Android Circuit: OnePlus 15R Launches, Pixel 10 Upgrade, Foldables & Thin Phone Trends

The world of Android experienced a busy week with the launches of big devices, hardware updates and trends in the industry having a say in the mobile landscape. The most important things that happened during this week were the OnePlus 15R, which was a great upgrade for the Pixel 10, confirmed specs for the Honor Win series, and tips about the continuing hard times of ultra-thin phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold: First Impressions

Samsung's latest Galaxy Z TriFold is attracting attention because of its foldable design with three screens. It can be transformed into a compact tablet with two hinges in a smartphone form factor. SamMobile reviewers have reported that even though Flex Mode is not available, multitasking is easy with up to three apps in landscape mode. The TriFold gives the user a unique pocket-sized tablet experience and it is a new winner in Samsung's foldable lineup.

The Thin Phone Struggle: Galaxy S25 Edge

Although Samsung and other hardware manufacturers are doing well with foldable phones, ultra-thin devices like the Galaxy S25 Edge have not found their market. S25 Edge has a reported sale that is only 25% of S25 Plus. Some market analysts are of the opinion that just very minor weight or thickness reductions will not change consumers' attitudes enough in a mature smartphone market, where they look for meaningful innovations.

Pixel 10 Receives Graphics Boost

The Pixel 10 is set to receive a substantial upgrade with the introduction of the second Quarterly Release Pack of Android 16, which will come along with the new Imagination PowerVR GPU driver and this will in all probability enhance the graphics power. Although Google has not disclosed the precise performance improvements, it will be the benchmarks that will determine whether this update has a positive impact on gaming or graphics-heavy tasks.

Honor Win Series: Specs Confirmed

The Honor Win and Win RT smartphones have been officially announced with their main features which are going to be launched on December 26. The Honor Win is going to boast a 1272x2800 resolution display, 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a gigantic 10,000 mAh battery, thus definitely providing high performance, longer battery life, and powerful cooling.

OnePlus 15R Launch

The OnePlus 15R brings the greatest changes with it, meaning the battery capacity of 7,400mAh, a 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 165Hz refresh rate and 450 PPI, and the maximum brightness of 1,800 nits. By this the new unit is aspiring to have the same or even superior display and performance as the original OnePlus 15, therefore, high-capacity battery and top-notch screen technology users are the target customers.

Memory Shortages Affect Smartphone Specs

The global DRAM shortage caused by the rising demand for AI-oriented servers is compelling the smartphone manufacturers to alter the memory configurations significantly. The DAS-hindered entry-level devices could have only 4GB RAM as the initial setup while the top-tier models might incur higher price tags just to retain the premium specs. Market experts reckon the trend will be a pricing and configuration choice influencer to the handsets until at least Q4 2027.

Android UI Fixes

In the beta versions of the upcoming Android update, Google has fixed a bug that was a major hindrance in taking scrolling screenshots. The initial screenshot would now be automatically deleted by the system after a scrolling one is saved, but if the user cancels the operation, the original screenshot is kept. However, this minor fix actually simplifies the process of taking multi-screen captures, that is, screenshots that cover more than one screen.

Looking Ahead

The recent developments surrounding Android reflect the fact that there is still a lot of room for innovation in foldable devices, battery technology, and graphics performance, even if there are problems like hardware shortages and changing consumer preferences that impact the market. Android Circuit will keep on monitoring these trends and thus providing week by week insights into the dynamic Android ecosystem.