Welcome to episode 91 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, with Abner and Damien out at MWC, Will invites Andrew Romero to join him on a whirlwind tour of two new OS upgrades from Google: Android 16 QPR3, and Android 17 Beta 2. The two discuss AI-generated wallpapers, that new Now Playing app, and Android's new bubbles — not to be confused with its own bubbles — while Andrew introduces his SPI: Sandwich Price Index.

Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription by signing up for Proton Unlimited using this link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring this week's episode.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer. And for even more Android discussion, dive into the official 9to5Google forums!

Welcome to episode 90 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will talk through the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, all of its various Pixel-inspired AI tools, and ask whether it's too boring of an upgrade for Samsung. They also discuss Google's newly-announced agentic features for Android, with support for ordering groceries, deliveries, and more, ahead of next month's release.

Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription by signing up for Proton Unlimited using this link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring this week's episode.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer. And for even more Android discussion, dive into the official 9to5Google forums!

Welcome to episode 89 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Will, and Ben talk all about the Pixel 10a, a device where the 'a' seems to stand for 'again.' Without much in the way of new features, the trio dive into all of the nuances that make the Pixel 10a stand out from its predecessor, before asking the obvious: is it time for smartphone makers to take longer generational breaks? Plus: We know when Google I/O is happening, and we talk all through how we'll be controlling our Android-powered glasses.

Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription by signing up for Proton Unlimited using this link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring this week's episode.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer. And for even more Android discussion, dive into the official 9to5Google forums!

Welcome to episode 88 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Ben Schoon joins Damien and Will to talk through the announcement — and subsequent unannouncement — of Android 17. The group talks through how and why this launch fell apart before discussing exactly what expectations we all should have for Android updates in 2026. Then they turn to Samsung, which just confirmed an Unpacked announcement for late February for a series of phones that has us scratching our heads when it comes to big year-over-year improvements.

This episode was recorded prior to Android 17's eventual release on Friday afternoon.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer. And for even more Android discussion, dive into the official 9to5Google forums!

Welcome to episode 87 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will talk through Google's surprise Pixel 10a announcement, what we might expect from that phone, and whether it's worth picking up a Pixel 9a in its place. Their attention briefly turns to Google's February patch for Android — a patch without any much in the way of actual fixes, it seems — before finally debated Google's oddly-sad Gemini ad ahead of this weekend's Super Bowl.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer. And for even more Android discussion, dive into the official 9to5Google forums!

Welcome to episode 86 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will dig into an early Android 17 build that includes one big visual change: blurred backdrops. Is this a sign of things to come for Google's vision of its OS, or a more minor system-level tweak? The crew also checks out a leaked look at Android's new — albeit really familiar — desktop mode, Google's more affordable AI Plus plan for Gemini, and Chrome's agentic AI tools.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.

Welcome to episode 85 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will talk through the end of Asus as a smartphone brand, as the company takes an indefinite hiatus from Android to focus on AI. After trying to figure out what's next after the smartphone, we're diving into some thoughts on the Clicks Communicator, Google's Digital Wellbeing tools, and the whole thinking behind minimalist devices. Plus, we send Stadia off with one final goodbye.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.

Welcome to episode 84 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will talk through Google's big changes to Gmail, including a new AI Inbox and improved search. They also turn their attention to Gemini's Personal Intelligence feature that aims to make it the best virtual assistant we've seen yet, but not before digging into the latest Pixel 10a leaks that have us scratching our collective heads at just how familiar this phone feels.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.

Welcome to episode 83 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will welcome their fellow 9to5 staff members Andrew Romero, Ben Schoon, and Jordan Floyd to the show to assemble a full tier list for 2025's Android-adjacent launches. From phones and wearables to software upgrades and Gemini's improvements, we manage to rank more than 20 launches from throughout the year from the best to the rest. Check out the complete tier list at the bottom of these show notes (spoilers!).

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.

Welcome to episode 82 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will break down their reactions to Google's surprise release of Gemini 3 Flash. After talking through their preferred models and Gemini launchers, the crew discusses Android 16 QPR3's arrival and the long-awaited option to remove the At a Glance widget on Pixel. Finally, all three offer their visions for where Google is headed in 2026.

Drop us a line at [email protected], leave a comment on the post, or reach out to our producer.