{"id":1696,"date":"2026-08-15T08:46:49","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:46:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/15\/google-pixel-11-pro-samsung-fold8-preorder-surge\/"},"modified":"2026-08-15T08:46:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T08:46:49","slug":"google-pixel-11-pro-samsung-fold8-preorder-surge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/2026\/08\/15\/google-pixel-11-pro-samsung-fold8-preorder-surge\/","title":{"rendered":"Google unveils Pixel 11 Pro with HiLight, Samsung sees Fold8 pre\u2011order surge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- Quick Adsense WordPress Plugin: http:\/\/quickadsense.com\/ -->\n<div class=\"9fece8afa224fd09e54b043d0febfb58\" data-index=\"1\" style=\"float: none; margin:10px 0 10px 0; text-align:center;\">\n<script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- NR ATF -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8898941184964366\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"4839033563\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\n<\/div>\n<p>Google\u2019s weekly \u201cMade By Google\u201d showcase highlighted a suite of new Android hardware and software announcements, while Samsung reported record\u2011breaking pre\u2011orders for its latest foldable phones. The week also saw Honor introduce a robot\u2011styled phone in China and Google open its Play Store to third\u2011party app marketplaces for U.S. users.<\/p>\n<h2>Pixel 11 Pro brings a glowing alert system<\/h2>\n<p>At the core of the event, Google launched the Pixel 11 family, positioning the new devices as a step toward broader mainstream adoption. The Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL feature upgraded cameras, a more powerful on\u2011board AI processor, and the next\u2011generation Tensor chipset that promises overall performance gains.<\/p>\n<p>Perhaps the most distinctive hardware addition is a cluster of LED lights surrounding the camera flash, branded \u201cHiLight.\u201d According to Google, HiLight is designed to keep users informed without the need to glance at the screen. The company describes it as a \u201cdelightful addition\u201d that can notify users of timely information while the phone lies face\u2011down, using colored LEDs to convey alerts.<\/p>\n<h2>Pixel Watch 5 adds cuff\u2011less blood\u2011pressure tracking<\/h2>\n<p>The event also introduced the Pixel Watch 5, Google\u2019s latest smartwatch with a pronounced focus on health and wellbeing. Among its new capabilities is a blood\u2011pressure monitoring feature that operates without an inflatable cuff. Google emphasizes that the watch does not provide a traditional blood\u2011pressure reading and should not replace a dedicated monitor. Instead, it uses built\u2011in sensors and machine\u2011learning algorithms to detect trends over weeks and months, alerting users to concerning upward shifts.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Lee, writing for The Independent, notes that the watch \u201ctracks blood pressure trends without an inflatable cuff\u201d and \u201calerts you if it spots any concerning trends, such as if your blood pressure is trending upward.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Gemini 3.7 Flash AI model targets developers<\/h2>\n<p>One day after the New York\u2011based event, Google announced Gemini 3.7 Flash, an AI model aimed at coding and agent tasks. While the model is not intended for direct consumer interaction, Google said it will be integrated across applications, affecting experiences on Pixels and other Android devices.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s description of Gemini 3.7 Flash highlights a \u201cnoticeably improved developer experience\u201d over the previous 3.6 Flash version. The model is said to adapt better to roadblocks, clarify intent when needed, and follow instructions with greater fidelity. It also reportedly invests more effort in multi\u2011step planning and tool calls, leading to fewer manual interventions and retries in engineering workflows.<\/p>\n<h2>Samsung\u2019s Fold8 pre\u2011orders jump 70% over previous generation<\/h2>\n<p>Samsung announced that pre\u2011orders for its newest foldable lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold8 family, are surpassing last year\u2019s figures worldwide. The UK market, in particular, is mirroring the strong demand seen in other territories.<\/p>\n<p>Pre\u2011orders for the non\u2011flip models\u2014the Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra\u2014are up 70% compared with the Z Fold7 numbers. Samsung interprets this surge as validation of its \u201cnot\u2011one\u2011size\u2011fits\u2011all\u201d approach to foldables, suggesting that offering multiple form factors resonates with consumers.<\/p>\n<h2>Samsung CEO outlines AI as a core ecosystem component<\/h2>\n<p>Forbes contributor David Phelan interviewed Samsung CEO TM Roh about the company\u2019s artificial\u2011intelligence strategy. Roh asserted that AI will become \u201ca core and basic component of our daily lives and experiences.\u201d He explained that Samsung aims to leverage AI to understand customers more deeply, present new possibilities, and deliver richer experiences across the entire Samsung product ecosystem, not just mobile devices.<\/p>\n<h2>Honor\u2019s Robot phone reaches Chinese market<\/h2>\n<p>Honor launched its Robot phone in China, a device equipped with an AI\u2011powered 4D camera capable of reacting to its surroundings, tracking objects and people, and responding to voice commands. The phone\u2019s gimbal is more than a recording tool; it serves as a robot companion powered by Honor\u2019s Yoyo AI assistant.<\/p>\n<p>According to GSM Arena, the gimbal can \u201cobserve and even interact with your surroundings and execute tasks on its own,\u201d and the device includes over 100 facial expressions such as nodding, peeking, and dancing to music.<\/p>\n<h2>Google Play Store opens to third\u2011party app stores in the United States<\/h2>\n<p>Google expanded the Play Store\u2019s policy to allow third\u2011party app stores to be discovered and installed via standard Android installation methods, initially limited to U.S. consumers. The first available third\u2011party store is Aptoide Games, a marketplace focused on free and paid games.<\/p>\n<p>Ben Schoon reported that installing Aptoide Games works like any other Android app, with no extra security steps required beyond the usual \u201cInstall\u201d prompt. In testing, the game \u201cClash of Kings\u201d was downloaded from Aptoide and functioned without issue.<\/p>\n<p>These announcements collectively illustrate a busy week for the Android ecosystem, with hardware innovations, AI advancements, and expanded software distribution shaping the platform\u2019s future.<\/p>\n\n<div style=\"font-size: 0px; height: 0px; line-height: 0px; margin: 0; padding: 0; clear: both;\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google&#8217;s Made By Google event introduced the Pixel 11 Pro and Pixel Watch 5, while Samsung reported a 70% rise in Fold8 pre\u2011orders and outlined its AI strategy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299],"tags":[230,1427,1569,1421,1545],"class_list":["post-1696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-ai","tag-android","tag-pixel-11","tag-samsung","tag-wearables","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsraise.com\/in\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}