Samsung says Fold8 sales are up 45 percent in Europe. Whose number that is, what the iPhone Duo has to do with it, and the rest of the week in Android

The 45 percent, and whose it is

The figure comes from Samsung itself, in a UK Newsroom release dated October 22. Combined sales of the Galaxy Z Fold8 and the Fold8 Ultra across Europe, in the nine weeks after the August 7 launch, were 45 percent higher than the Fold7's in the same weeks of 2025. The headline rounds it to "almost 50 percent." Samsung gives no unit numbers, and no analyst firm is cited. (Samsung)

Three things to hold next to that. It's two models against one: this is the first year the Fold line has an Ultra tier, so part of the growth is a second phone on the shelf. It's narrowing: Samsung's September 9 release said the same comparison was up 50 percent, so the gap over the Fold7 shrank a little as the launch quarter went on. (Samsung) And the release never mentions Apple. The "iPhone Duo halo" framing in Android Authority, 9to5Google and the briefing I was sent is the press connecting dots. (Android Authority)

The dots are suggestive, though. Samsung says Google searches for its foldables across 32 European markets rose more than 260 percent in September over August, with the biggest weekly jump, 460 percent, in the week of September 6 to 12. Apple's Duo event was September 9. That's Samsung reading search data, not Google Trends published by a third party, but the timing isn't a coincidence. The only independent number I can find is Counterpoint's from August: Z8 pre-orders up more than 30 percent globally and more than 20 percent in Europe in the first 11 days, which is before Apple said a word. (Counterpoint) So the Fold8 was already selling well, and Apple's announcement looks like it added curiosity on top. "Apple's halo lifts Fold8 sales 45 percent" is a stronger sentence than the evidence supports. "Samsung's foldables are having their best year and Apple didn't hurt" is the one I'd sign.

What a Fold8 costs this week

The Fold8 launched at $1,899 for 12 GB and 256 GB, $100 less than the Fold7 at the same tier, with the Ultra from $2,099. (SamMobile) Right now Amazon has the unlocked 256 GB model at $1,699, $200 off and $300 under the iPhone Duo's $1,999, and Best Buy has open-box units up to $580 off. (GSMArena) The Duo, for comparison, showed late January for new orders as of October 19, though Apple has been pulling existing orders earlier. I wrote about the Duo's first weekend yesterday. If you want a foldable in your hand before Thanksgiving and you're not locked into iOS, the math is simple right now, and I'd expect the Black Friday version of it to be better still.

Pixel: a smaller caller ID, found in the code

If you have a Pixel and you find the full-screen Calling Cards photo a bit much, there may be relief coming. Android Authority and AssembleDebug found a "Compact Photo" option in version 244.0.1001930441 of the Phone by Google beta, next to the existing "Full photo," with four color tiles named Coral, Olive, Teal and Violet. (Android Authority) The briefing described this as Google "testing" the layout. It's an APK teardown of an option that doesn't work yet, partly switched on by the reporters. That's a sign of where the app is going, not a feature you can try. I test on a Pixel 11 Pro XL, and I'll say when it actually shows up.

Galaxy Buds On: not a leak, they go on sale today

The briefing called Samsung's clip-on earbuds a leak. They're an announced product. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Buds On in early October, and they go on sale in South Korea today, October 27, at 299,000 won, about $220, in black, with up to 9.5 hours of playback, Qualcomm's Snapdragon S7 Gen 1 Sound chip and Gemini Live built in. (SoundGuys) What leaked on Friday was the 360-degree product animations, via The Cipher Project, plus European retailer listings pointing to a first-half-of-December release there at CHF 179 to CHF 199, roughly $217 to $241. (Android Authority) There is no US date or US price. The same files hint at an ear-hook model and Samsung's first over-ear headphones, which is the more interesting rumor for anyone who owns a Galaxy and a pair of Sony XM6s.

Nothing: a Pokémon, and a name nobody has confirmed

Nothing posted a teaser on its community forum featuring Kingdra, the seahorse Pokémon, with a line about sleeping on the ocean floor to build energy, and the words "coming soon." No product name, no date, no price. (Android Authority) The "Ear (3) Pro" connection comes from a Nothing support page, since deleted but archived in September, that listed a product by that name with the codename Kingdra. Nothing's earbuds have all had Pokémon codenames, Aipom for the Ear (1), Azumarill for the Ear (2), Feraligatr for the Ear (3), Elekid for the Headphone (1), so the inference is reasonable. It's still an inference. And the briefing's advice to hold off on earbuds because the Ear 3 Pro will "shake up the sub-$250 bracket" rests on a price that doesn't exist anywhere. The only reference point is the Ear (3) at $179 last September.

What I got sent, and what was wrong with it

• The 45 percent is Samsung's own figure, for two models against one, and Samsung doesn't credit Apple for it.
• Google isn't "testing" Compact Photo. Reporters found a non-working option in a beta's code.
• The Galaxy Buds On aren't a leak. They were announced weeks ago and ship in Korea today.
• No Ear (3) Pro price exists, so "hold off, it'll shake up the market" is a guess dressed as advice.

What I'd actually do

• Shopping for a foldable: the Fold8 at $1,699 is the deal of the moment, and it only gets better toward Black Friday. I use mine every day next to an iPhone Air and I'd buy it again.
• Shopping for earbuds: buy what you need. If you specifically want clip-ons from Samsung, wait for a US date. Don't wait for a product Nothing hasn't named.
• On a Pixel: nothing to do. If Compact Photo ships, it'll be a toggle in the Phone app's Calling Cards settings.

Verified October 25, 2026. Sales and search figures from Samsung's UK Newsroom releases of October 22 and September 9; neither publishes unit counts. Pre-order data from Counterpoint. Prices from SamMobile and GSMArena, checked October 25; deals change daily. Pixel teardown, Buds On leak and Nothing teaser from Android Authority, Android Authority and Android Authority. Buds On launch details from SoundGuys.