What you need to know

• Omdia research published its expectations for the foldable display shipment market in 2026, suggesting it could increase by 44%.
• The company says this is due to the sharp rise in wide foldable phone popularity off the back of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Duo.
• Other research states the phone market in Q3 saw its largest drop in over 14 years, as it plummeted by 20% YoY.

Foldables have been around for years now, but the most recent trend to take over is the "wide fold." New research states foldable shipments could continue to climb in 2026, and it's the wide ones that might lead the charge.

Today (Oct. 21), Omdia published its latest forecast about how display shipments could perform in these final months. It states LTPO AMOLD foldable displays are expected to grow 44% in 2026. Researchers suggest the foldable display market may "rebound" in 2026 following strong performance by Samsung and Apple. The company's principal analyst, Brain Huh, said, "Display shipments for wide-screen foldable smartphones are expected to account for 44% of total foldable panel shipments in 2026."

It's hard not to think about Samsung and Apple when discussing "wide-screen foldable" phones. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the iPhone Duo were two major product releases for their respective companies, and that's where Omdia focused. It states Samsung is expected to "strengthen its leadership in the foldable smartphone display market" this year.

Omdia likens this performance to the Fold 8 and iPhone Duo, as Samsung supplies the necessary displays for these "exclusively." Elsewhere, research shows that Samsung could hold solid ground over BOE, China Star, Tianma, and Visionox.

The company highlights other research, which shows a positive reception of these wider foldables, contributing to its overall (forecasted) display growth this year.

At least this looks positive... right?

Maybe this is a little light at the end of the tunnel? Who knows how this will affect the overall smartphone market as a whole, but hey, at least display shipments are booming! It's worth remembering that the phone market has been dropping this year. And we mean it's really, really been dropping this year. It downright plummeted off a cliff in Q3. Researchers said this is the lowest it's been in 14 years.

A report said that the phone market dropped 20% YoY in Q3; however, Samsung came out on top, thanks to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Fold 8 Ultra. A major cause of this decline is the "extreme memory shortage." Research suggests rising prices are causing consumers to change their mentality about buying phones. With the market on struggle street, Samsung reportedly increased its market share by 23%, the largest amongst OEMs.

Apple lagged in second, but it was speculated that this was due to the iPhone 18 series missing a base (entry) model, with the 18 Pro and Pro Max.

What you need to know

• RayNeo announced its collaboration with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, which brings a unique black-and-gold GT Max.
• The glasses feature a black-and-gold camo that mirrors the game's aesthetic, and users can find that same design across its UI.
• Consumers will find exclusive goodies for the GT Max (unique USB-C cord, cleaning cloth, etc.) once the collaboration drops on November 19 on RayNeo and Amazon.

If you didn't catch the beta earlier this year, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is launching this week on October 23. To prepare, RayNeo announced a pair of limited-edition AR glasses in collaboration with COD.

RayNeo announced a collaboration with Call of Duty (COD) to launch a limited-edition pair of its GT Max AR glasses for MW4 (Modern Warfare 4). The company states it designed these glasses to mirror the gear you'd find in MW4. RayNeo states, "...the glasses feature an iconic compass heading bar across the top of the lenses and a matte black frame with gold-yellow camo on the temples, echoing the game's theme."

While exciting enough to feel like a must-have collectible, the RayNeo GT Max x COD: MW4 collaboration does its job of immersing you in the experience.

Aside from the MW4 camo design, RayNeo says it designed a custom MW4 on-screen display (OSD). This appears as a black-and-gold UI for the device's "display mode switching," picture settings menu, and Spatial Surround Sound. Other exclusives include a braided USB-C cable that matches the MW4 aesthetic and a MW4 logo cleaning cloth.

Prepare for exfil

The RayNeo GT Max hardware matches what the company revealed in August. The glasses retain their 59-degree FOV, 267-inch virtual display, Bang & Olufsen audio, and a light 78g frame. Consumers will find a 120Hz refresh rate, 1,200 nits of peak brightness, and "vivid color accuracy." What's more, the GT Max's spatial tracking "adapts to any tactical scenario with three display modes" (Steady, Pinned, Follow).

However, this particular version of the GT Max is only available in Size M. RayNeo reminds consumers that the GT Max is naturally available for purchase in Sizes S, M, and L.

Since the RayNeo-COD collaboration is here, the company says users can enjoy the MW4 campaign in a new way. Keep in mind that you will need to connect the Limited Edition GT Max to your PC or your console in order to enjoy the MW4 campaign. What's more, RayNeo suggests using the Pinned display mode for the story mode. Once multiplayer drops with the game's full release on October 23, RayNeo suggests opting for the Follow display mode.

The RayNeo X Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Limited Edition GT Max glasses launch on November 19. Consumers can enter their email to be notified once the device is available. MW4 launches this week on October 23 (Friday) with multiplayer and will become available. Currently, if you've pre-ordered the game, you can enjoy the campaign and its new game mode, DMZ.

What you need to know

• Google announced that it's bringing Gemini's Personal Intelligence to vehicles.
• The feature mirrors the experience in AI Mode or on your phone, as the AI can connect to your Workspace apps, Gmail, Photos, Search, and more for tailored help that matters to you.
• Gemini can pick up old conversations with you through Personal Intelligence, and it can look for restaurants to eat and bring directions straight to your car's display.
• None of this works without your permission, and Google says drivers remain in control of what they share.

Sorry, Microsoft: Apparently Gemini is your new copilot.

This afternoon (Oct. 20), Google announced that Gemini's Personal Intelligence is rolling out for Android Auto. The post states Personal Intelligence does nothing without your express permission. But once given, the feature will mirror the experience you'd receive on your Android phone.

Google states that connecting Personal Intelligence opens access to Gmail, Photos, Maps, Search, Workspace apps, and more. Gemini will tailor its responses to your voice queries using your data as its knowledge base. Since Personal Intelligence is connected to your Gmail (if given permission), users can ask whether their flight is on time and what their gate number is. Google says drivers won't have to do much else.

The AI will dive into your emails and find that information for you. What's more, since Personal Intelligence is arriving in vehicles, Google says Gemini can "suggest curated dinner stops" along the driver's route when asked. If you're a vegetarian, Google says Gemini can tailor its responses for your needs.

Driving got a little easier

Another key feature is users can "pick up where they left off" with Gemini. If you asked Gemini about a coffee shop, the next time you get into your car, you can bring it up. Google states Gemini will resurface those details for you and create a route in Maps to get you there.

Google says your privacy remains at the center of this feature, and you don't have to share anything if you don't want to. Personal Intelligence will arrive for cars with Google built-in "in the next few months." For users with this feature already set up on their phone, you won't have to do much once it hits your car.

If you haven't set it up, Google says you can do so from Gemini's settings.

Google has been bringing Gemini's Personal Intelligence to more places since its arrival in January. Most recently, the company added the feature to AI Mode. It works the same as you'd expect on your phone through the Gemini app and, as announced today, for Android Auto. Users can ask Gemini about specific questions that pertain to them or their situation. If you're looking for meal ideas but you have an allergy, for example, Gemini would tailor its responses.

What's more, you can ask Gemini to find information about your car's tires. The AI would look into your photos to find them and search for relevant information.

What you need to know

• Google Home Speaker users have noticed that the device has consumed an enormous amount of data in the background.
• The device was reportedly spotted consuming several terabytes of data in a single month without much use.
• Google is reportedly aware of the problem and has started rolling out a fix.

Users on social media are waking up to a startling truth: their Google Home Speaker has been incredibly active in the background. There's no clear reason why, but the amount of data is staggering.

Posts on the Google Home subreddit draw attention to an unfathomable amount of data being consumed by the Home Speaker (via 9to5Google). The user states that they've "got one old Google Mini and three of the new Google speakers." What's more, these devices aren't used for more than 20 minutes a day. This is strange, considering the user reports one of their Google Home Speakers consumed over 140GB of data in a day.

Combined, the user states their three speakers consumed 6TB of data "in under a month." Another user with a Home Speaker reported the same, stating, "Something’s up with them. This just started in the past 2 weeks for mine." This issue appears to be confined to the Google Home Speaker, as a user with a Nest Audio couldn't find an unusual amount of data consumption.

The publication speculated on this, too, but one Redditor said their speaker downloaded 20GB in a single day. However, they added that "It kept downloading firmware and failing to install it." This makes it seem like the device got caught in the worst possible loop of downloading and failing.

Google reportedly informed the publication that this is an issue with the Home Speaker. It adds that "a fix is already rolling out" to address this problem. Android Central has reached out to Google for more information, and we will update this post when we hear back.

Hungry, hungry speaker

The Google Home Speaker is the company's new beginning for AI in the home. Gemini is integrated throughout the product to assist users with daily queries and more. While the device has gotten off without a hitch (for the most part), the Home Speaker did struggle this summer. Users reported incredibly slow response times from Gemini.

A latency problem was the culprit. Users reported that on the first day, there were no issues; however, after the second, "...every single question (even 'hello') needs at least 30s of answer time." Many queries that users would have for Gemini would time out, as the AI couldn't respond within a meaningful time. What's more, Google's smart home devices beyond the Home Speaker struggled, too.

Google had to roll out a software update to solve this issue, which is strange. Shortly before these issues appeared, the company rolled out a Gemini update for its smart home devices to make it "snappier." That seemingly backfired and required more tuning to get it right.

What you need to know

• A tipster discovered that Android Auto could bring full work profile support, mirroring what users experience on Android phones.
• Android Auto could roll out "Work Accounts" sometime in the future, delivering notifications and more from a user's work profile.
• A recent Android Auto update brought a refined Play Store with curated apps and more, as well as upgraded YouTube playback.

A dip into Android Auto's app code suggests Google is working on bringing full work profile support to drivers.

Tipster AssembleDebug and Android Authority discovered a new feature in the works for Android Auto called "Work Account." It's speculated that this would work similarly to how work profiles operate on your Android phone. Users can separate their profiles, keeping work-related apps and things in their own corner. The tipster discovered that Google is working on a Work Account toggle inside Android Auto's Quick Settings.

When toggled, users would begin receiving notifications on their car's display while driving. The feature may also display a briefcase icon on Android Auto's home screen so you know it's been enabled.

Much of what Work Account will support and do is still under speculation. AssembleDebug states that the feature isn't working properly; only the icons are present in their deep dive. However, the tipster assumes Work Account would support Google Meet and potentially other Workspace apps.

Better driving experiences

For the good, Android Auto recently rolled out a redesigned Play Store with new apps and improved YouTube playback. The Play Store is now much easier to browse on your car's display. Google also included "featured picks, new releases, and curated collections." On YouTube's side, videos will automatically switch to audio-only when you start driving.

This keeps drivers involved in what they were doing, but minus the distracting elements videos tend to have.

On the downside, October got off to a rocky start for drivers. The funny thing is this issue had been going on for months. Users on Reddit said that Android Auto wouldn't alert them about incoming notifications if their foldable was closed. The reports involved the Motorola Razr series quite heavily, forcing users to open their foldables for proper functionality.

Motorola and Google were aware and started reaching out to users to help fix it.

What you need to know

• A rumor on social media suggests Samsung's foldable lineup could double in size with six phones in 2027.
• The company is allegedly preparing a TriFold 2, a Galaxy Z Fold 9 Pro, and a "Galaxy Z Slide."
• At CES 2025, Samsung Display showed off two slidable phone concepts: the "Slidable Flex Duet" and "Slidable Flex Solo."

Samsung's latest wave of foldables was incredibly popular. Okay, the Fold 8 took everything by storm, but that might not stop the company from doubling up on its offerings next year.

A rumor on X from tipster TheGalox claims Samsung is preparing for its "biggest foldable lineup ever" in 2027 (via 9to5Google). To start things off, TheGalox claims the Galaxy Z TriFold 2 could start Samsung's huge foldable stampede in 2027. This would succeed the original Z TriFold, which Samsung stopped producing after three months. Elsewhere, the tipster claims the foldables we typically expect could expand.

Currently, Samsung offers three foldables: the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8. The Fold 8 is its short, wider addition, and the Fold 8 Ultra is its standard book-style foldable. However, the tipster suggests Samsung could slip in a "Galaxy Z Fold 9 Pro." It's unclear what this would be. What's more, we're unsure about how Samsung would position this device between the Fold 9 and Fold 9 Ultra.

While we also expect to see a Flip 9, rumors say Samsung could introduce a new type of foldable: the "Galaxy Z Slide." It's almost a shame that the most interesting-sounding device is shrouded in the largest shadow, but that's only half true. If we want to at least fathom where we might go, we'll have to look back to CES 2025.

Sliding into 2027?

Samsung Display was at CES 2025, if you remember our coverage about it (if you don't, here it is). As usual, the company, like other companies, showed off several prototypes. On display were the "Slidable Flex Duet" and "Solo." The Slidable Flex Duet (YouTube) would let users pull (or slide) its display out from the left and right. The device would sit at 8 inches when compact, but sliding out its display would bring it to 12.4 inches—very tablet-like.

Alternatively, you have the Solo, which would go from 13 inches to 17.3 inches. Whether or not Samsung develops one of these concepts remains to be seen. This only serves as a base to get our minds thinking.

Rumors about a TriFold sequel got underway quickly after Apple's iPhone Duo launch. Allegedly, this phone could debut in 2027 with a thinner, lighter, and more durable design. However, its price tag might remain pretty hefty at $2,800.

What you need to know

• Rumors claim Samsung could launch the Galaxy S27 series earlier in 2027, in January; however, February could be the next best bet.
• Other rumors suggest Samsung is still struggling with the ongoing memory crisis, and it's "unsure" if it can bring upgrades to the Pro and Ultra.
• Storage and RAM upgrades were rumored throughout this year, but the tale's been consistent with Samsung's apparent uncertainty behind it.

The beginning of the year (Q1, really) is when we expect Samsung's next flagships. Rumors claim the company could start 2027 off with a bang.

A report by tipster Lanzuk on Naver (Korean) over the weekend suggests Samsung could debut its phones within the first two months (via Android Authority). Here's where things get tricky. The tipster suggests Samsung is leaning toward a January launch; however, things could get pushed into "February at the latest." While exciting, Samsung is still grappling with a few internal problems.

We've seen a Galaxy S27 Pro rumored for next year's series quite often, and this report concerns it, too. The post alleges that Samsung is still trying to sort out the memory/storage specifications for the S27 Pro and the S27 Ultra. The current crisis with these two pieces of hardware is a contributing factor, with the tipster stating Samsung must decide and consider the "scope of implementation."

The post states Samsung wants to implement UFS 5.0 (storage) and LPDDR6 (RAM) in the S27 Pro and Ultra.

Trying times for flagships

You might remember that the Galaxy S26 series launched in late February. However, the Galaxy S25 series launched in mid-January. We've seen Samsung bounce between these early months before, so we'll have to see where it lands next year.

As far as the RAM/storage rumors go, the UFS 5.0 rumor was brought up earlier this year, claiming not every S27 phone would get it. But we've seen many of the same topics brought up: "price and mass production." It wasn't clear which phones would get it, but speculation sided with the Galaxy S27 Ultra, at least. The RAM upgrade was a bit of a mixed bag. One report said the next Ultra might miss it completely as Samsung shifted gears toward other companies' "limited edition" phones.

Now it's back on the table, but it's still anyone's guess as to whether the Pro and Ultra will see it. The publication (Android Authority) brought up Samsung's chip issue: reports claimed Qualcomm's Elite Extreme was overheating, and Samsung might have to consider its Exynos instead. It found that Qualcomm has recently denied such claims. Who knows by this point. We'll have to wait and see.