These are my favourite camera phones from the past 25 years

Classic Camera Smartphones

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

It’s been 25 years since Samsung launched the SCH-V200, which contentiously claims the title of the first camera phone (the Sharp J-SH04 also has its eye on the prize). It certainly wasn’t anything like the photography behemoths we carry around in our pockets today — just a tiny 0.35MP rear camera with storage for 20 photos at a time. Compare that to today’s best camera phones with 200 megapixels, 1-inch image sensors, and quadruple lens arrays, and it’s hard not to feel a little old.

There have been plenty of brilliant camera phones over the past two and a half decades. So, to mark 25 years since the SCH-V200 (whether or not it truly was the first), I thought I’d take a stroll down memory lane with a few of my personal favorites.

I switched to indie apps for privacy, and now my workflow is a mess

I just wanted to send a file from my Android phone to my Windows 11 PC. It should have been easy, but I had de-Googled my life, and suddenly, I was stuck. Quick Share was gone. Google Drive wasn’t an option. Docs and Keep were also out of the picture. My new setup relied on a handful of indie tools, and they weren’t cooperating. Microsoft’s Phone Link wasn’t working (again), and my Canadian cloud service was as slow as molasses.

It was at that moment I realized escaping Big Tech only sounds good in theory. The practice turned out to be much more difficult than it should have been. Here’s what I learned trying to live a Big Tech-free life, and why I’m still picking up the pieces.

Please, please don’t buy an ‘AI-optimized’ screen protector or phone case

OpenAI on website on smartphone stock photo (1)

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

Call me a Luddite, but my eyes glaze over when a product claims it has an “AI-optimized” design. Whether it’s marketing oversaturation or a growing existential dread as AI threatens to take over both my career and my hobbies, the phrase goes into one ear and out the other as just another buzzword, even though AI is changing the world as I write this.

This came back to mind recently after a viral Reddit post showed a screen protector with an “Optimized for AI” badge on the box. After some investigation, it appears to be a standard tempered glass screen protector from AmazingThing. I guess it’s as “Optimized for AI” as a screen protector can be, since it’s just a thin piece of glass.

Nothing is killing the Glyph interface: Something new incoming?

Nothing Phone 2 in gray with glyph lighting enabled

Credit: Damien Wilde / Android Authority
  • Nothing has teased the “death” of the Glyph interface in a dramatic video, though it may be a marketing move rather than a permanent change.
  • Fans speculate a shift to a dot matrix lighting system, aligning with the dot-themed design of the Nothing OS.
  • Based on the teaser rollout, Nothing Phone 3 is expected to launch this summer, possibly as early as next month.

Nothing’s teasers for the Phone 3 are in full swing, and one of them just dropped a bombshell — The Glyph interface might be dead. Yes, the company appears to be saying goodbye to the iconic lights on the back of its phones. The teaser, released a few hours ago, shows the familiar Glyph lighting up, only to fade dramatically to black, signaling its demise.

Deal: Record 50% price drop on the Google Pixel Watch 2

A Google Pixel Watch 2 displays a user's heart rate zones during a workout.

Credit: Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

As hardware continues to plateau, stepping back a generation in a premium line of devices isn’t the sacrifice it used to be. It’s often the best way to find a bargain, and that’s never been truer regarding the Google Pixel Watch 2 than it is today. The LTE model of the fine smartwatch is down to an all-time low of $149 right now on Amazon, as long as you’re happy with the black colorway.

Google Pixel Watch 2 (LTE) for $149 ($151 off)

Nintendo preps for Switch 2 with a better way to share screenshots to your phone

Nintendo logo IFA 2022 close

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority
  • An update has rolled out for the Nintendo Switch Online App.
  • The update changes the name of the app and some elements of the UI.
  • The app offers a handful of new features, like automatic screenshot and video uploads to your phone, getting notifications when a friend is online, and more.

It’s hard to believe, but we’re only seven days out before the Nintendo Switch 2 hits store shelves. In preparation for the new console’s arrival, the Nintendo Switch Online App has received an update. This update brings a few helpful changes that make the app much more useful than before.

Today, version 3.0.1 of the Nintendo Switch Online App rolled out to Android and iOS. This update contains a few notable revisions to the app. The first bullet point in the changelog mentions that the app’s name has been shortened to the Nintendo Switch App. Nintendo has also redesigned some of the app’s elements.

One UI 8 finally expands support for an Android 15 feature sorely missed on One UI 7

OneUI 8 beta download

Credit: Paul Jones / Android Authority
  • One UI 8 finally lets you use Android 15’s predictive back gesture on stock Samsung apps.
  • One UI 7 restricted the usage of the predictive back gesture to Google apps.
  • The feature is now enabled by default on the latest One UI 8 beta update.

The One UI 8 beta has arrived for the Galaxy S25 series, and we’ve been digging into it to see what’s new. One sweet improvement we’ve found is that Samsung is finally adding support for Android 15’s predictive back gesture in its stock apps, a feature that was (and is) notably missing from the One UI 7 update.

Google confirms that Instagram battery drain you’ve noticed on your phones is real

android 15 pixel private space distracting apps instagram threads

Credit: Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
  • The Instagram app on Android was causing excessive battery drain, as users reported.
  • Comparisons showed that lately, Instagram was using significantly more battery power than other apps with similar screen-on times.
  • Google has acknowledged the problem and advised updating to Instagram build 382.0.0.49.84, which users say has resolved the battery drain issue.

Google has confirmed that the Instagram app has been draining the battery on Android phones, something many users, including several on Reddit, have noticed lately.

Nothing’s Carl Pei predicts future phones will run on a single app. Do you agree?

Nothing CEO Carl Pei

Credit: YouTube/Nothing
  • Nothing CEO, Carl Pei, believes smartphones will have just one app in the future — the OS.
  • He imagines apps becoming obsolete in the next decade and being replaced by an agentic operating system that understands context and acts on your behalf.

In a recent interview with Wired, Nothing CEO Carl Pei shared his vision for the future of smartphones. He thinks we’re headed towards a world where apps will become obsolete.

Google’s getting some new voices on your phone (Updated: Rolling out)

AI Mode shortcut on the Pixel Launcher search bar

Credit: Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority
  • A few months ago, Google introduced four new voices for AI Mode for Search in a Google app beta.
  • Those voices are rolling out now and are no longer limited to AI Mode.
  • You can now hear those same voices when you perform a voice search through the mic icon.

Update: May 27, 2025 (11:15 PM ET): It looks like Google has started rolling out the new space-inspired voices for voice search that we mentioned in the APK teardown below. Some of our team members are already seeing them in the voice settings, so you might want to check if they’re available on your device too.


Original article: May 27, 2025 (11:50 AM ET): Gemini Live offers a wide range of AI voices to choose from, allowing you to find the one that’s most pleasing to your ear. Google also recently added voice options for Search’s AI Mode. Now there’s another area where you’ll be able to customize your AI voice preferences.

One UI 8 beta is coming soon: Who’s getting it, where, and how you can join

One UI 7 software information page.

Credit: Joe Maring / Android Authority

Samsung is gearing up to launch the One UI 8 beta, based on Android 16. The update could arrive any day now, with Samsung setting up official One UI 8 beta program pages and banners on its community forums and Members app for multiple countries. However, as with every new One UI beta, some burning questions remain unanswered. Which Galaxy devices will be eligible for receiving the One UI 8 beta update, and where will the beta land first?

Survey shows users are ready to ditch Gmail for this ultra-private email service

Gmail can't match the privacy options of Proton Mail

Credit: Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority

Privacy seems to become a bigger deal every year as an increasing number of people aren’t cool with their data becoming a commodity. Proton Mail purports to offer more privacy than Gmail — unlike Google, even the Proton team can’t take a look at your inbox. As such, privacy-conscious users should want to flock to Proton Mail, right? We were interested in finding out, so we polled our readers.

For Android Authority‘s Calvin Wankhede, it wasn’t that simple. He tried switching from Gmail to Proton Mail for better privacy but found the trade-offs too frustrating. Proton’s end-to-end encryption only works if both parties use it, which is still relatively uncommon. The Android app also lacks standard features like formatting and swipe navigation. With just 1GB of free storage and key features locked behind a paywall, Calvin decided it wasn’t worth the hassle. He’s now back to using Gmail.

Google caught filming Pixel 10 ad on Vancouver beach

Google Pixel 10 ad shoot leak 1

  • Google was caught filming a Pixel 10 ad on a beach in Vancouver.
  • The leaked images from the shoot show what appears to be a Pixel 10 Pro or 10 Pro XL, and detailed storyboards from the shoot.
  • The tagline “Ask more of your phone” and a demo of the “Add Me” feature appear in the storyboards.

It looks like Google is already in full swing, preparing the marketing campaign for the upcoming Pixel 10 series. On May 23, an X user shared behind-the-scenes photos from what appears to be a Pixel 10 commercial shoot taking place on a beach in Vancouver. Storyboards and devices are clearly visible in the leaked video, which compiles several images from the shoot.

Pixel 10 colorways leak: Say hello to ‘Limoncello’

Google Pixel 9a all colors side

Credit: Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority
  • Colorways of the Pixel 10 series, including the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, and 10 Pro XL have leaked.
  • The standard Pixel 10 is expected to come in a new “Limoncell0” color, which is expected to be a shade of yellow.
  • Blue also seems to be making a return this year, though it’s still unclear what exact shade Google has chosen.

With the Pixel 10 series launch still a few months away, leaks continue to reveal details about Google’s next-gen flagships. The latest scoop includes a full list of expected colorways for the Pixel 10 lineup, excluding the Pixel 10 Pro Fold.

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