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.

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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.

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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.

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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!).

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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.

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Welcome to episode 81 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner shares his experience with trying out some early samples of glasses running on Google's Android XR platform with Will and Damien. After a surprisingly impressive demo, is it time to start getting excited for the return of Google Glass-esque technology? The trio also dips into some new changes coming to Wear OS and take a quick look at the first One UI 8.5 beta, if only to ask: what's up with the iOS-ification of Android?

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Welcome to episode 80 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will talk through all of the new changes in Android 16 QPR2 and beyond. After digging through everything Google's been working on these past few months, their attention turns to the newly-confirmed Galaxy Z TriFold. Can they make sense of what's bound to be yet another ultra-premium device from Samsung, or does this feel like an experiment without a clear path to success?

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Welcome to episode 79 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner and Will talk through the launch of Gemini 3, breaking down all of the changes Google has made behind the scenes to its LLM. The duo also talks through the (breaking) arrival of AirDrop support on the Pixel 10, a change Google seemingly made all by itself. Finally, with Black Friday around the corner, we take a look at what deals you can score on your next piece of Google hardware.

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Welcome to episode 78 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will tackle Google's surprise Pixel Drop, a jam-packed update filled with new features like low-power maps, notification summaries, and a Wicked-inspired theme pack. Then Will walks through his thoughts on the OnePlus 15, a device that crushes in the battery life department but falls a bit short when it comes to, well, everything else.

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Welcome to episode 77 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will discuss the latest AI improvements making their way to Google Maps in the coming months, including improved conversational guidance along routes and landmark navigation. From there, we cover Google's ongoing feud with Disney following the expiration of their shared YouTube TV contract, before finishing up with a dive into some extremely impressive Pixel 10 sales numbers.

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