Still in testing, Google Messages has made a small color tweak to the upcoming redesign of RCS read receipts that makes the indicator bolder.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is Samsung’s best phone, hands down. During the pre-order event, it is possible to get the AI-filled Galaxy flagship for only $399, as long as you trade in an eligible phone. That tempting deal includes a free pair of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro earbuds.

Officially, the Pixel 9 is “twice as durable as Pixel 8,” with Google crediting the new design language. A new blog post from the company this week discusses the internal testing process.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is technically Samsung’s best phone ever made, and it brings loads of AI features to the consumer. However, it doesn’t look incredibly different from other generations in specs and appearance. Given that, here are a couple of reasons you might want to pick one up, as well as a couple of reasons you might want to hold off on upgrading to the Galaxy S25.

Welcome to episode 38 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, we talk about the Galaxy S25 launch event and new Gemini app features.

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• 9to5Rewards: Win a Google Pixel 9 from Yaber [Giveaway]

We’ve teamed up with our friends at Yaber to give away Google’s Pixel 9 and Yaber’s T2 Projector to one lucky reader to celebrate the launch of their newest smart projector models, including the K300s, L2 Plus, and T2 Series. You can head below now to enter the giveaway and check out Yaber’s new projectors the K300s, L2 Plus.

Yaber has just unveiled its latest and most advanced projector—the Yaber K300s. This ultra-short throw (UST) laser projector delivers a massive 100-inch display from just 9 inches away, making it perfect for tight spaces. Packed with incredible features, the K300s is a game-changer for anyone looking to bring cinema-quality visuals to their home.

Back in October, Gmail redesigned its summary cards to be more glanceable and actionable, with the updated Google Calendar card now available. 

Google on Friday published a blog post on Friday sharing some details about how the Pixel goes through stress, durability and temperature tests. As part of that, there’s a short drop test video, but we’re not too sure what Google Pixel is being shown.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S25 series is unsurprisingly not particularly colorful, but what’s more annoying than that is the new naming scheme the company has gone with which leave truly bizarre descriptions of the various colors at the very least, and feel like a failed attempt to capture the charm of past Pixels.

The last big update to the Pixel Sounds app/service introduced a “Gems” ringtone and alarm collection with the Pixel 8 in 2023. Google is now working on letting you set different Pixel vibration patterns. 

Oppo’s upcoming Find N5 foldable is the basis for a future OnePlus Open sequel, and it’s thankfully fixing one of my biggest complaints about the original.

Samsung has made a change to the S Pen on the Galaxy S25 Ultra which removes remote control features that have been in place for years, and the reason is because essentially no one was using those features.

We just detailed some exclusive deals on Samsung’s brand-new Galaxy Book 5 Pro and Book 5 360 Copilot+ PCs as well as the Galaxy S25, S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra – you can even score a FREE $250 set of Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, but for now we are moving on to Friday’s best deals on Android games and apps. Alongside offers on Microsoft’s most affordable Surface Pro Snapdragon X Plus Copilot+ PC and Samsung’s 512GB Galaxy Tab S10+, today’s app highlights include titles like Paths & Danger, Dungeon Tracer, Candy Disaster TD, Water Tracker: Hydro Coach PRO, and more. Head below for a closer look. 

Following its launch earlier this month, a new software update is now rolling out to OnePlus 13 which delivers improvements to the already-great camera, as well as adding a new AI feature to the mix.

Another AI assistant is rolling out for Android, but this one brings the promise of real-world value. The Perplexity Assistant is an AI model that can actually hail rides from Uber and perform tasks through apps on your phone.

While we wait for the next Wear OS update in March, Google is adding a confirmation step to Pixel Watch’s Emergency SOS safety feature to prevent accidental activations “during activities like exercise.”

Battery health is becoming a more crucial part of smartphones as support timelines grow, and one helpful point of reference is the ability to see how many cycles your battery has gone through. Google Pixel phones added a battery cycle count last year, and now Samsung is adding the same functionality to Galaxy S25.

Google is widely rolling out a redesign of the Gemini overlay and homepage on Android.

I’m of the opinion that the regular Pixel 9 is no longer the best base model at its suggested $799 retail price, but what about the newly announced Galaxy S25? Here’s how these two compare.

As preorder deals on the new Samsung Galaxy S25, S25+, and Galaxy S25 Ultra flagship smartphones roll on, today’s deals are headlined by a new Amazon all-time low on the Platinum Silver 512GB Samsung Galaxy Tab S10+ alongside Microsoft’s most affordable Surface Pro Snapdragon X Plus Copilot+ PC now back down at the $800 all-time low ($200 off). From there we are highlighting some seriously notable clearance pricing on LG’s 120Hz C3 OLED smart TV at $1,400 under the launch price and the Anker 737 PowerCore 24K at one of its best prices to date. All of that and more awaits below in today’s 9to5Toys Lunch Break.