Olympians unboxing folding phones is my new favorite video genre. Watch members of New Zealand’s swimming team unbox their new Galaxy Z Flip 6 phones — in gold, naturally — which were supplied by Olympic sponsor Samsung. Not only is it delightful when they discover the screen is on “both sides,” the guys and I agree that it’s time for a foldable iPhone, too.
Android 15’s fourth beta is now available, marking the second release since it reached platform stability. Google says that “apps targeting Android 15 can be made available in Google Play” since APIs and app-facing behaviors are now final. Seems like the newest Android OS version is right on track for the big event in August.
HMD has announced the Skyline, a $499 Android phone with an emphasis on repairability and creator-friendly features like a 50-megapixel selfie camera with autofocus. It’s also one of the first phones to support the MagSafe-like Qi2 charging standard — or will be when it ships in August. Bet we’ll see a few more new Qi2 phones around that time, too.
While iPhone owners are getting access to new homescreen personalization options today, Nothing wants to help you customize your actual phone. The company published specs for CMF’s Phone 1 so users can make or 3D print their own accessories for its modular back panel. That’s rad, and honestly anything that takes us closer to bringing Moto Mods back is a step in the right direction.
Google’s Rick Osterloh mentioned the elusive XR collaboration briefly in his onstage appearance at Unpacked, without providing any new details. That’s the at least the third time we’ve heard about it without actually hearing anything at all about it. But I guess now we know it’s still a thing in the Osterloh Android era?
Gemini is available on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, and Google is touting a bunch of new AI features it previewed earlier this year, like homework help in Circle to Search and contextual suggestions. But they’re still coming “soon,” so it doesn’t look like we’ll get to try them out right away on the new foldables. Bummer.
