News Weekly is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the week's top stories so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central's News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise roundup of the week's most significant tech stories. This is where we delve into the top headlines that provide the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week gave us the new Galaxy S25 series and a lot of other advancements in tech that were shown off at this year's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, but you can always catch up on Samsung's biggest announcements if you missed them. However, several other news stories took the spotlight this week, and here's what we got: Netflix raises its prices again, we got a new smartwatch for kids, Android 16's Beta rollout, Samsung could be working on a Tri-fold phone, and also a charger that has a 3-in-1 Qi2 wireless charger ready for Galaxy S25.
Netflix just got pricier
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Netflix recently published its Q4 revenue report and highlights that this past quarter was definitely one that will go down in history. The company states that its revenue had grown by 16% YoY (year over year), assisted by "19M paid net adds," and that it finished 2024 with about 302M subscribers. The company clearly stated that they "overperformed" this year, and it was pretty unexpected.
However, during their earnings call, the streaming giant stated that, despite their magical quarter, it looks like some bad news is coming our way. The company is reportedly gearing up to increase the price of its "most popular U.S. plan" by $2.50. The publication states the price of this plan — which could become the Standard Plan — will jump to $17.99 per month.
The price hike is set to hit U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Portugal. While we aren't sure why these specific areas were chosen to execute the increase in prices, it still remains to be seen when the *Tudum* bomb might drop on other regions as well.
Samsung and Google collab gave us a new smartwatch experience
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The kid's smartwatch section got a tough competitor this week.
Samsung and Google have teamed up to bring us a new kid-friendly cellular-enabled Galaxy Watch this week. The "kid-friendly smartwatch experience" lets you convert a regular Galaxy Watch 7 LTE into one with built-in parental controls.
According to the company, once you set up the eSim, the Galaxy Watch 7 LTE becomes a new device, similar to Google's Fitbit Ace LTE, and can be switched back to an ordinary Galaxy 7 smartwatch when the child gets old enough.
Parents will be able to use the Google Family Link app to supervise their restricted Google account so they can only call or text approved contacts. It also lets adults approve or block Wear OS apps and set a School Time window helping them focus better on the task at hand.
This new watch for kids will let parents track their child's real-time location with the built-in dual-band GPS, however we aren't sure if you'd be able to set up a notification if your child leaves that specific location.
Google also announced new Galaxy Watch for Kids apps on the Play Store with the "Teacher Approved" badge, meaning they're age-appropriate and focus on educational areas like "math, science, history, music, creativity, emotional well-being, and physical activity."
Android 16 gets its first public beta
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Google dropped the new and updated first beta version of Android 16 earlier this week. The company stated that this initial build of Android 16 is loaded with support for future features and ample window for developers to experiment and work with.
To start, the post states Android 16 Beta 1 works to improve the "app adaptability" users experience across devices. Google seems to have removed the size restriction on apps and will reportedly allow "large screen devices" to run apps in any size window and aspect ratio, which will benefit foldable phones.
Google says Android 16 Beta 1 will bring "Live Updates," like the Now Bar we caught a glimpse of on the Samsung S25 series. This will also debut on Pixels soon and can "monitor" ongoing activities "among other notifications."
According to their presser, Android 16 seems to be gearing up for launch in summer this year, aka Q2 — which is much earlier than Google's usual rollout. More importantly, Google states that while the major release is in Q2, users should also expect minor SDK releases (for features and more) sometime in Q4 2025.
Samsung sneakily dropped a tri-fold phone teaser
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This year's Galaxy Unpacked was filled with small peeks into Samsung's future plans. In a graphic that explained the timeline of various devices, with the Android XR headset in the middle, we spotted Galaxy Z Fold to the left and an outline of a tri-fold phone.
For several months now, Samsung has been rumored to be working on a phone that folds into itself like a book. Various prototypes were seen at the CES 2025 at the Samsung Display booth. During Unpacked, the company showcased another such concept on screen but didn't even touch the topic, as it kept the focus on the Galaxy S25 and how Galaxy AI will be integrated into each of the above devices.
Earlier this week, a rumor surfaced suggesting that Samsung's tri-fold will "feature a 9.9 to 10-inch screen when unfolded." That said, production for the tri-fold phone could begin in Q2 2025, putting it sometime between April and June.
Samsung S25 MagSafe charger could be in the works
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The Samsung Galaxy S25 series is compatible with Qi2 chargers but doesn't come with charging magnets of its own. However, we spotted a charger that is on its way that could be just what S25 users are looking for... so long as they have a compatible MagSafe case.
A Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) website listing has indicated that a new 3-in-1 Qi2 charger suitable for the Galaxy S25 series has made its way for certification. The charger is said to be manufactured by a company called WITS, which is a wireless charging business that Samsung Electronics acquired in 2019.
According to images from the WPC certification, the 3-in-1 Qi2 charger can wirelessly charge a Qi2 Ready phone next to a Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Ring, respectively. This means any Galaxy S25 model can be charged at 15W wireless speeds using a Qi2 charger, which is a significant bump from 7.5W.
More stories this week
Those are some of the biggest stories from this week. Meanwhile, here are some other stories that are worth catching up on:
- The Samsung Galaxy S25 series supports satellite connectivity, but there's a catch
- Leak suggests S25 Edge will have a 'slim' battery and charging speed
- One test proves the Galaxy S25 Ultra's battery and charging improvements
- Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra ups its screen game with the new Gorilla Armor 2
- Meta's XR plans reportedly include seeding Orion to devs and Oakley smart glasses
- Fitbit has a battery overheating problem and here's what to do if you have one
- Another OnePlus 13 update expands its AI translations and fixes bugs
- HTC VIVE engineers join Google for Android XR push
- Meta upgrades WhatsApp with a cross-posting feature for all your other profiles
- Google expands AI Overviews in Circle to Search for the Galaxy S25 series and more
