Share

cover art for Android Faithful

Android Faithful

The weekly source of Android news, hardware, apps, interviews and more!


Latest episode

  • 159. Qualcomm's Phone Chief Talks RAMageddon and AI

    44:31||Ep. 159
    This week Jason Howell and Ron Richards sit down with Chris Patrick, Qualcomm's SVP and GM of Handsets and a 30-year company veteran, for a deep dive into the state of mobile. Patrick opens up about RAMageddon, how surging memory prices are squeezing phone costs at every level, and what Qualcomm is doing to innovate through it with techniques like model compression.Note: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor0:00 Intro1:36 Introducing Chris Patrick from Qualcomm3:42 Interview Begins5:13 What Phone Does Qualcomm's Boss Carry?6:55 What Would've Been Impossible 30 Years Ago9:36 AI Becoming the New Phone UI13:00 On-Device AI: Perception, Reasoning, Action17:05 Engineering Chips for Foldables19:57 Inside the Qualcomm-Samsung Partnership23:18 Galaxy Unpacked Preview24:10 Are Wearables Replacing Smartphones?27:51 RAMageddon: Why Phone Prices Are Surging32:39 What Happens to Budget Android Phones36:19 Competing With Your Own Customers39:11 Snapdragon Summit 202641:02 Wrapping Up With Chris

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 158. RAMageddon Comes For Budget Phones

    01:17:07||Ep. 158
    Jason and Huyen hold down the fort and this is one of those episodes that is filled to the brim with rumory goodness (if you like that sort of thing.) From the price of memory in cheap phones, to battery promises by big players, to basically every Pixel 11 device leaked to Amazon by Google itself, this episode is full of the future!Note: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:04:08 - NEWSOnePlus is reportedly bailing on the USOnePlus will reportedly officially shut down in the US and Europe later this weekGlobal smartphones priced below $400 will decline by 22% as memory costs soarGoogle updates Android Bench with new LLMs, but Gemini still lags behindPATRON PICK: Google and Samsung beware: This Android brand just raised the bar for free battery replacements00:32:04 - HARDWAREOfficial renders for Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip 8, Watch 9, Watch 2 Ultra and Z Fold 8 leakIt was nice while it lasted: Samsung reportedly ending free storage upgradesSamsung officially confirms everything new on Galaxy Watch 9 in teaserMassive Pixel 11 leak just revealed almost everything about Google's next phonesThe Pixel colors might rule this yearPixel Watch 5 leaks in official-looking renders with new colors, bands, watch faceNvidia appears to have discontinued the Shield TV tube streaming media playerNVIDIA clarifies why you can't find a Shield TV anywhere00:54:49 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFSamsung Health will delete your data unless you hand it over for AI training‘Magic Pointer’ app for Googlebooks released to Play StoreGoogle Just Made Snapseed a Serious RAW Photo Editor With This New Update01:07:07 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACKDave got a OnePlus Open just in time for OnePlus to exit the market!Mike restored his old Nexus 5 and offered it to the Hall of Fame
  • 157. 3 Cheers to 3 Years!

    01:26:53||Ep. 157
    For the past 3 years there has been one constant in our lives: Android. And this week is no different as Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao, Florence Ion and Ron Richards celebrate three years of Android Faithful with a barrage of news from all the manufacturers along with a fair share of drama and disappointment. You know, the typical Android roller coaster of emotions.PATREON SPECIAL: We're celebrating our 3rd Anniversary this week and you can get 20% off a membership at Patreon with code 3AF at https://www.patreon.com/c/AndroidFaithfulNote: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:07:25 - NEWSBreaking news as Google announces Made By Google 2026 is happening in New York City on August 12!Google gets slapped with a hefty 4.1 Billion Euros fine for blocking competition with AndroidMore signs of OnePlus' demise as OxygenOS gets discontinued and Oppo encourages OnePlus customers to buy Oppo phonesPATRON PICK: Protect your phone's battery from the summer heat!00:40:48 - HARDWARESamsung officially announces Galaxy Unpacked happening in London on July 22 just as they drop many teasers for the Galaxy Fold and the various shapes and sizesThe Nothing 4(b) phone looks to be the real deal and Nothing keeps it going with the Nothing Ear 3(a) releaseLooking for a small phone? Keep an eye out for the Enough Phone coming soon.01:03:21 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFTV Time abruptly shuts down and Ron is pissedAndroid 17 QPR1 hits platform stability with beta 6 releaseAnd the Android 17 July Update for Pixels just rolled out!Get ready to touch phones as Google Contacts is getting Tap to ShareAnd the new Signatures app from Google starts rolling out as well01:15:15 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACKMatt M. checks in with his Android 17 experience so farScott Moore shares his experience after getting hit with the T-Mobile price hike
  • 156. T-Mo-Bull

    01:23:44||Ep. 156
    Android Summer continues as we prepare for the Fourth of July here in the U.S. and Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao and Ron Richards are pondering their T-Mobile bill and impossibly thin phones with huge batteries while trying to stay coolNote: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:05:14 - NEWSHot off the heels of last week's news of T-Mobile being the best carrier in the U.S., the news breaks that T-Mobile is forcing millions of customers on legacy plans to current, more expensive plans. Not cool.Android phones alerted millions of people ahead of the earthquake in Venezuela - exactly how did it all work?Massive upgrade to 50W wireless charging may be in Qi2's future for Googe Pixel phonesPATRON PICK: How can the Tecno Camon Slim be 6.39mm thick and have a 5,600mAh Battery??00:39:21 - HARDWARENothing officially revealed the Nothing 4(b) design and it's pretty good!Samsung unveils the Samsung Galaxy A27 5G and they really want you to think it's awesomeCould the Samsung Rollable be coming sooner than we think?The Clicks Communicator is real and it's fantastic! A First Look video shows off the device.00:57:41 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFAndroid 17 making foldables fun for gaming is no joke!Hey! Google made an app for Finance!And Google is giving you more controls over backups!But Google is taking away a loophole for FitBit users to avoid Google HealthYou can now watch Instagram Reels on TVs with Google Cast.01:09:42 - COMMUNITY FEEDBACKBecky B. from New Jersey has a use for an old Razr plus tales of selling Meta Ray BansJordan "Sassquatch" from Montana has a throwback use for an old phoneAndrew LeRoy reports from flyover country about why T-Mobile isn't so hot and why AT&T is still king
  • 155. Android Summer

    01:25:24||Ep. 155
    We're kicking off summer...no, we're kicking off ANDROID Summer as Jason Howell, Huyen Tue Dao and Ron Richards get ready for a wild, green summer of new phones and operating systems with bumpy rollouts!PATREON SPECIAL: We're celebrating our 3rd Anniversary all month and you can get 20% off a membership at Patreon with code AF3 at https://www.patreon.com/c/AndroidFaithfulNote: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:05:43 - NEWSThis just in! T-Mobile is the best mobile carrier in the U.S. Can you believe it?Drama update for the timeline on the Google Developer verification processLooking for something to do with your old smartphone? Have you thought about turning it into a data center?PATRON PICK: If not a data center, here's 5 other things you can do with your old Android phone00:38:48 - HARDWAREJason reviews the Motorola Edge 2026Lots of Nothing news as the CMF Phone is dead due to RAM Prices, the 4(B) Phone gets teased, and they're back dreaming up phones that will never get builtFinally, the Google Home Speaker gets an on-sale date and a price! June 25th and $99!The OnePlus 16 might go bezel-less - where have we heard this before?01:04:49 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFAndroid 17's rollout has been...not so smooth as some users have lost 5G support, and other users lost touch input, and some other users lost their widgets.But hey, it's not all bad news with Android 17. They quietly added support for LHDC Audio!Looks like Google is also working on something called "Audio Memory" which likely will improve music recognition but could also listen to your conversations...but you know, in a good way. Maybe? We hopeSo you like to sideload apps, but how do you handle updates. Well, here's a solution!
  • 154. PolyAndroidorous

    01:18:18||Ep. 154
    The show starts with a bang as Jason, Huyen, and Flo consider what you might call Android smartphone reviewers obsession with carrying around multiple smartphones at any given time. Plus, the crew tries really REALLY hard to catch the attention of Coca-Cola. Oh, and there's plenty of chat about actual Android news as well.PATREON SPECIAL: We're celebrating our 3rd Anniversary all month and you can get 20% off a membership at Patreon with code AF3 at https://www.patreon.com/c/AndroidFaithfulNote: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:09:35 - NEWSBig Day for Android: Android 17 Released! WearOS 7 Released! June Pixel Drop!Android 17 Is Now Live for Anyone With a Pixel SmartphoneCheck out what's new in Android 17Wear OS 7 helps your smartwatch keep up with youJune Pixel Drop: New features for creators, Gemini upgrades and moreVerizon sent man a refurbished phone with MDM, then deleted his data remotelyQualcomm Announces Snapdragon Reality Elite, Its New Flagship XR ChipsetXREAL’s Android XR glasses will cost under $1,500, which isn’t as expensive as it soundsRelated: Snap is finally about to ship AR glasses — and they cost a fortunePATRON PICK: /e/OS 4.0 is here: Murena's Android fork makes it even easier to escape Google's clutches00:44:12 - HARDWAREExclusive: Nothing headphones and smartphones are now available at Best Buy in the USThis budget phone has a dot-matrix camera lens.Lenovo’s new rugged Android tablet has a removable battery, now on sale for $49900:56:43 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFWaze now shows traffic lights on your route, but it’s rolling out slowlyTelegram brings back its Wear OS app after five years with chats, voice messages, more01:05:04 - COMMUNITYTharanga from Australia agrees with Huyen from last week's AI tirade.
  • 153. Huyen Angers the AI Gods

    01:25:06||Ep. 153
    We're still recovering from last week's After Hours Ulefone insanity, luckily Huyen Tue Dao returns to the show to ground Jason Howell and Ron Richards as things get real about AI and Development.PATREON SPECIAL: We're celebrating our 3rd Anniversary all month and you can get 20% off a membership at Patreon with code AF3 at https://www.patreon.com/c/AndroidFaithfulNote: Time codes subject to change depending on dynamic ad insertion by the distributor00:08:43 - NEWSCheck your Spam folder! You might have money from the Google Assistant settlement waiting for you to claim!Looks like Google has quietly been buying code from developers to train AI. Is that a bad thing? Why does it feel icky?And here we thought we were getting along with Apple? Apple's newest commercial really tries hard to make Android look bad.PATRON PICK: The old Google Nest Mini and Audio and heading off the shelves ahead of the new devices finally coming out00:42:12 - HARDWARELooks like there's going to be a lot of Googlebooks to choose fromTablets are in again! ASUS is back in the game with the new ASUS Pad!Unboxing the Motorola Edge 202600:56:48 - APPS 'n SOFTWARE 'n STUFFThere's a ton of new cool stuff in the Android June Canary Release! Like how Screen Reactions work!Check out how Magic Cue works in third party apps!Google is creating the stuff of nightmares thanks to Gemini Personal Intelligence with DreambeansGoodbye Pixel Studio, we had fun with you while it lastedNewPipe and other open source apps are preparing for the Sideloading apocalypse01:17:13 - COMMUNITYGeorge writes in to share that he uses ProtonMail by emailing us with ProtonMail for Android