Let’s recap week number 8 of 2026. It was heavily influenced by Galaxy S26-related stories, but Google did unveil its ungroundbreaking Pixel 10a, and Xiaomi’s 17 series is closing in on a global release.
We saw a few S26 chip stories. It seems that the Exynos 2600, which will power some of the S26 units in some markets, has stronger Ray Tracing performance than the Adreno 840 inside the Snapdragon-powered models. On the flip side, the single-core performance of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-powered Galaxy S26 Ultra is much better than the corresponding Exynos 2600 one.
Samsung also teased the privacy display feature of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Apparently, the phone will use per-pixel control to only black out specific parts of the display when needed.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses an overclocked “for Galaxy” version of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
This feature guards against anyone peeking over to see your display by making the whole display (or just parts of it) appear black without affecting legibility for you.
It’s an odd one to say the least.
It is said to feature a slightly larger hole-punch front camera cutout compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Google announced the Pixel 10a, and it’s nearly identical to the 9a. You get a slightly different color palette (slightly being the key word), a very slightly brighter screen (3,000 vs 2,700 nits of peak local brightness), stronger Gorilla Glass 7i, and slightly faster charging. The Pixel 10a costs the same $499 out of the gate.
The Nothing Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro are coming on March 5.
The phone now uses Gorilla Glass 7i and a slightly brighter 6.3″ Actua display. The battery capacity is the same as last year, 5,100mAh.
It’s taking place one day after Apple’s “special experience event”.
The Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro will be unveiled on March 5.
The phone ships with a 90W charger and a MagSafe-capable case, among other things.
Finally, the Xiaomi 17 and 17 Ultra will likely make a global appearance on February 28. The 17 will get a smaller 6,330mAh battery (vs 7,000mAh in China), while the 17 Ultra is expected to pack a 6,000mAh (vs 6,800mAh in China).
The Xiaomi 17 is tipped to cost €999 for the 12/256GB model and €1,099 for the 12/512GB. The Ultra starts at €1,499 for a 16/512GB unit.
The duo is finally escaping China very soon.
It’s a mouthful, but it makes sense.
