Inside the Android Bench & AI LLM Rankings with Matthew McCullough from Google - Android Faithful Episode #141 An inside look at what went into building the Android Bench, how Gemini came out on top and what's to come for developers

Special delivery! @queencodemonkey.dev and @ronxo.sky.social sat down with Google's Matthew McCullough to dive into the methodologies behind Android's new LLM benchmarking ability, why Gemini is currently leading the pack, and what's next for the Android dev ecosystem. Check it out:

How Useful Are the Galaxy S26 Ultra's AI Features? Part two of our three-part review looks at Gemini, Bixby, and the Perplexity in between.

Part 2 of our Galaxy S26 Ultra review is live! 📱 Samsung is giving you a trio of choices with Gemini, Bixby, and Perplexity, but do they even work together?

We've got MORE hands-on review time with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plus new Motorola Razr leaks, MAJOR updates to Google Maps and more Android news!

LIVE today at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZGn...
Twitch: buff.ly/0d1z7sw

Android Faithful

Every Friday, Android Faithful hits your inbox with the Android coverage that actually matters.
Not aggregated takes. Not PR fluff. Real reporting from @ohthatflo.bsky.social — one of the best Android writers in the game.
Free signup → buff.ly/ongySOl 💚

🚨 129 Android bugs patched in one update, the most in a single month since 2018.
One is a zero-day Qualcomm exploit already being used by hackers. One is an RCE that needs zero interaction from you to fire.
@ohthatflo.bsky.social wrote it all up in this week's newsletter and its a must read

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Review: An Ergonomic Workhorse Samsung's latest flagship is lighter, cooler, and more ergonomic than ever. But the "Ultra" life still comes with a few familiar caveats. Part 1 of our official review-in-progress.

@ohthatflo.bsky.social's Galaxy S26 Ultra review is live 🔬 More ergonomic build, smarter thermals, and a Privacy Display that actually works via OLED subpixels. Part 1 of a review-in-progress series. Read it: buff.ly/SJiGuNT

Android's "Swole" Era - Android Faithful Episode #139 Hands-On with the Pixel 10A, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and rating LLMs with Android's new Bench

Aww Android is entering its swole era 💪

Ep. 139 of Android Faithful is live! Hands-on with the Google Pixel 10A & the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Google drops Play Store fees (but why?) and ANOTHER physical keyboard phone? #Android

🎧

Google Pixel 10a Review: Boring is a Superpower By ditching the camera bar and embracing more flagship features, the Pixel 10a prioritizes "boring" utility over AI hype—almost.

"Boring is a superpower." 🥱➡️💪
Florence Ion's #Pixel10a review is live — and it's the most convincing case yet for embracing the predictable. Satellite SOS, 3,000 nits, IP68/IP69, $500. #android
buff.ly/I3TGo12

Pixel's Big Booty Drop - Android Faithful Episode #138 Just because we didn't go to Barcelona for MWC doesn't mean we don't have MWC on Android Faithful. It's right here!

Android Faithful #138 - Pixel's Big Booty Drop
Special guest @somegadgetguy.bsky.social joins to discuss all the Mobile World Congress hardware announcements, along with the junk in Google's trunk. #android

We're back live this week with special guest @somegadgetguy.com to cover all the news coming out of MWC, plus hands-on with the Honor Magic V6 and the latest Android/Pixel Drop news and more! #android

LIVE today at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT:
YouTube: buff.ly/AnSsyP1
Twitch: buff.ly/0d1z7sw

Nano Banana 2: The Banana Strikes Back! Just when you thought Nano Banana couldn't get any better, they hit us with a sequel.

The banana strikes back! 🍌 🤖 Google just announced Nano Banana 2. It’s packing Pro-level intelligence with Flash speed, plus some huge upgrades. Read all about it:

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Debuts With a Better Camera and a Built-In Privacy Display The rest of the lineup also gets camera upgrades, faster wireless charging, and new Galaxy AI tricks.

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra just landed with a feature I genuinely didn't expect: a Privacy Display that blocks screen peepers from seeing your screen at an angle. Two modes. Works on the fly. Built right in.
Also the camera is legitimately better this year. Full breakdown: buff.ly/KtDioGt

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026 - Android Faithful Episode #137 Jason Howell and Florence Ion are on the scene with Samsung's newest flagship series, the Galaxy S26 lineup, for at least a part of the show.

Android Faithful #137 - Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026
Jason Howell and Florence Ion are on the scene with Samsung's Galaxy S26 lineup! Plus, Google's agentic Gemini news, Google I/O dates and the Motorola Moto Watch reviewed! #android
buff.ly/5RwKMYd

I tested Motorola's new Moto Watch on a snowboarding trip and came back frustrated The Moto Watch nails battery life and build quality at $150, but its proprietary OS and unreliable fitness tracking hold it back from competing with Wear OS alternatives.

Motorola's new Moto Watch looks sharp, lasts ~10 days on a charge, and costs $150. Sounds great, right? Then we took it snowboarding. 🏂
Activity tracking kept dying mid-run. Gloves triggered phantom touches. No Wear OS, no NFC, no Strava. Get Jason Howell's full review:

PROGRAMMING UPDATE: There will be NO Android Faithful Livestream this week!

We'll be releasing the audio and video of this week's episode tomorrow, Wednesday 2/25 at 1 PM ET / 10 AM PT

Apologies to all our livestream viewers but it'll be worth the wait! #android

Google's Pixel 10a Brings Gemini Live and Satellite SOS to the Mid-Range The mid-range device bets on the best features of a Pixel flagship and the longest battery life in an A-series phone to date.

The Google Pixel 10A Unveiled! This mid-ranger combines the best features of a Pixel flagship and the longest battery life in an A-series phone to date. Get all the details: buff.ly/yeIvPot
#android #pixel10a #googlepixel

The First Android 17 Beta is Coming Soon! UPDATE: It's Released! The first beta release brings features like mandatory app adaptability for large screens, better "garbage collection," and medical device profiles.

UPDATE!🎢 Android 17 Beta 1 has finally been released! #android
buff.ly/6smblS5

UPDATE: Google notified us that "Android 17 Beta 1 will actually be coming soon, not today." So stay tuned for the release of the beta...

Keep Your Frenemies Close Enough to AirDrop - Android Faithful Episode #135 Love is in the air this Valentine's week...a love affair with all things Android as Ron Richards is reunited with Florence Ion, Huyen Tue Dao and Jason Howell to revel in confirmed (not leaks!) of…

Android Faithful #135 - Keep Your Frenemies Close Enough to AirDrop
All the CONFIRMED Details about Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, plus some rumors (of course), the latest Google AirDrop news and YouTube Music DRAMA! #android

The First Android 17 Beta is Available to Download The first beta release brings features like mandatory app adaptability for large screens, better "garbage collection," and medical device profiles.

Android 17 Beta 1 is live! 🤖
• Apps must now support large screens
• Better garbage collection = better performance
• Medical device profiles get critical system priority
• H.266/VVC for efficient 8K streaming
• Loudness Management API

Available for Pixel 6 and up.

Details: buff.ly/6smblS5

INMO Air3 Review: Android Apps on Your Face, But the Battery Can't Keep Up The Inmo Air3 brings the entire Google Play Store to your eyeballs, but it has a frustrating lack of staying power.

🤓 Android IN YOUR FACE! Jason Howell test drives the INMO Air3 Glasses so you don't have to. What's it like to have any Android App accessible in your field of view via AR glasses? Find out in his review: www.androidfaithful.com/inmo-air3-re... #Android

Should We Talk About the Weather? - Android Faithful Episode #133 Why did Pixel Weather FAIL during the snow storm? And the Samsung Trifold will cost HOW much?

Android Faithful #133 - Should We Talk About the Weather?
Why did Google Pixel Weather FAIL during the snow storm? Plus OnePlus reacts to rumors of their demise and the Samsung Trifold is available in the US and it costs HOW MUCH?!?! #android #podcast

This week's podcast is packed! The Samsung Trifold lands in the US. OnePlus responds to rumors of it's demise plus how and why did Google Pixel Weather FAIL during the snowstorm? #Android

LIVE today at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT:
YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBuH...
Twitch: buff.ly/0d1z7sw

5 Tech Podcasts To Add To Your Rotation In 2026 - SlashGear The Vergecast, Waveform, Daily Tech Headlines, and Tech Stuff are some excellent tech podcasts that can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Pocketcasts.

Thanks to Slashgear for recommending us as one of the 5 Tech Podcasts to add to your listening in 2026! We're honored to be among such great company! #podcasts www.slashgear.com/2083543/tech...

Honor Magic8 Pro vs. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: From a helicopter over the Grand Canyon Honor is positioning the Magic8 Pro as a camera beast, so I pitted it against the Galaxy S25 Ultra in the Grand Canyon.

📸 Camera Showdown! Honor Magic8 Pro vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra!
@jasonhowell.bsky.social takes both phones to the Grand Canyon to see which phone has the better camera - the results will surprise you! #android
buff.ly/0d90r7v

The Root of All Creaselessness - Android Faithful Episode #131 Wrapping up CES, Apple goes Gemini, So Much Foldables News and we say goodbye to....

Android Faithful #131 The Root of All Creaselessness
Breaking down CES news and devices plus TONS of Foldable rumors plus the shocking news of Apple going with Gemini #android
www.androidfaithful.com/episode/the-...

Let's Hear From Jason On Location At CES 2026 - Android Faithful Episode #130 Kicking off 2026 with our annual coverage of all the Android related news coming out of CES in Las Vegas!

Android Faithful #130 - Let's Hear From Jason On Location At CES 2026!!
We've got all the Android related news from CES plus hands-on with the Samsung Trifold, the Pebble Round 2, Honor Robot AI Phone, and the TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER tablet! #android
www.androidfaithful.com/episode/lets...

We're back for 2026 and ready to breakdown all the Android related news at CES from the Clicks Communicator to the Honor AI phone to the new Pebble Watch and more! Plus some non CES news too!

LIVE today at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT:
YouTube: buff.ly/G0CJWjt
Twitch: buff.ly/0d1z7sw

The First Annual APK Awards - Android Faithful Episode #129 We gather to present the best (and weirdest) in the world of Android for 2025 as we unveil the winners of our first annual end of the year awards, the APKs!

Android Faithful #129 - The First Annual APK Awards
The last episode of 2025 with our end of the year awards for Best Phone, Foldable, Biggest News Story and more!

Thanks for a great year and Happy Holidays from the Android Faithful family!! #android

buff.ly/v1Wrh7r

The winners of the APKs - Android Faithful's awards - will be unveiled TONIGHT! Tune into our livestream or get the podcast to hear what won the Best Phone and more! #android

LIVE today at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT:
YouTube: buff.ly/vHtRRvp
Twitch: buff.ly/0d1z7sw