of workouts, and now has dual-band GPS, like the Series 11, for more accurate tracking.

While both watches support the standard heart rate, temperature, ECG, and blood-oxygen readings, Apple takes a step forward with blood pressure monitoring on the Series 11. It's not a replacement for medical-grade monitoring, but rather a preventive tool that can identify signs of hypertension and direct individuals to medical professionals. This is a potential life-saving feature that only Apple is offering on smartwatches in the U.S.

Apple Watch Series 11 vs. Google Pixel Watch 4: Which should you buy?

The Apple Watch Series 11 appears to be the more mature smartwatch, but that's unsurprising, because Apple has been doing wearables longer than Google. The fitness and health experience on watchOS 26 is more robust and built out than the one in Wear OS 6, which relies on Fitbit and requires a subscription for full functionality.

The two sizes of Series 11 smartwatches are also bigger than their respective Pixel Watch 4 counterparts, and the Apple Watch hardware is more premium, with titanium case options available.

However, it's worth noting that Google has a clear edge in the voice assistant category. The Pixel Watch 4 is powered by Gemini, which can handle basic Assistant tasks and general AI queries. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 11 cannot use Siri at all without a connection to your phone, Wi-Fi, or cellular network. And if you're looking for a smartwatch on the Android side that's just as mature as the Apple Watch, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 is a great option.

Still, you can't go wrong with the Pixel Watch 4, especially if minimalism and Google integration are your two main priorities.

Apple has a new crop of smartphones, and the iPhone 17 feels like the first base model in years to be truly competitive with the best Android phones. In the past, it was easy to criticize Apple for seemingly holding back basic features, like always-on displays and high refresh rates, from the cheapest new iPhone. The iPhone 17 flips the script, adding both of those long-awaited features and a whole lot more to make the base model eye-catching.

For those looking for a small and cheap flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S25 has looked great on paper for the past few years. It's the most compact out of the top options from Apple, Samsung, and Google, and it added a third rear camera before it was cool. Now, it's time to see whether the iPhone 17 can beat the Galaxy S25 at its own game in base-model value.

iPhone 17 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Design and display

The iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S25 are both small flagships, but Apple's smartphone is heavier and less compact than Samsung's. It comes down to the displays — Samsung is still using a 6.2-inch AMOLED panel on the Galaxy S25, whereas Apple moved to a larger 6.3-inch screen. Both are now capable of hitting 120Hz refresh rates, and have AOD options.

Apple is using Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the iPhone 17, and Samsung opted for Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the Galaxy S25. Both are made by Corning, but the key difference is that the iPhone 17's cover glass is optimized for scratch protection and has anti-reflective properties. To get an anti-reflective screen on a Samsung Galaxy phone, you have to go with the expensive Galaxy S25 Ultra model.

It's hard to understate the difference in size between the iPhone 17 and Galaxy S25. By just comparing the screen sizes, the gap looks minuscule, but there's more to the story. The iPhone measures 149.6 x 71.5 x 8mm and weighs 177 grams, which is larger by every measure compared to the Galaxy S25's dimensions of 146.9 x 70.5 x 7.2 mm. The Samsung base model's weight is particularly impressive at just 162 grams — even lighter than the iPhone Air.

Surprisingly, the Galaxy S25 packs flagship specs and a larger battery capacity than the iPhone 17 in that small form factor. The only key compromise here is the display, which is smaller by one tenth of an inch. Only you can decide whether the bigger, thicker, and heavier design of the iPhone 17 is a dealbreaker, but I prefer the compact and lightweight build of the Galaxy S25.

As for durability, both phones sport an IP68 certification against dust and water ingress. They're also made out of aluminum and have frosted glass backs.

iPhone 17 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Hardware and specs

Apple and Samsung both equipped their cheapest flagship phones with current-generation processors, but the Galaxy S25 goes a step further. It's powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy mobile platform, the same one that powers Samsung's most expensive handsets. Meanwhile, the iPhone 17 runs on an Apple A19 chip that's a lower-tier offering compared to the A19 Pro in the Air and Pro models. This could help the Galaxy S25 excel in AI tasks and gaming, but that remains to be seen.

Samsung has the advantage in on-device memory, with 12GB of RAM on the Galaxy S25 compared to the iPhone 17's 8GB. However, the iPhone 17 crucially starts with 256GB of base storage at the same price as the 128GB Galaxy S25. There's more storage available on the higher-end configurations, too. You can buy an iPhone 17 with up to 512GB of storage, while the Galaxy S25 tops out at 256GB.

In terms of connectivity, the iPhone 17 and the Galaxy S25 both support Wi-Fi 7, 5G, satellite connectivity, and NFC. The iPhone 17 does support Bluetooth 6 compared to Bluetooth 5.4 on the Galaxy S25. On the flip side, the Galaxy S25 has a physical SIM tray, and all iPhones are eSIM-only in the U.S.

Samsung gave the Galaxy S25 slightly more battery life, but it charges more slowly and doesn't have internal magnets for Qi2 or MagSafe. The iPhone 17 can now do 40-60W fast wired charging and take advantage of Qi2.2 25W wireless charging, which is great to see.

While the A19 chip is a capable performer, Samsung likely does more with its on-device Galaxy AI processing than Apple does with Apple Intelligence at the moment. Between Galaxy AI and Gemini, the Galaxy S25 has the more robust AI suite.

iPhone 17 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Cameras

The iPhone 17 received a few major camera upgrades this year, headlined by the 18MP selfie camera. This new camera lens now uses a square sensor, a shift from typical 4:3 sensor. The practical benefit of this change is being able to take selfies in either orientation, portrait or landscape, without having to physically rotate your phone. And when there's a big group shot, Center Stage uses AI to automatically expand the view to fit everyone in.

The rear cameras are a bit less exciting — they're 48MP sensors, a main and an ultrawide. Still, they look to perform great and provide the stabilization and video recording Apple is known for.

Samsung has an extra rear telephoto lens, which adds a 3x optical zoom length into the mix. It's the handy tool in a triple-camera system that also consists of a 50MP, f/1.8 main sensor and a 12MP, f/2.2 ultrawide with a 120-degree field of view. Google followed suit this year, adding a telephoto camera to its base-model Pixel 10, but Samsung pioneered this offering on cheaper flagships.

Compared to the 2x optical-quality zoom the iPhone 17 achieves using sensor crop, the Galaxy S25's true 3x optical zoom will undoubtedly produce better results.

iPhone 17 vs. Samsung Galaxy S25: Which should you buy

The iPhone 17 and Samsung Galaxy S25 are more similar than you may think — both feature the same chassis design as older models and come with key limitations compared to their higher-end counterparts. However, both also stand out in their own way. Aside from the obvious iOS 26 vs. One UI 7 debate, these phones focus on completely different things.

The iPhone 17 clearly puts an emphasis on the cameras, making it a great option for creators or anyone who loves to take photos or videos. Yes, it has one fewer rear camera than the Galaxy S25, but its 48MP main and ultrawide cameras are top-notch. Plus, the square front-facing camera that makes it possible to capture vertical or horizontal selfies without rotating your device is a standout feature.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 has more raw power with the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipset, and it does more with it thanks to Galaxy AI and Gemini. It'll run circles around Apple Intelligence, and the smarts may even help the phone beat the iPhone 17 in gaming and intensive tasks.

You can't go wrong with either one, but if you happen to care about camera or AI features, you may want to pick the iPhone 17 or Galaxy S25, respectively.

Just like deciding between the iPhone 17 Pro XL vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL was a tough call, it's going to be a similar situation with the non-Pro models, too. The iPhone 17 Pro is the entry point to the Pro series, and it has the exact same features as the Pro Max model — just in a more compact size and with a smaller battery. On the Android side, the Pixel 10 Pro is its closest and direct competitor that happens to be priced roughly the same.

While it might seem like a slam dunk for the iPhone, the Pixel 10 Pro has its share of trump cards too; it should be able to pull off clearer telephoto images, the AI features are most definitely more alluring, and the larger battery capacity should allow it to last longer on a single charge. Plus, the new Material 3 Expressive design language in Android 16 is prettier than ever. It's not going to be an easy choice choosing either one, so let's break it down and see if we have a clear winner.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro: Design and display

After multiple generations of the same design, the iPhone 17 Pro finally gets a new look. The most noticeable change is a wider camera bump on the back that Apple calls the "camera plateau." This raised portion creates more room inside for components, allowing for a larger battery. The result is a phone that's actually thicker and heavier than its predecessor. It's thicker than the Pixel 10 Pro as well, but lighter by one gram.

Apple has ditched titanium for the frame and gone back to aluminum with the iPhone 17 Pro. It's a unibody design for the first time, which Apple claims provides significantly better durability. The phone is IP68 rated, supports MagSafe charging, and you now get Ceramic Shield over the back panel as well. Another iPhone first is the use of a vapor chamber for more effective cooling.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro also uses a vapor chamber, just like most other Android flagships for the past decade. There's nothing worth writing about in terms of design, though, as it's nearly identical to the Pixel 9 Pro from 2024. The 10 Pro does get Pixelsnap, which lets it use Qi2/MagSafe wireless charging and accessories natively, just like the iPhone.

iPhones have always had impressive displays, and the iPhone 17 Pro is no exception. It's a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR OLED with a 120Hz refresh rate and a peak brightness of up to 3,000 nits. Apple is using its new Ceramic Shield 2 coating over the display, which it says offers three times better scratch resistance than before. Thankfully, there's a lot less glass on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro due to the new design, which means the odds of cracking it when dropped are less.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro has the exact same screen size as the iPhone 17 Pro, with roughly the same resolution, too. This LTPO OLED panel also has a 120Hz refresh rate, but the peak brightness is higher at 3,300 nits. It's not the most eye-friendly display, though, due to its low PWM dimming rate, although Google has added an option to fix this in software. You get Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for scratch resistance.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro: Hardware and specs

Apple silicon has always been a generation or two ahead of the best SoC in the Android realm, and that's not changed. We're yet to test and benchmark the new Apple A19 Pro SoC, but we have no doubt that it's going to have a sizeable lead over the Tensor G5 in the Pixel 10 Pro. All variants of the iPhone 17 Pro have 12GB of RAM, and storage tiers start at 256GB and go all the way up to 1TB. Prices range from $1,099 to $1,499.

The Google Pixel 10 Pro starts with a 128GB storage tier at $999, and goes all the way to 1TB for $1,449. The Tensor G5 is a marked improvement over the G4, but it still trails behind other flagship chips from Qualcomm. While it's great for AI tasks, it's still not the best for other things like AAA gaming.

The iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 10 Pro offer the latest wireless technology. You get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, mmWave 5G, UWB, and NFC on both models. The iPhone 17 Pro has a slightly larger battery than its predecessor, but it's still not as large as the one in the Pixel 10 Pro.

The iPhone charges quicker too, thanks to the new 40W Dynamic Power Adapter (sold separately) that can deliver up to 50% charge in just 20 minutes. The Pixel 10 Pro, on the other hand, can charge at 30W. When it comes to wireless charging, both phones support Qi2 wireless charging via MagSafe accessories or Pixelsnap chargers.

The Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro have three rear cameras and support a wide focal range. The iPhone 17 Pro gets a new 48MP telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom, while the main camera now has a wider f/1.6 aperture for better low-light photos. There's a new square 18MP front camera sensor, which allows you to take a selfie in multiple orientations without having to hold the phone horizontally. For filmmakers, the addition of ProRes RAW video capture is a big deal, as you can now use the 17 Pro for professional-grade video workflows.

The Pixel 10 Pro features the same resolution sensors as before, but Pro Res Zoom can now zoom up to 100x. New features like Camera Coach and Auto Best Take are sure to be appreciated by everyone. The image quality from the cameras is rather excellent overall, especially images shot via Portrait mode, which Google has finally fixed.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro: Software

The iPhone 17 Pro runs iOS 26, which has gotten a big design overhaul in the form of Liquid Glass for its UI elements. In fact, a lot of the changes, like the new look for visual intelligence and iMessage backgrounds, seem to be inspired by Android and popular third-party apps. It's a big departure compared to Material 3 Expressive in Android 16.

Speaking of which, the Pixel 10 Pro runs Android 16 out of the box and is promised to get seven years of OS upgrades. A lot of the AI processing for the new features on the Pixel 10 Pro now runs on-device, which means faster operation and better privacy. Android 16 isn't as big a visual overhaul as iOS 26 is, but the changes are meaningful and make using your Pixel even better.

AI performance is in the Pixel 10's favor, due to Google's more mature suite of features led by Gemini. Meanwhile, Apple is still catching up with its AI, and while it has some notable features, they generally don't compare to those found on the Pixel, and we're still waiting for the major Siri overhaul.

iPhone 17 Pro vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro: Which should you buy?

This is never an easy answer, as you'll be choosing between two very different platforms, and many factors, such as your current accessories, wearables, and chargers, will need to be considered. I think the iPhone 17 Pro is a fantastic choice over the Pixel 10 Pro, even if you are a long-time Android user. Sure, Apple is trailing behind in the AI game, but apart from that, nearly everything else seems better. The more powerful chip, better video recording capabilities, eye-friendly display, faster charging, and compatibility with a ton more cases and accessories.

I'd choose the Pixel 10 Pro if AI features are the biggest draw for you. It comes close to the iPhone in overall specs, except in a few areas like gaming. Like the iPhone, it too will get day-one OS upgrades, and its current features will keep getting augmented thanks to Pixel Drop updates.

There are many smartphone launches in a year, but the ones everyone looks forward to most are from Apple and Google. Google unveiled its flagship Pixel 10 series back in August, while Apple has now officially introduced the iPhone 17 lineup as well.

Both the Pixel 10 and iPhone 17 are major upgrades over their predecessors, even if it doesn't look that way on paper. The Google Pixel 10 adds an extra zoom lens and new AI features, while the iPhone 17 brings an improved selfie camera and new anti-reflective glass up front.

Thankfully, both brands have kept the same $799 starting price for their entry-level flagships, making this comparison even more interesting. So, between the iPhone 17 vs. Pixel 10, which is the better fit for you? Let's see how they compare.

iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10: Pricing, colors, and availability

After months of leaks, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 17 lineup at its "Awe Dropping" event on September 9, 2025. The iPhone 17 starts at the same $799 price as the iPhone 16 base model. This time, however, Apple has bumped the base storage to 256GB, with a 512GB variant also available for $999.

The iPhone 17 comes in five colors: Lavender (purple), Sage (green), Mist Blue, White, and Black. Pre-orders for the iPhone 17 begin Friday, September 12, with availability in stores starting September 19, 2025.

Google, on the other hand, took the wraps off the Pixel 10 series about three weeks earlier at its Made by Google event on August 20, 2025. The baseline Pixel 10 also starts at $799 in the US. However, the base Pixel 10 comes with just 128GB of storage, with only one upgrade option to 256GB — there is no 512GB variant available.

The Pixel 10 is offered in four colors: Indigo, Frost, Lemongrass, and Obsidian, and is available for purchase immediately through carriers and major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy.

iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10: Design and display

At first glance, the iPhone 17 and the Google Pixel 10 adopt a very similar design language. Both are rectangular slab smartphones with a glass-sandwich build, curved corners, and flat-edged frames. But once you turn to the back, the differences appear.

The iPhone 17 continues with the same vertical camera setup on the top left as the iPhone 16, while the Pixel 10 carries its signature horizontal camera visor across the back, housing the camera sensors and temperature sensor. Both devices also feature their company logos centered on the rear.

In terms of dimensions, the Google Pixel 10 is slightly wider, thicker, and heavier than the iPhone 17. The iPhone 17 has a 6.3-inch display and measures 149.6 x 71.5 x 8mm, while the Pixel 10 also has a 6.3-inch display but measures 152.8 x 72 x 8.6mm.

Another key difference in hand feel is weight. The iPhone 17 is lighter at 177 grams, while the Pixel 10 comes in at 204 grams. The Pixel makes up for it, though, with an extra camera lens and a bigger battery, but more on that later.

In terms of durability, both phones are quite comparable. The Pixel 10 uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2, while the iPhone 17 uses Apple’s new Ceramic Shield 2. Both are also IP68 rated, meaning they can handle rain or shallow water immersion for up to 30 minutes.

One iPhone-exclusive feature that has now made its way to the Pixel 10 is Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. Both the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10 feature magnets on the back, so you can use magnetic chargers, power banks, and MagSafe accessories like mounts and wallets without third-party cases or stickers.

Another iPhone-inspired move, though not necessarily a plus, is the removal of physical SIM trays. Both the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10 are eSIM-only in the United States, with no SIM card slots available.

Up front is where the iPhone 17 sees major upgrades. For the first time, the base iPhone gets Apple's ProMotion display with a variable refresh rate up to 120Hz, something Android phones, including Pixels, have offered for years. It also features a 6.3-inch Super XDR OLED panel with up to 3,000 nits peak brightness.

However, one of the big upgrades on the iPhone 17's display this year is the addition of an anti-reflective coating, similar to what we've seen on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. This should make it easier to view the phone outdoors with less glare.

The Pixel 10 similarly offers a 6.3-inch OLED display with 120Hz refresh, 3,000 nits of peak brightness, and HDR10+ playback support.

iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10: Hardware, specs, and software

Apple has always led when it comes to smartphone processors, and the company doubles down with the A19 chipset on the iPhone 17. Similar to the A18 from the previous generation, the A19 is based on a 3nm process, but Apple claims it is now "fast and efficient" and tailored to power on-device AI features.

And Apple has something to show for it. The company has built what it calls "neural accelerators" into the A19's GPU, which should further improve on-device AI performance, especially with help from the 16-core Neural Engine. In raw performance, Apple claims up to 80% better graphics than the iPhone 15.

Now, the hardware has always been where Google Pixels lag behind iPhones. While Google has tried to catch up with the Tensor G5 on the Pixel 10, it still falls short.

The rumors were true: Google switched from Samsung Foundry to TSMC for manufacturing the Tensor G5 on a 3nm process. While this should theoretically improve sustained performance and efficiency, Tensor G5's benchmarks show the Pixel 10 still trails other Android competitors and the iPhone.

Hardware has never been Google's strong suit, as the company focuses more on user experience and software — and that remains true for the Pixel 10.

Google hit the numbers it wanted, with the Tensor G5's TPU 60% faster for on-device AI tasks and the CPU 40% faster than the Pixel 9's Tensor G4. Early results also suggest better performance, but if you're buying a device for gaming or video editing, you're probably better off with the iPhone 17.

Another interesting upgrade on the iPhone 17, something we wish Google had adopted on the Pixel 10 series, is the bump to base storage of 256GB. The iPhone 17 comes in two variants, 256GB and 512GB, while the Pixel 10 only offers 128GB and 256GB. Of course, neither phone includes a microSD slot for storage expansion.

In terms of battery capacity, the Pixel 10 takes the lead. It ships with a 4,970 mAh cell, while even though Apple increased the size of the iPhone 17, it's still lower at 3,692 mAh. The Pixel 10 supports 30W fast charging, while Apple has added dynamic 40W–60W support on the iPhone 17.

Apple claims the iPhone 17 can charge from 0–50% in about 20 minutes, while the Pixel 10 takes closer to 30. For wireless charging, both phones support Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, but the iPhone 17 offers faster 25W charging compared to the Pixel 10's 15W.

Of course, actual battery life depends on usage, but so far, I've been pretty impressed with the Pixel 10, while I'm yet to test the iPhone 17.

Turning to software, as we know, the two phones ship with completely different OSes. The Pixel 10 comes with Android 16 and Google's new bold Material 3 Expressive design. The iPhone 17 runs iOS 26 with Apple's Liquid Glass design language. It's personal preference, but I find Android 16's look more appealing than Liquid Glass.

As expected, Google leans heavily into AI and software features, and the Pixel 10 is no exception. It includes several new tools you won't find on any other phone, like Camera Coach to guide better photos, Magic Cue to surface info when you need it, and features like Daily Hub, Pixel Screenshots, and more. These are some of the features that are not available on the iPhone 17.

In fact, when it comes to the iPhone 17, Apple strangely didn't even mention Apple Intelligence — its suite of AI features — on stage at the keynote. Apple has clearly fallen behind in AI features and in rolling them out for users.

iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10: Cameras

Finally, moving on to the cameras, and this is where most people are most interested. Both iPhones and Google Pixels are known for offering some of the most consistent cameras on smartphones, but this year, based purely on hardware, Google seems to have taken the lead.

The Pixel 10 ships with a triple-camera setup on the back. This includes a 48MP primary camera, a 13MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10.8MP telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. With the company's Pro Res Zoom and Gemini AI, the Pixel 10 can even achieve up to 20x digital zoom.

This is the first time Google has added a telephoto zoom lens to the baseline Pixel, something the iPhone 17 lacks.

The iPhone 17 comes with a dual-camera setup: a 48MP main sensor and an upgraded 48MP ultra-wide sensor for crisp wide-angle shots. But without a telephoto lens, the only optical zoom you get is 2x, achieved by cropping into the main sensor.

Of course, we can't just compare hardware, but based on hardware alone, the Pixel 10 takes the lead. We're still waiting, though, to see how these cameras compare in real-world use.

What's upgraded on the iPhone 17 is the main selfie shooter up front. It now features an 18MP front-facing camera with OIS and PDAF. The new addition is that this camera is multi-aspect, meaning it's wide enough that even when holding the phone vertically, you can snap selfies in landscape mode — something Google Pixels don't offer.

iPhone 17 vs. Google Pixel 10: Which should you buy?

So, between the iPhone 17 and the Pixel 10, which one should you buy? As always, comparing the two isn't like comparing apples and oranges. Instead, these phones are designed for different users with different priorities in mind.

At the top of that list is the OS. Some people prefer Android, while others prefer iOS. And while it will always remain a major differentiating factor when opting for either a Google Pixel or an iPhone, for the first time in years, it feels like buying the baseline entry-level model from both Apple and Google is genuinely worth it.

Google has upgraded the Pixel 10 to the point where it finally feels like a complete flagship without pushing you to upgrade to the Pro. Additions like Qi2 wireless charging, a much-improved Tensor G5 chipset, a 5x telephoto zoom camera, and plenty of helpful software features make it a phone that won't let you down.

On the other hand, the iPhone 17 is also a major upgrade with the long-awaited 120Hz refresh rate, faster charging, the powerful Apple A19 chipset, and an improved selfie camera. Altogether, the baseline iPhone now feels far less compromised compared to the Pro models.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is here, and it brings along the first major iPhone redesign in half a decade — but is that enough to beat Samsung's Galaxy S25 Ultra?

The two top flagships on the market have quite a bit in common, sporting 6.9-inch displays and the best chipsets on iOS and Android, respectively. It's now time to figure out whether the iPhone 17 Pro Max is enough to make longtime Android users switch, or vice versa.

Apple is changing things up with a switch back to aluminum and a new unibody chassis on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, while Samsung doubles down on titanium on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Let's break down how these two phones compare to help you figure out which one is the right buy.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design and display

The design of the iPhone 17 Pro Max is radically different compared to any other iPhone model — though I'd forgive you if you thought the phone just looks like an iPhone 16 Pro Max with a rectangular camera bump. It's actually called the camera plateau now, according to Apple, and it's part of an aluminum unibody construction. The entire chassis is now one piece, with a single glass insert slotting into the back to facilitate wireless charging.

This new iPhone 17 Pro Max build is designed to enhance the smartphone's strength and reduce its temperature, addressing a few drawbacks of the prior models' titanium material. It's still IP68-certified, but now features Ceramic Shield 2 glass on the front with an anti-reflective coating. This takes clear inspiration from the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which added a game-changing anti-glare screen earlier this year.

From a design standpoint, both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Galaxy S25 Ultra have 6.9-inch screens, but the latter has a flatter and thinner body. The Galaxy S25 Ultra measures just 8.2mm thick, while the iPhone is 8.75mm thick. Apple's smartphone is also 15 grams heavier, so in terms of form factor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra may feel better in the hand.

Both phones have OLED displays with 120Hz LTPO variable refresh rate support. Apple's phone is slightly brighter, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max capable of reaching 3,000 nits peak in outdoor settings. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra tops out at 2,600 nits, which will still be plenty bright.

Notably, the Galaxy S25 Ultra packs an S Pen inside, and you can use the stylus for quick drawings or note-taking. There are even a few Galaxy AI features that leverage the S Pen for ease of use, like Sketch to Image. Put simply, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has no equivalent, either on the first or third-party market.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Hardware and specs

The Apple A19 Pro and Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chipsets are the two most powerful mobile processors on the market, and they're inside the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Galaxy S25 Ultra, respectively. Both phones utilize vapor chambers to cool these blazing-fast chips and feature optimizations that balance performance and efficiency. They each feature 12GB of memory by default, but only the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 16GB RAM option tied to the 1TB storage configuration.

While both handsets start with 256GB of storage, the iPhone 17 Pro Max introduces a 2TB storage configuration for the first time. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra can only be equipped with up to 1TB of storage. So, the top iPhone gets more storage, but the top Galaxy gets more memory.

Connectivity leans in favor of the iPhone 17 Pro Max, which supports Bluetooth 6 and Thread in addition to 5G and Wi-Fi 7. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Ultra only supports Bluetooth 5.4. Samsung has the edge in biometrics, offering an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor and facial recognition.

Battery life and charging are starting to tip in favor of the iPhone for the first time. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088mAh battery capacity, slightly higher than the 5,000mAh cell inside the Galaxy S25 Ultra. It can also charge up to 50% in only 20 minutes. While the Galaxy S25 Ultra supports Qi 2.1 Ready and needs a case to add magnets, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has them built-in and supports Qi2.2 25W.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra has the higher-spec USB-C port, supporting USB 3.2 Gen 1 compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max's USB 3.0.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras

The iPhone 17 Pro Max features a robust rear camera system comprising a trio of 48MP sensors, including a main, ultrawide, and telephoto lens. However, the telephoto camera is an upgrade in one way and a downgrade in another. It's a 48MP lens with 4x optical zoom, but that becomes 8x optical-quality zoom with sensor cropping down to 12MP photos. Last year's iPhone 16 Pro Max could do 5x optical zoom, but didn't have the sensor-cropping capabilities of the new higher-megapixel sensor.

Otherwise, the 48MP primary sensor can shoot 24MP and 12MP photos, with the 48MP ultrawide adding a 120-degree field-of-view to get more in the shot. Apple added a new 18MP front-facing camera sensor to the entire iPhone 17 lineup, and it's a square sensor rather than a typical 4:3 sensor. This means you can snap selfies in vertical or horizontal orientations without physically moving the phone, which is pretty neat.

On paper, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has the more versatile rear camera system. You get a 200MP main camera sensor paired with a 50MP ultrawide lens, plus two telephoto lenses offering 3x and 5x optical zoom. That's more than the iPhone 17 Pro Max offers with physical lenses, but less if you account for the 8x optical-quality sensor crop.

Samsung's front-facing camera is a 12MP wide lens, and it doesn't have any of the fun tricks added by the iPhone 17 Pro Max's square sensor.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: Which should you buy?

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra are both the best we've ever seen from the iOS and Android side of things, but they're also unlikely to sway longtime fans. For Apple users, the Galaxy S25 Ultra's lack of Qi2 support could be a deal-breaker. Android users probably won't be impressed by iOS 26 or the iPhone 17 Pro Max's new hardware changes, even if they're impactful for iPhone owners.

On paper, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has more versatility, with an inbuilt S Pen and five total cameras. The thinner and lighter build represents the best of Samsung's design and engineering, and even iPhone users can probably appreciate it. These are the greatest phones on each side of the walled garden, so it'll probably come down to whether you want to use iOS or One UI more.

We've spent plenty of time with the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, and we keep coming to the same conclusion: this is an Android phone for iPhone users ready to make a change. That puts a bit of pressure on Apple and the iPhone 17 Pro Max to provide an experience great enough to keep longtime iOS users on board. Now that the iPhone 17 Pro Max is official, is it enough to beat the Pixel 10 Pro XL and keep iPhone users happy?

That's up for debate, because whether you love or hate the iPhone 17 Pro Max will likely come down to your thoughts on the new aluminum chassis. Otherwise, performance and everyday use will likely feel similar to that of its predecessor. Another factor will certainly be whether you prefer iOS 26's Liquid Glass or Android 16's Material 3 Expressive design language. If you're on the fence, this comparison will help you choose between Apple and Google's top smartphones.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: Design and display

Google popularized the modern concept of a "camera bar" on Pixel phones, which has recently become more of a camera "island" on the Pixel 9 Pro XL and Pixel 10 Pro XL. Apple seems to be copying Google's homework a bit, because the new iPhone 17 Pro Max has what it's calling a camera "plateau." It might sound a bit silly, and some think it looks silly, but it's part of an impressive iPhone 17 Pro Max design shift to a unibody construction.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max is crafted out of one piece of aluminum that holds all the components with a small cutout on the back for a slab of glass. It creates something of a two-tone look for the iPhone — also reminiscent of older Pixels — that makes wireless charging transmission remain possible. The design change improves durability and thermals, as aluminum is better at dissipating heat than titanium, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max has a vapor chamber for the first time.

It's worth noting that Google has been using polished aluminum for a while on Pixel Pro phones, and had vapor chambers for cooling before Apple.

I tend to be critical of big and heavy phones, and the iPhone 17 Pro Max actually makes the Pixel 10 Pro XL feel small in this regard. Apple's phone is 8.75mm thick (which doesn't even take the camera plateau into account) and weighs 233 grams.

Meanwhile, the Pixel 10 Pro XL is thinner at 8.5mm and lighter at 232 grams. Those figures don't include the camera bump either, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL is still thinner and lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro Max. Maybe that matters to you, maybe it doesn't.

Both phones have impressive durability features. The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 Pro XL are both IP68-certified against dust and water ingress, and each has durable glass — Ceramic Shield 2 and Gorilla Glass Victus 2, respectively.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a larger display, measuring 6.9 inches. It's an OLED screen with a 120Hz variable refresh rate, and it tops out at 3,000 nits of peak brightness. The Pixel 10 Pro XL's 6.8-inch OLED display is actually brighter, maxing out at 3,300 nits. This could help the Pixel with outdoor visibility, but the iPhone has the advantage of an anti-reflective display coating.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: Hardware and specs

Hardware and specs could lean in favor of either the iPhone 17 Pro Max or the Pixel 10 Pro XL, depending on whether you want raw power or practicality. If you need the former, the Apple 19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro Max will run circles around Pixels in benchmarks.

It's faster and can handle AAA gaming on-device, paired with 12GB of memory. While the Tensor G5 chip in the Pixel 10 Pro XL is vastly improved, it still lags a bit behind Apple and Qualcomm in benchmarks and strenuous use cases, like gaming. Google did equip the Pixel 10 Pro XL with 16GB of RAM, which will help with longevity and come in handy in certain situations, like on-device AI processing.

Speaking of AI, the Pixel 10 Pro XL clearly has the better artificial intelligence suite with Google AI and Gemini. Apple Intelligence isn't anything to write home about at the moment — we're still waiting for the revamped Siri, and Visual Intelligence is a subpar experience compared to multimodal Gemini Live. The good news is that you can get many of Google's best AI features on iOS via the Google, Chrome, and Gemini apps.

In terms of connectivity, both the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Pixel 10 Pro XL offer the latest and greatest wireless technology. You get Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, mmWave 5G, UWB, and NFC on both models. Apple takes things a step further with a Thread radio, but this will only matter if you have or plan to use Thread-supported networking and smart home products.

Apple and Google both took charging speeds to the next level this release cycle. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088mAh battery, the largest ever in an iPhone, and can charge at up to 40W wired. That equates to 50% of charge in 20 minutes in the real world. On the flip side, the Pixel 10 Pro XL has a 5,200mAh battery and can charge at 45W over a cable.

Both phones support the latest Qi2.2 wireless charging standard, enabling 25W wireless charging over supported MagSafe, Qi2.2, or Pixelsnap chargers.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: Cameras

Apple and Google loaded up their new flagships with similar triple-camera systems on the rear, with a main, ultrawide, and telephoto lens on each phone. Google has the higher-megapixel main camera sensor at 50MP, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max has three 48MP sensors.

Notably, the Pixel 10 Pro XL telephoto camera can do true 5x optical zoom, whereas the iPhone 17 Pro Max reaches 8x optical-quality zoom — but true optical zoom is capped at 4x length.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a unique advantage in the front-facing camera battle. On paper, it would appear the Pixel 10 Pro XL's 42MP selfie cam runs circles around the iPhone's 18MP sensor. However, Apple is using a square sensor this year, enabling horizontal and portrait selfies without needing to physically rotate the phone. This is a cool party trick that'll really come in handy when taking group photos.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Google Pixel 10 Pro XL: Which should you buy?

Of course, if you have a preference for iOS or Android, the hardware in Apple and Google's respective flagships is unlikely to sway you. In fact, they're very similar from a specs standpoint. The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a slightly larger display and a faster processor on paper, but in terms of daily use, it'll likely feel similar to the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.

To that end, both phones support Qi2.2, meaning they can tap into the vast MagSafe and new Pixelsnap ecosystems of chargers and accessories. They also have aluminum materials and a triple-camera system on the back. One advantage of going with the iPhone 17 Pro Max is the 2TB storage option, but the Pixel 10 Pro XL similarly has more RAM at 16GB.

Put simply, you can't go wrong with either the iPhone 17 Pro Max or the Pixel 10 Pro XL. If you like the Apple ecosystem, go with the iPhone; if you want tons of on-device AI, grab the Pixel. Either way, you're going to end up with an excellent phone that will last you into the next decade.

Over the course of a little less than an hour and a half, Apple introduced its latest batch of flagship phones, along with some major updates for other product categories. Arguably, the second-most striking of them all was the introduction of the iPhone Air, seemingly Apple's response to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

I'm not one who really cares, or has ever cared, about really-thin phones, as they're usually accompanied by crappy battery life while missing out on other features. I suspect the same to be true of the iPhone Air, with the iPhone 17 Pro Max being more of my style, especially now that Apple has found a brand new orange ink cartridge.

But as the Apple event rolled on, it dawned on me that the iPhone Air isn't just a way for Apple to compete with Samsung. It's also serving as a sort of testing ground for what we've been expecting for years: a foldable iPhone.

The writing is on the wall

There was one part of the presentation that tipped me off to this, and it was when the design changes were being explained. In order to make a phone this thin and still give Apple the ability to market it as having "all-day battery," components had to be shifted around. So in order to make this work, Apple shoved all of the major components into the camera "plateau."

And I'm not exaggerating. The iPhone Air's entire logic board now rests inside the camera bar, while still accounting for both the selfie and rear cameras. The rest of the chassis? It's pretty much a large, thin battery and a USB-C port.

So why does that matter? Well, if Apple wants to release a foldable iPhone that isn't immediately laughed out of existence, it needs to be thinner than what previous iPhone models were — especially considering how late Apple is with getting into the game.

Many rumors point to Apple's first foldable phone to be a book-style foldable, like the Galaxy Z Fold 7, as opposed to a flip phone, like the popular Razr 2025 series. Given Apple's propensity for being a crowd-pleaser, I initially thought the opposite was true — since flip phones tend to be more popular due to their nostalgic design and cheaper price tag — but the iPhone Air pretty much solidifies the book-style rumors.

In order to release a phone that's thin, sleek, and modern, without making too many sacrifices, Apple had to hit the design reset button. This is likely what spurred the decision to overhaul the iPhone Pro lineup, while also introducing an all-new device. It also doesn't hurt that we were overdue for a proper design change, as the previous iterations were already stale, even with the Titanium frame.

With that said, I can't help but feel like the iPhone Air design is a precursor to an eventual foldable. If you tape two iPhone Airs together, side-by-side, that's a pretty good indication of what Apple's first foldable could look like. Of course, that tape will be replaced by some state-of-the-art hinge that "only Apple could make." Or at least that's what we'll be told.

Even if that isn't the case, there's no denying that seeing Apple being able to redesign basically every element of the phone to fit into a phone this thin is simply extraordinary. The iPhone Air (5.64mm) is thinner than the Galaxy S25 Edge (5.8mm), but isn't quite nearly as thin as the upcoming Pixel 10 Pro Fold (5.2mm) or the Galaxy Z Fold 7 (4.2mm). But an iPhone foldable easily could be.

The iPhone Air is a great start to something greater

Nevertheless, seeing what Apple was able to do with the iPhone Air and how it committed the resources to creating a phone like this to begin with leaves me feeling much better about Apple's first foldable phone. Recent reports suggest it will be unveiled this time next year, arriving alongside the iPhone 18 lineup. Rumors also point to it being between 4.5mm and 4.8mm thin, meaning that Apple still has a bit of work to do, but the iPhone Air is a good start.

Android Central contributor and resident thin-phone fanboy, Brady Snyder, probably summed up the iPhone Air the best way: "The entire body of the iPhone Air is just the battery, and the camera bump actually houses the entire logic board. That's insane."

Insane, indeed.

• Google's latest #BestPhonesForever episode, "Generational Gap," poked fun at Apple's lack of AI intelligence for its iPhone 17 series.
• The iPhone in the episodes was trying to teach chickens to sing and turtles to run a bank, but Google Pixel informed them that those videos were made by Gemini.
• Promises made by Apple Intelligence still haven't fully arrived for users, and a year later, it seems iPhone users will keep waiting.

Apple's iPhone 17 event came and went this week, and Google's already hopped to another installment of #BestPhonesForever.

The Made by Google X account posted the company's latest #BestPhonesForever episode, "Generation Gap," which poked fun at Apple's AI intelligence. As if it were in a carnival, Apple's iPhone was found by Google Pixel in a batch of chicken feed, with the cuties running around in the background, too. Apple's iPhone wound up explaining that it's not only trying to teach its chickens how to sing, but it's trying to teach turtles how to run a bank, too.

Google's Pixel found both ambitions familiar, flashing clips of videos generated by Gemini. It was something the iPhone thought Google Pixel actually did. Not something created by its built-in AI intelligence.

The iPhone was forced to go back to the drawing board, which is a subtle jab at what's been plaguing Apple in reality. Google's tagline further pokes the bear, stating, "When iPhone’s plans run afowl, Pixel promptly generates some helpful advice."

Apple's AI struggles

Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 series earlier this week, but its AI intelligence software wasn't as far in the front as it probably would've liked. Apple Intelligence sort of took a step back, grabbing subtle upgrades over what users already have to play with (though it's still not everything). Apple brought the new Liquid Glass design, Live Translations for audio and text, among others.

Here's the thing: it's already been a year since Apple debuted its AI intelligence for its iPhone users, and they still haven't gotten everything promised. In fact, most of those features are still delayed. That setback has pushed things back for likely another year. It's not as though Apple doesn't have its own strong, clear vision of what its AI intelligence should look like—it does. But the delays and problems it's encountering have left some wondering if Apple should just settle with Gemini.

This #BestPhonesForever series on YouTube by Google is its way of having "fun" with Apple, kind of like when it responded to rumors about the iPhone 17's design. We've since seen the iPhone 17 series, mainly the Pro and Pro Max, adopt that bar design for its cameras. There were also a few things Apple "stole" from Android, which we spotted during its event.

Thin phones are in, and the iPhone Air and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge are going to be the top options for ultra-slim flagships heading into 2025. I bought a Galaxy S25 Edge with my own cash and plan to do the same with the iPhone Air, and in this guide, I'll help you figure out how these two smartphones compare.

For those who don't quite understand the appeal of thin phones, here's a quick overview. There are certainly some people who use every percentage of their phone's battery life each day and all of its features. However, there's also a subset of users that don't need extremely long battery life or a pro-grade camera system. For them, it's arguably better to carry a thin and light phone daily, and add separate tools like a MagSafe/Qi2 battery pack or a dedicated camera when they're really needed.

If that sounds like you, an iPhone Air or Galaxy S25 Edge might be the change you need. I ditched heavy and thick flagships this year and haven't looked back. But you'll want to pick the right one — here's how to decide.

iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Design and display

Smartphone manufacturers have been cheating on thinness for ages with camera bumps and creative math — there isn't a single brand that includes the thickness of the camera bump in their official measurements, and foldable phones even omit the size of the internal bezel when talking about their unfolded measurements.

However, the iPhone Air takes this practice to the extreme. It doesn't have a camera bump; it has a camera plateau, and it practically houses the entire phone — the rest of the chassis is filled almost entirely with battery. This strategy makes the iPhone Air feel impossibly thin, with much of the body measuring only 5.6mm thick. At the same time, the plateau will protrude further off the back of the phone than the Galaxy S25 Edge.

By comparison, Samsung made the Galaxy S25 Edge measure 5.8mm thick. The difference of 0.2mm in thickness might sound minuscule, but early first impressions from those who have held the Air seem to show it's a difference you can feel, which may be attributed to its curvier chassis.

There's a big difference in screen size and overall form factor between the iPhone Air and Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. The former has a 6.5-inch screen, which slots in between what would typically be a base or a plus-sized phone. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a 6.7-inch display that's identical in size to the Galaxy S25 Plus. Both phones are using AMOLED screens with 120Hz LTPO support, but the iPhone is slightly brighter, topping out at 3,000 nits.

It's worth noting that due to all the components in the iPhone Air camera plateau, Apple had to shift the Dynamic Island and Face ID sensors down to make everything fit. This means the pill-shaped camera cutout will cut deeper into the iPhone Air display, obstructing more of your content. The Galaxy S25 Edge has a hole-punch camera cutout in the display that's much more minimal than what the iPhone Air offers.

The iPhone Air also has an anti-reflective coating similar to that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Both phones use a titanium construction for durability and feature IP68 certification against dust and water ingress.

Personally, I'm torn on which phone looks better. To me, the reasonably small rear camera bump is a huge appeal of the Galaxy S25 Edge, but it's hard not to be impressed by the 5.6mm thickness of the iPhone Air.

iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Hardware and specs

The iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge both impressively retain similar performance to that of their "Pro" and "Ultra" counterparts. Apple put the A19 Pro chipset in the iPhone Air, but it is technically a binned version of the system-on-a-chip with one fewer GPU core. For what it's worth, the Galaxy S25 Edge has the exact same Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor as its predecessors with identical core counts.

Both phones sport 12GB of memory. You can get the iPhone Air in up to 1TB of storage, while the Galaxy S25 Edge is capped at 512GB.

The iPhone Air is powered entirely by Apple chips, including the Apple C1X modem for cellular and Apple N1 for general connectivity. It supports Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, and Thread, but crucially, the Apple C1X only supports standard 5G — there's no mmWave support like the Galaxy S25 Edge.

The iPhone Air has a major advantage in supporting MagSafe and Qi2 with no external cases or accessories required. This will make topping up the relatively small 3,149mAh battery easy with chargers like the official MagSafe battery pack or third-party options. Samsung didn't include Qi2 magnets on the Galaxy S25 Edge, so you'll need a case and a battery pack to magnetically recharge the 3,900mAh battery.

There are a few other iPhone Air hardware limitations to point out: there's no bottom speaker, and the USB-C port is only USB 2.0. The Samsung Galaxy S25 doesn't have either drawback, with stereo speakers and a USB 3.2 Gen 1 port.

iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Cameras

The iPhone Air has one rear camera on the back — it's a 48MP sensor that Apple claims to effectively be two cameras, as it supports 2x optical-quality zoom. By that logic, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge effectively has three cameras. The Galaxy S25 Edge's main camera is a 200MP sensor that can also provide 2x optical-quality zoom via a technique called sensor cropping. On top of that, the Samsung phone has a 12MP ultrawide camera for wide shots.

Apple's 18MP front-facing camera on the iPhone Air is impressive. It features a square sensor that enables horizontal and portrait selfies without physically rotating the device. Samsung doesn't have this feature on the Galaxy S25 Edge; its front-facing camera is the usual 4:3 aspect ratio. The 12MP, f/2.2 sensor is still solid and can produce great photos.

iPhone Air vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge: Which should you buy?

The look and feel of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is downright mind-blowing, and there appear to be fewer compromises than the iPhone Air. Compared to Apple's thin handset, the Galaxy S25 Edge has a flagship processor without binning, a faster USB-C port, stereo speakers, a rear ultrawide camera, a larger display, and a smaller front-facing camera cutout. However, it's slightly thicker and more expensive than the iPhone Air.

There's just one reason why it's extremely difficult to recommend the Galaxy S25 Edge over the iPhone Air. The former doesn't have Qi2 magnets onboard, and this feels like a mandatory feature for thin phones with shorter battery life. The iPhone Air, having MagSafe and Qi2 support, means you can quickly and easily top up the phone with a battery pack in a pinch. It'll be much tougher to do so on the Galaxy S25 Edge without a case, and adding a case somewhat defeats the point of a thin phone.

Otherwise, the choice might come down to whether you prefer iOS 26 or One UI 7. Neither phone is perfect, but both the iPhone Air and Galaxy S25 Edge are a breath of fresh air for people disenfranchised by thick, heavy smartphones.

Android users are famously unimpressed when Apple reveals its new iPhone and Apple Watch each year. The company calls it the "best iPhone ever" with catchphrases like "it's unlike everything we've ever created," but many of our readers aren't buying it.

This time around, it's a little different. There were quite a few feature reveals and announcements that made our team at Android Central genuinely impressed, and Android users should take notice.

From a reimagined front-facing camera sensor that made us ask, "Why hasn't anyone done this before?" to blood pressure monitoring on Apple Watch, these are the Apple event features the best Android phones and watches should quickly take inspiration from.

A square selfie camera

There are rarely new iPhone features that make me feel the need to upgrade, but Apple's new front-facing camera sensor on the iPhone 17 is one. The CenterStage camera now uses a square aspect ratio, a deviation from the 4:3 size we usually see on most front-facing smartphone cameras. With a 1:1 aspect ratio, the camera can crop in to provide portrait or landscape shots without the user needing to physically rotate their device.

If you've tried to hold a big flagship in landscape orientation one-handed while trying to get a group selfie, you'll know why this matters. It's easier to corral your phone in portrait orientation, and you can get the best of both worlds with the redesigned CenterStage camera. A simple tap of the screen will rotate the selfie orientation in software, simplifying the experience.

CenterStage can also use AI to expand the typical field-of-view to make sure everyone fits inside the photo. The resolution is up to 18MP for photos and 4K HDR for videos, so you don't trade versatility for quality. I want every Android flagship to explore using square sensors next upgrade cycle.

Higher base and max storage configurations

Is 128GB of base storage enough in 2025? We think not, and Apple didn't think so either. It raised the base storage for the iPhone 17 lineup across the board, with its newly announced phones starting at 256GB. Amazingly, even considering tariffs and inflation, Apple didn't raise the price of a single model to deliver higher base storage.

Meanwhile, we're still waiting for Google and Samsung to take the hint and remove the 128GB storage configuration from their flagship lineups. This year, the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, and Galaxy S25 all start with just 128GB of storage space.

Apple also raised the storage ceiling on the iPhone 17 Pro Max. You can now equip the smartphone with up to 2TB of storage. The price is a bit laughable at $2,000, but it is a nice option for people who want to use the "pro" camera system for high-quality video recording formats with extreme storage demands.

Dual Capture recording

When Apple does something, it often becomes mainstream. That's what we're hoping to see happen with Dual Capture recording on the iPhone 17 series. It allows users to record both the front- and rear-facing camera views at the same time, which is great for POV-style videos that also provide insight into what the person is actually seeing in their surroundings.

Samsung actually already offers this feature in the form of Director's View on select Galaxy phone models. With this tool, you can simultaneously record both camera views or switch between them on your Samsung phone. But it's a relatively unknown feature among casual users, and other Android phone brands haven't been quick to borrow it. As such, we would like to see OEMs like Google add options like Dual Capture or Director's View soon.

Blood pressure monitoring

The Galaxy Watch has featured blood pressure monitoring for years now. However, U.S. availability has become a major hurdle. The Galaxy Watch 8 has all the sensors for it, but the brand won't flip on the feature in this region, presumably for regulatory reasons. Well, this is a problem Apple officially solved with hypertension warnings on the Apple Watch Series 11 and Ultra 3.

It's not replacing medical-grade detection methods, but blood pressure monitoring and hypertension warnings could literally save lives.

"Hypertension is the leading modifiable risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease, and impacts approximately 1.3 billion adults globally," the company explains in a press release. "It is frequently undiagnosed because it often has no symptoms, many people do not see a doctor regularly, and even during a clinical visit, it can be easily missed with a single measurement."

For these reasons, we're thrilled to see Apple Watch support blood pressure monitoring in the U.S., and we want to see Wear OS watches get on board sooner rather than later.

An affordable smartwatch with current specs

Affordable versions of Wear OS smartwatches usually cut quite a few corners to hit an approachable price point. Samsung's Galaxy Watch FE, for example, uses recycled and older hardware to hit an affordable cost. You can always buy older models, like a Galaxy Watch 7 or Pixel Watch 3, but we want something better. Apple's newly announced Apple Watch SE 3 strikes the perfect balance of modern feature set and affordability.

It costs just $249, and doesn't sacrifice much in terms of hardware. There's the Apple S10 system-in-package (SiP) processor, 5G cellular connectivity, and an always-on display (AOD). Offered in 41mm and 44mm sizes, it's a versatile smartwatch that runs the latest watchOS 26 operating system.

In fact, the Apple Watch SE 3 supporting 5G is notable because most flagship Wear OS watches are limited to just 4G LTE connectivity. We'd like to see more Android watches adopt 5G, and we'd also like to see better value-oriented wearables on the Wear OS side.

Features Apple "Stole" from Android

Apple also "borrowed" a handful of Android features and characteristics, most notably the camera bar, which it's eloquently calling the camera plateau. Check out everything the company finally brought inside the walled garden here.

With Samsung and Google's latest device launches out of the way, Apple took center stage to announce the iPhone 17 lineup and more. While Apple might not realize it, there is a world outside of the walled gardens in Cupertino, and we spotted a few things that Apple "stole" from Android during the event.

However, we have to admit, compared to years past, this list is a lot lighter than we expected. Usually, we can stick to the confines of the iPhone, but this year, we had to broaden the horizon a bit more.

An ultra thin phone

You can file this in the category of "what's the point," but the iPhone Air was officially introduced, a phone that's just 5.6mm thin. Samsung beat Apple to the punch earlier this year when it released the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is surprisingly a bit thicker than the iPhone at 5.8mm.

When you think about the R&D that had to go into redesigning every aspect of a phone so that it still provides a quality experience, it's pretty crazy. Apple redesigned its chassis from the ground up, along with relying on custom-designed components in order to wedge everything in.

Some of the main components, such as both front and rear cameras, the speaker, and even the processor, were displaced, but are now all housed within the "plateau" on the back. Samsung obviously opted for a different approach, as the dual rear cameras simply protrude a bit further compared to the rest of the back.

The 'Cyclops' camera bar

This is the most obvious design change that Apple borrowed from Android, as it finally ditched the camera island in favor of the bar. It's a move that Samsung is apparently also rumored to perform with the Galaxy S26. The "Cyclops" camera bar has been a staple of Google's Pixel line ever since the Pixel 6, but that wasn't the first time we've seen it on an Android phone.

Different variations have been available for years, such as the iQOO 9 Pro, Vivo X70 Pro, and others. But the one that immediately pops in my mind is Huawei's Nexus 6P from all the way back in 2015.

While it looked more like a periscope for a submarine, the 6P's camera bar still spread the width of the phone, with the glass being easily prone to cracking.

Part of the reason why some of us are fans of seeing Apple and Samsung adopt such a change is that it will hopefully put an end to the "table wobble." However, there are other benefits, such as providing more room for larger camera sensors while keeping the rest of the phone as thin as possible.

Tariff-proof pricing

Arguably, the most surprising aspect of the iPhone 17 announcement wasn't the iPhone Air or even the new features coming to the AirPods Pro 3. It was that Apple didn't increase the price for any of the new models that are slated to arrive in a little over a week.

With the ongoing global tariff situation, many assumed Apple would pass some of those increased costs to the customer. However, to the surprise of many, Apple followed in Google's footsteps with the Pixel 10 lineup, keeping the price of the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, and 17 Pro Max the same as last year's models.

Earbuds that let you have a conversation with anyone

Think back to 2017 when Google unveiled the original Pixel Buds. Ignoring the annoying design and how they were pretty much a flop, these introduced one feature that Apple is only now adopting: Real-Time Live Translation. For as popular as the AirPods and AirPods Pro have been over the years, this is one feature that can be found on practically all of the best earbuds for Android phones.

In that time, Google has continued improving its Live Translation functionality in order to provide a more fluid multi-language experience. We can't give Apple too much grief here, as Samsung only implemented Live Translation into its own earbuds in 2024.

A watch that stays connected from anywhere on (and off) Earth

Following a recent trend of OEMs incorporating satellite connectivity into a range of smartphones, many of those same companies are now targeting smartwatches for the same approach.

Google was the first when it announced the Pixel Watch 4 series, and just last week, Garmin confirmed it was coming to the Fenix 8 Pro. And now, Apple is implementing satellite connectivity into the Watch Ultra 3.

It's worth mentioning that the Fenix 8 Pro is available now, beating both Apple and Google to the punch. And of the trio, Google will be the last to make it to the masses, as the Pixel Watch 4 won't arrive until early October, whereas the Apple Watch Ultra 3 releases on September 19.