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Samsung has started deploying the stable version of One UI 9, based on Android 17, to the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 in South Korea. The update for Galaxy S24 beta users is approximately 500MB, while non-beta users will receive a 3.8GB download, which includes the full Android 17 upgrade. The rollout is expected to expand to other markets such as the US and Europe soon.
Android Authority's Aamir Siddiqui argues that for the price of Apple's base 256GB iPhone 18 Pro Max, buyers have strong Android alternatives. His picks include the Google Pixel 11 Pro XL, Motorola Razr Ultra (2026), Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip 8. A reader poll accompanying the piece shows the Galaxy S26 Ultra as the most popular alternative at 42% of votes.
Reports indicate that sales of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 have increased following Apple's announcement of the iPhone Duo, its rumored foldable device. Samsung has responded by lowering prices on some of its foldable phones in certain markets. Foldables remain a small slice of the overall smartphone market, with IDC estimating 20.6 million foldable shipments last year against 1.25 billion total smartphone shipments.
A tech enthusiast tested whether an eight-year-old Google Pixel 3 XL could be reused as a home security camera and as an Android TV replacement instead of being discarded. Using the AlfredCamera app paired with a Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 as viewer, the Pixel served as a low-latency camera node with motion detection and two-way audio. The author found the security camera use case worked well, while the Android TV box conversion was less successful, though specific limitations of that experiment weren't detailed.
Following Apple's unveiling of its $1,999 foldable iPhone Duo, Samsung's social media team launched a mocking campaign, calling the device 'so far, so same' and joking about 'reheated leftovers.' Samsung, which released the first mainstream foldable phone in 2019 and has since shipped around 20 models, is leaning on its years of foldable experience to needle Apple's late entry. Duolingo's owl mascot also joined in, joking about the 'Duo' name, while Apple executive John Ternus defended the device as an 'entirely new design' rather than 'two phones awkwardly stuck together.'
CNET compared Apple's newly announced iPhone Duo foldable against Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, finding the two devices closely matched given their similar passport-style shape and near-identical pricing. Samsung's phone is thinner both folded and unfolded and charges faster over a wired connection, while Apple's Duo offers full dust and water resistance versus the Fold 8's more limited IP48 rating, plus MagSafe wireless charging that Samsung's device lacks.
Following the debut of Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, at $1,999, commentary suggests Apple should now build smaller flip-style and larger tablet-style foldables similar to Samsung's Z Flip and Lenovo's X1 Fold. The idea is that Apple has proven it can engineer a durable hinge and thin foldable body, making it easier to scale that design up or down for new devices.
At its annual iPhone event, Apple unveiled only premium models — the foldable iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max — skipping both a base iPhone 18 and a successor to last year's slim iPhone 17 Air. The Air had offered a lighter, cheaper middle option at $999 with fewer cameras and a smaller battery, but it won't return this cycle despite reportedly weak sales.
Motorola posted an Instagram Reel showing the history of its Razr line, ending with a silhouette of a new device that folds like a book rather than flipping vertically like past Razr phones. The teaser shows a thicker, boxier shape but offers no name, release date, or specifications. This follows Motorola's earlier 2025 launches of three clamshell Razr models and the full-sized Razr Fold.
Apple has entered the foldable phone market with its iPhone Duo, adopting the same short, wide 'passport-style' form factor that Samsung recently introduced with the Galaxy Z Fold 8. Samsung, which also supplies Apple's folding display components, reported that the Z Fold 8 and its larger Z Fold 8 Ultra variant are selling 30 percent better than last year's Fold 7 in their first month on the market.
Apple's Surprise and Shine event is set to reveal its first foldable phone, reportedly named iPhone Duo rather than the earlier rumored iPhone Ultra, alongside the expected iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max models. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports the device will start around $2,000 for 256GB and reach $3,000 for 2TB, launching around October with Apple Pencil support at launch.
Samsung reports that combined US purchases of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are running 30% ahead of last year's Z Fold 7, which itself was the most pre-ordered Fold model ever. The two Fold devices now make up about 80% of total Galaxy Z8 series purchases, with the Z Flip 8 accounting for the rest. Samsung also says roughly 30% of Flip 8 buyers switched from rival brands, most of them first-time foldable owners.