Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including living with the Pixel 11 Pro XL, Galaxy S26 Ultra special offers, Honor Magic9 Pro Max specs, Oppo A7 Pro launch, Moto Signature 27 teased, Pixel Tablet leaves the stage and EU repair directive report.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many discussions around Android in the last seven days. You can also read my weekly digest of Apple news here on Forbes .

Living With The Pixel 11 Pro XL

Google’s Pixel 11 Pro XL has been out for a few weeks, and real-world testing is starting to roll in. Android Central’s Harish Jonnalagadda has picked out some key points of the package that have endeared the Pixel to him , starting with the AI tools:

“I’m not a big fan of AI in general, and Google’s insistence of shoving AI-assisted features into every nook and cranny of its software is a bit tedious. That said, Proactive Intelligence does a good job providing contextual information, and Rambler in particular has made me use voice dictation again — I like just how easy it is to take notes. There’s no doubting that the Pixel 11 Pro XL has the best on-device AI suite of any phone.”

Galaxy S26 Family’s Special Offer

Samsung has a new option for consumers looking to buy the latest Galaxy hardware. Timed around the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 family will be available through its certified renewed program soon. Forbes contributor Janhoi MaGregor has the latest details :

“The company hasn’t confirmed pricing for the S26 Ultra Certified Re-Newed yet. But last year in the U.S., Samsung priced the 256GB Galaxy S25 Ultra Certified Re-Newed at $1,109, down from $1,299 new, which is a 15% saving. A similar discount on the S26 Ultra’s $1,299.99 launch price would put it around $1,105.”

Honor Magic9 Pro Max Specs Leak

While the Honor Robot Phone continues to push the envelope, the next generation of Honor flagship is expected to launch at the end of September. Specs on the presumptively named Honor Magic9 Pro Max are becoming clear, and one of the standout features could be the 8,800 mAh battery. HuaweiCentral’s Emiko Matsui covers the leak :

“Since Honor has mastered smartphone battery capacity, there is a chance that it may unveil the largest cell pack for the new Pro Max device to date, taking over the Xiaomi 17 Pro Max with a 7500mAh battery and becoming the first in the industry… a recent listing suggested that two Honor Magic 9 phones have passed the 3C certification with nearly 100W super-fast charging.

Power And Protection In The New Oppo A7 Pro

Oppo released the A7 Pro in China this week. Priced competitively at CNY 2,199 ($327) for the 6 GB RAM 256 GB storage model, and CNY 2,499 ($372) for the 8 GB / 256 GB model, the budget model sports the latest battery technology and industry-standard protection FoneArena has more :

“OPPO has officially announced the OPPO A7 Pro smartphone in China after the A7 Pro Max was introduced last month. Designed with a focus on durability and long battery life, the new device features a massive 10,000mAh battery, comprehensive IP69K dust and water resistance, and a dual 50MP camera system.”

The Signature 27 Is Quietly Teased

Motorola looks to be preparing a flagship for the US market. The Signature 27 has appeared on its website alongside a form for consumers to register their interest in whatever the phone is. GSM Arena reports

“There is, unfortunately, no other information about the Signature 27 on the website, aside from a “Crystals by Swarovski” logo that isn’t loading but is supposed to be part of the pop-up with the teaser image. That strongly suggests the Signature 27 will be offered in a Swarovski-encrusted version, which wouldn’t . Anyway, we’ll let you know when we find out more about the Signature 27.

9to5 Google’s Ben Schoon reports on the Pixel Tablet’s sudden discontinuation around the world, an effective cancellation of the Android device. With Google junking the follow-up Pixel Tablet 2 in 2024 and no sign of a third model in 2025, this news doesn’t come as a surprise to the community. Nevertheless, Google’s off-again on-again relationship with tablets and large-screened devices looks to be entering an off-season:

“Sales of the Pixel Tablet closed up in late August (thanks Noah!), but the listing was still working roughly a week ago – we checked it when Nest prices went up, and the Tablet was still listed as out of stock at the time (August 31). It’s the same old pattern, a device goes out of stock before being removed from the store. Generally speaking, removing the device from its store is Google’s way of marking a device as discontinued – another recent example would be Nest Mini and Nest Audio, which were removed and confirmed as discontinued not long after going out of stock.”

One year after the European Union’s repair directive came into force, iFixit’s EU policy spokesperson Thomas Opsomer looks at the impact of the directive on the smartphone space , how much has been achieved, and how much needs to be done

“The results are abysmal. Out of 2334 records of smartphone models placed on the market over the last year, only about 18% actually list websites where spare parts prices or repair instructions can be readily found. Almost exactly half of the records simply have blanks where the URLs should be. Another 19% refer to a product page or support page where there are neither repair instructions nor spare parts prices to be found. Ridiculous price brackets such as 14-128€ for a battery also fall into this category. “

Android Circuit rounds up the news from the Android world every weekend here on Forbes. Don’t forget to follow me so you don’t miss any coverage in the future, and of course, read the sister column in Apple Loop ! Last week’s Android Circuit can be found here , and if you have any news and links you’d like to see featured in Android Circuit, get in touch !