News Weekly: Disney Plus gets Hulu, another Pixel 9 model leaks and more

This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise summary of the week’s most important tech news. This is where we take a look at the top titles that showcase the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.

This week, Disney rolls out Hulu content, the Pixel 9 could have three variants for the first time, the S24 gets a surprise update, Vivo launches new foldables, and the Pixel 8 finally gets Gemini Nano.

Disney Plus has made big strides

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Earlier this week (March 27), Disney Plus announced that Bundle subscribers in the United States will now have access to Hulu content on the platform. This merger allows users to watch all their content in one app rather than switching between them. If users aren’t subscribed to the plan, they can find Hulu’s content available through “upsell options” on multiple devices for an additional $2 per month.

Disney Plus also wanted to make the merger visually obvious, so it’s launching a new campaign, starting with a new logo. The company says the rollout will include a new Disney Plus intro color scheme that mixes Hulu’s green with legacy blue.

Joe Earley, president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, said: “[the] Hulu’s official launch on Disney+ gives viewers even more opportunities to easily discover and enjoy thousands of titles in one place, highlighting the extraordinary value of the Disney Bundle. »

Three Pixel 9 models?

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Google could launch the Pixel 9 series with three variants: Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL, a first for Google.

A recent leak has revealed renders of the alleged real Pixel 9 base device. The leaks suggest that the Pixel 9 will sport a smaller 6.03-inch display, with dimensions of 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm and a potential 12mm bump due to camera placement.

The upcoming series could feature a horizontal camera array for a pill-shaped look, similar to the Pixel Fold, and will arrive with dual cameras like its previous model. The post adds that the Pixel 9 may offer a completely flat display with four rounded corners around its frame.

That’s not all: in January, a batch of images leaked and were touted as the base Pixel 9, but reports now suggest it was the Pixel 9 Pro with a 6-inch flat screen .1 inch. At the same time, other images of the device were leaked, but OnLeaks claims that it was a third model: the “Pixel 9 Pro XL”, not the Pro model.

Surprise Surprise! Some S24 users receive new update

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The April update rolled out earlier than usual on March 27 for Galaxy S24 users. It brings security fixes and bug fixes, including fixes for some of the Galaxy S24 series‘ persistent camera issues.

Android Central has confirmed that the US version of the April 2024 update brings instant slow motion support to videos with a resolution of 480 x 480, as noted in the international versions of the update. That said, confirmation of other camera improvements was not specifically mentioned in the changelog.

The 818MB update vaguely mentions improved stability, reliability, and security with the April patch.

To check if your Samsung Galaxy S24 smartphone has received the April 2024 live security patch, open the settings app and go to the software update page. If it appears, start downloading the update, which can range from around 600 MB to 900 MB, depending on your region. After downloading the update, follow the on-screen prompts to install it on your device.

Vivo’s latest foldables are here

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Vivo launched its latest foldables in China this week, the X Fold 3 and X Fold 3 Pro. Both foldables have the same 6.53-inch exterior panel and 8.03-inch interior panel. The devices feature 120Hz AMOLED displays inside and out. The X Fold 3 is the thinnest foldable on the market, thanks to its 4.65mm profile when unfolded and its weight of just 219g, making it the thinnest foldable on the market. The X Fold 3 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 and has a trio of 50MP cameras on the back, with 80W charging technology.

The X Fold 3 Pro is powered by the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 and features Vivo’s custom V3 imaging module. It has a 50MP OmniVision main camera, a 50MP wide-angle lens, and a 64MP telephoto lens with OIS.

It’s still unclear when these phones will make their global debut. Vivo has yet to detail an international rollout, but we should have more details in the coming weeks.

Pixel 8 users can breathe a sigh of relief

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Google has announced that Gemini Nano will be available to Pixel 8 users as a developer preview in the upcoming Pixel Feature Drop. This new update brings two practical features: Summarize in Recorder and Smart Reply in Gboard. Google initially said Gemini Nano would not be available for the standard Pixel 8; however, they changed their minds.

Following numerous requests from users and developers since the Pixel 8 Pro became the pioneer smartphone to receive Gemini Nano last year, they wanted to give users and developers a chance to experience Gemini Nano in the hope to gather feedback.

If you own a Pixel 8 or 8 Pro, the next update will include two new features: the auto-summary feature in the Recorder app and the Smart Reply feature in Gboard.

These are some of the biggest stories this week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth telling: