The Galaxy S25 starts to change a few minds in this week’s news

Samsung’s

Galaxy S25
unveiling at Unpacked last week was a bit mundane, showcasing phones with tried and true designs and a few new software tricks. But after the underwhelming initial sales pitch, it’s becoming clear that the true beauty is in the details, and more of those are trickling in as preorders begin to ship out.

The week in mobile included a surprising smartwatch comeback, plenty of AI drama, and a handful of hidden features revealed from the upcoming

Android 16
release. Plus, Google’s next midrange masterpiece seems set for an early release, though its pricing looks a bit less surprising. So if you weren’t watching closely, no sweat — we’ll get you caught up in no time.

After an underwhelming Unpacked, the Galaxy S25 is starting to change a few minds

At Unpacked last week, Samsung touted iterative upgrades like a screen clad in Corning’s Gorilla Armor 2 on the Ultra model, leaving many with the impression that the S25 series was no more than a simple refresh. But once people started seeing the new displays in the real world, it became clear that the new anti-glare coating was actually a significant upgrade — it’s one of those things you might just have to see for yourself.

As the week progressed, the S25 kept revealing itself to be more capable than what was shown on stage. The Now Bar, after leaving us unimpressed in our early hands-on sessions, received a significant upgrade with Google Maps support. And though it doesn’t have much practical usage yet, the fact that Samsung’s phones are the first to support a new wireless charging standard bodes well for the future.

We’ll have to wait until some of the dust settles before we know if the new model might outpace last year’s sales, but judging by early preorders in Samsung’s home country, the flagship Ultra model appears to be a hit. Thankfully, Galaxy fans won’t have to wait much longer to render their own verdicts, as Samsung has been spotted sending out preorder shipments sooner than expected.

Pixel 9a pricing and release timeframe take shape

We already knew Google was on an accelerated timeline with its software this year, as the company has confirmed that Android 16 is coming months sooner than expected. Now, it appears the hardware side of things could get a shortened release cycle to match.

The Pixel 9a had been rumored for a mid-March release, and a new leak corroborates that with even more specific dates. Google’s next midrange masterpiece is now thought to be making its debut on March 19, with phones hitting shelves the week after. And luckily, one thing that isn’t changing, according to the latest rumors, is the price.

DeepSeek drama leaves feathers ruffled and data exposed

A new AI chatbot called DeepSeek took the world by storm this week, using a think-out-loud approach to separate itself from the pack. As a product of China debuting in the midst of the complex political climate around TikTok, it was quick to draw the scrutiny of western competitors and security researchers.

Microsoft and OpenAI are investigating whether DeepSeek accessed proprietary data without permission, working under the suspicion that the new R1 model may have distilled ChatGPT’s knowledge. Meanwhile, researchers discovered a publicly-accessible database that contained “a significant volume of chat history,” potentially exposing interactions users had with the chatbot. Nonetheless, DeepSeek’s prowess has continued to impress early reviewers.

The countdown is on for Android 16

The first public beta version of Android 16 dropped last week, but if you installed it, you probably didn’t notice much of a difference from Android 15. The big user-facing changes won’t go live until we’re closer to the stable build sometime around May, but lots of the underlying code for these features is already present.

This week, AOSP code expert Mishaal Rahman dug into the new build and found some of the upcoming goodies. There are hints that hearing aids could get a major boost with granular microphone controls and better sound isolation, and Google could finally decouple language and region settings to let you go à la carte with units of measurement.

Elsewhere, the expandable Quick Settings menus we lost back in Android Oreo could return, letting you adjust certain settings without opening an additional menu. And for dark mode users struggling with those last few apps that inexplicably still haven’t added support, Google might finally let you take matters into your own hands.

Pebble smartwatches are making a comeback

In the days before Wear OS (née Android Wear), Pebble smartwatches were a fan-favorite, using e-ink screens to bring notifications and other smartphone features to your wrist. But as more mainstream options like the Moto 360 stole our collective attention, Pebble fell out of favor, and was ultimately purchased by Fitbit before shuttering operations.

In the years that passed, Google purchased Fitbit and acquired the Pebble IP. Things then went silent for a while, but this week, Google open-sourced Pebble OS, opening the doors for anyone to make watches that run the operating system. Pebble’s original founder, Eric Migicovsky — whose Beeper app had an epic battle with Apple over iMessage in the interim — has announced plans to make new Pebble hardware, so the fan-favorite watches of yore are poised for a triumphant return.