Android Circuit: Pixel 11 Pro Performance, Honor’s Impressive Growth, Fairphone 6+ Lands In America

Taking a look back at this week’s news and headlines across the Android world, including Pixel 11 discussion, Pixel 11 Pro’s AI win, Galaxy S26 FE and Gemini AI, Honor’s 2026 growth, Fairphone 6+ arrives in America, Googlebook media day confirmed, and LineageOS adds Galaxy S22 support.

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.

This week saw the first write-ups of the new Pixel 11 hardware, with writers picking out the software features that help the Pixel 11 Pro stand out, but also the hardware that feels a touch lacking, as highlighted by Wired’s Julian Chokkatu:

"The Pro Pixels this year are not a major leap over their predecessors. Many of the improvements are with the cameras—still a big reason to buy a Pixel—but there are some minor, welcome upgrades, like a scratch-resistant display coating, a brighter screen, more base storage, and faster charging. I quite like the all-glass camera bar, which looks especially elegant in the new colors (and most importantly, doesn't rock on a table)."

The new Pixel hardware is clearly competent and delivers a solid experience, yet the prize for Google is not necessarily building toward a double-digit market share in hardware; it’s about shaping what Mobile AI will be now and in the future, and ensuring that the answer offers the best value to Google. I explored this topic as the Pixel 11 Pro broke cover in the media:

"Gemini AI is a foundational piece of Android and is mission-critical technology for Google. Of all the directions that on-device AI could have taken in the last five years, Google has ensured that the dominant solution is the solution that best fits Google’s wider business aims

"That’s why you’ll see much more of the software features of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold: Magic Capture in the camera, which uses AI to help consumers take better pictures; the AI-powered Rambler keyboard improving dictation; or the utility of Gemini Actions to support planning activities. They keep the Pixel 11 Pro Fold and the rest of the Pixel family at the forefront of AI."

Will the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 FE feature the full suite of Gemini AI tools? It’s a given that the premium Galaxy S and Galaxy Z handsets will have the resources to offer tools, including the agentic AI tools introduced in Android 17, but will these come to the lower-tier Fan Edition? Forbes contributor Janhoi McGregor looks at the potential:

“At the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 press briefing I asked about which Galaxy phones would receive the Gemini Intelligence update and didn't get a concrete response. I followed up with both Samsung and Google and couldn't get an answer, so both companies seem to be guarding that secret closely...

"It does, however, seem unlikely. Google's official Gemini Intelligence device requirements page lists 12GB of RAM as the minimum. The Galaxy S25 FE launched last year with 8GB of RAM. If the S26 FE also has 8GB of RAM that will answer the question."

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Honor highlights the latest IDC reports on its rising global sales, and "the only Chinese Android smartphone manufacturer to record year-on-year global shipment growth in the first half of 2026.” Android Central reports:

"Honor is also leaning hard into that same premium trend. IDC reported that in Q2 it captured 53% of the foldable market in Malaysia, 67% in Singapore, and an incredible 89% in Hong Kong. That makes Honor's 9% global H1 shipment growth all the more interesting: it was the only Chinese Android manufacturer among the top brands to post year-over-year growth…"

Fairphone has launched an updated version of its latest line-up in the Fairphone 6+. The Dutch company has bumped up both the processor and the memory options. Crucially, the repairable handset is now available for the first time in the US. Ryan Whitwam reports on the updated specs:

"The Fairphone Gen 6+ is not an entirely new phone, but it is slightly upgraded from the regular Fairphone 6. The processor is slightly more powerful, with a Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 processor replacing the Gen 3 in the last phone. The RAM has also been increased from 8GB to 12GB, a rarity during our current global RAM shortage. Fairphone also offers the device in a new “Cobalt Blue” color, which is a reference to the company’s efforts to support ethical cobalt mining in Africa."

Google has confirmed that the Googlebook, previewed at May’s I/O Developer conference, will be given a media preview on September 15th. It will be a controlled environment, but plan for a lot more details and impressions of the new range after the event. Chrome Unboxed’s Robby Payne sets our expectations:

"Google will formally introduce the new computing platform, the software architecture, and the vision behind uniting ChromeOS web productivity with the native Android code base. OEM Partner Demo Stations: Attendees will get hands-on access to test out the hardware and new platform features from each of Google’s launch OEM partners."

LineageOS, the open-source smartphone OS developed by enthusiasts, sets another milestone this week as it officially supports the Galaxy S22, just six months before Samsung drops support on the once flagship smartphone: Damien Wilde looks at the update:

"Anyone with the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra is now able to get LineageOS 23 nightly builds and get Android 16 on their phones. If you’re not a fan of One UI 8, which itself is actually a solid update for Samsung phones, then you can go back to a cleaner AOSP-like aesthetic with some potential performance bonuses and absolutely zero AI if you choose to omit certain apps from your phone."