Our own write-ups of the latest Android phone news and reviews, sourced from the best in the industry.
Samsung’s newest budget‑midrange offering, the Galaxy A18 4G, mirrors the A17’s look but adds a 6.7‑inch 90 Hz AMOLED, a Helio G99 chipset and a 5,000 mAh battery. It launches at €299 (≈£260) with 4 GB RAM and up to 256 GB storage.
At this year’s IFA, Sunseeker unveiled the S7 LiDAR Ultra AWD 3000 – a lawn‑mowing robot that can locate and lift small items with a built‑in arm. While the tech impresses, the arm’s sluggish motion and limited payload raise questions about its real‑world usefulness.
Samsung’s eighth‑generation foldable line now comes in three flavours – the Z Fold8 Ultra for power users, the Z Fold8 for media lovers and the Z Flip8 for on‑the‑go creators. A new visual guide helps UK shoppers match the right model to their daily habits.
Vodafone is giving a £100 bill credit to anyone who signs up for a 24‑month SIM‑Only contract, effectively shaving about £4.16 off the monthly price. The promotion applies to both standard Unlimited plans and the newer SuperMobile range, which touts 5G+ speeds.
Fairphone’s chief impact officer outlined a low‑cost model that adds just $1.05 to each handset to pay factory staff a living wage and fund safer mineral extraction, urging larger brands to follow suit.
From 16 October Vodafone will sell the new iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max (and Apple Watch Series 12/Ultra 4) on its SuperMobile contracts, promising up to four‑times the speed of regular 5G plans and data‑heavy bundles starting at £20.53 a month.
Google’s Android Bench benchmark has been upgraded to version 2.0, introducing multi‑day “long‑horizon” tasks and agent‑based scoring. The new framework reveals lower pass rates but richer insights into how LLMs and coding agents handle complex Android projects.
Google’s AndroidX Security State (v1.1.0) and Security State Provider (v1.0.0) libraries give developers, enterprises and OEMs a component‑level view of patch levels, letting apps decide when a device is safe enough for banking, MDM or other high‑risk tasks.
Fairphone has released a lightweight, open‑source‑based Gallery app that runs only on‑device, removes unnecessary permissions and works on Fairphone 4 through the newest Gen 6 models. It promises faster browsing, basic editing and full control over your photos without cloud tracking.
Google has begun a staged rollout of AirDrop‑style sharing via Quick Share to Pixel 7 and Pixel 8 devices. While notifications confirm the feature, early testers say it still fails to work, and Google has offered no official comment.
At IFA 2026 Hohem unveiled the EyePic, a pocket‑sized gimbal that lets you detach the camera module – a feature DJI’s Osmo Pocket lacks. The UK‑focused preview looks at how this hybrid could reshape mobile videography and what it means for contract‑deal shoppers.
Google Keep just got a hidden search shortcut that lets you dig through notes, lists and images instantly. Learn how to enable it, what it can locate and why it matters for busy Android users.
A quick tweak to Google Maps lets you tag, note and rank your favourite eateries, so you’ll never forget why you loved a place. Perfect for Android users hunting the next dinner spot.
Discover how Android’s Accessibility menu hides a suite of performance tweaks that can make your device feel snappier. Learn which settings to toggle, the impact on battery life, and why they matter for UK users hunting the best contract‑free experience.
From 16 September Samsung begins delivering its One UI 9 skin to the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra. The update adds AI‑driven camera tracking, personalised daily briefs, deeper device‑care tools and stronger privacy alerts – all aimed at a smoother, more secure Android experience for UK buyers.
Google’s Pixel 11 rolls out a suite of AI‑driven tools that boost photography, translation and on‑device assistance. Despite hardware parity, Samsung says the upcoming Galaxy S25 won’t inherit those features, leaving Android fans to wonder why.
Google is quietly introducing a minimise control for its Gemini AI overlay, letting users shrink the chatbot into a movable bubble while they continue using other apps. The feature is appearing on a handful of devices as part of a staged deployment.
A leak of Google’s Cross‑Device Services app reveals a hidden “Cast trackpad” feature that could turn any Android phone into a remote touchpad for the upcoming Googlebook laptops, adding another layer of phone‑to‑PC integration.
The Norwegian e‑ink tablet maker has pushed a feature‑rich update for its reMarkable 1 and 2 devices. Users can now circle any on‑screen element to snap it as an image, choose from four new pen colours, import pictures from cloud storage and enjoy a revamped EPUB reader.
