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Android Authority's Zac Kew-Denniss has published a piece arguing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the standout Android flagship for power users in 2026. The phone reportedly runs a customized Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset paired with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.1 storage, alongside a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display.
An Android Authority reviewer who has used every US foldable released this year, including Motorola, Samsung and Google models, spent five days testing Apple's first foldable, the iPhone Duo. The device ships unfolded with a nano-texture matte finish on its folding screen, created via laser-etched microlenses over each pixel, which diffuses glare but also dims and desaturates the display compared to glossy foldables.
Multiple Samsung Galaxy owners, including S26, S25 Edge, S24 Ultra and A55 users, report that Android Auto fails to connect or repeatedly disconnects after installing One UI 9. Fixes like re-pairing, clearing app data, and using a wired connection have not resolved the issue for affected users. Google has confirmed its Android Auto team received at least one complaint and forwarded it internally, but has not identified a cause or fix.
Samsung's Camera app has a second, hidden settings menu accessible only through the Good Lock app's Camera Assistant module. Once installed, it adds controls like quick-tap shutter, automatic lens switching, HDR adjustments, and viewfinder customization that aren't available in the default camera settings. Users can launch it via the app drawer, the Good Lock app, or directly within Camera Settings.
Samsung is rolling out One UI 9 Watch to its Galaxy Watch lineup, having already shipped it on the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 and pushed beta versions to the Watch 7 and 8 series. However, because older models only qualify for four major OS upgrades versus five for the newest watches, a couple of devices have aged out and won't receive the update.
Samsung's One UI 9, built on Android 17, includes several exclusive tools not found on other Android devices, spanning device connectivity, security protections, and audio sharing features tied to Samsung's ownership of Harman Kardon, Denon, and JBL. These capabilities are also present in One UI 8.5 and the earlier One UI 8, meaning even older Samsung devices that don't upgrade to the newest software can still access them.
Android Authority has outlined five upcoming Android devices it considers worth saving for, including Motorola's Signature 27, Samsung's Galaxy S27 Ultra and Galaxy Z TriFold 2, Google's Pixel 11a, and the OnePlus 16. The Signature 27 is tipped to use a Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset and offer seven years of software support, though pricing details remain unconfirmed.
An Android Authority writer says they bypass Samsung's default camera app on Galaxy phones in favor of Open Camera, a free, open-source, ad-free app under 5MB available on Google Play. The reviewer cites Samsung's heavy post-processing, buried manual controls, and bloated interface as reasons for switching, saying Open Camera's raw sensor access gives more natural colors and finer exposure control.
Samsung released an Instagram ad for its Galaxy Z Fold 8 that shows a sliced apple rolling past its foldable phone lineup from 2019 through 2026, taking aim at Apple's recently launched iPhone Duo. The ad highlights that the $1,900 Z Fold 8, using new Flex Titanium display tech and silicon-carbon battery tech, is thinner and lighter than the $1,999 iPhone Duo.
CNET has been using a mechanical Fold-a-Phone machine to repeatedly open and close Apple's $1,999 iPhone Duo, reaching over 139,000 folds after a week of near-continuous testing. The crease remains visible when the screen is off but is largely hidden when the display is on, thanks to Apple's nano-texture matte coating, which also happens to be removable and replaceable through an Apple service.
Amazon is selling the white Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus with 512GB storage and 12GB RAM for $970, a $429 cut from its $1,399.99 list price. The deal applies only to the white color option, and the phone otherwise retains its 6.7-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display and Galaxy AI features.
Samsung is rolling out an upgraded sleep apnea detection feature powered by a new AI algorithm, offering more detailed reports that classify severity as mild, occasional, or frequent. The feature launches in Korea in November for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, Watch 9, and Galaxy Ring, with Watch 7 and 8 getting it via future software updates, though a US release date hasn't been confirmed.