This Week In React #246: Next.js, React Router, StyleX, MUI | FlashList 2, RN 0.81, Expo, Radon, Skia | TC39, Astro, Surveys

This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Sebastien Lorber

Hi everyone! Kacper and Krzysztof from Software Mansion here!

After a short summer break, we’re happy to say we’re back! I think we could open a public swimming pool because we’re drowning in the amount of content this week.

This week was full of big releases: Vercel released Next.js 15.5, React Native 0.81 was launched, and last but not least, we finally have the long-awaited FlashList 2 with great performance and cool features.

So let’s get into it!

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React

Next.js 15.5

The new minor version of Next.js brings exciting improvements across many areas of the framework including:

runtime: “nodejs” in middleware now marked as stable
Turbopack for production builds in beta
Typed Routes for type-safe navigation
Deprecation of next lint in order to provide Biome as a fast alternative to ESLint
Next.js 16 deprecation warnings

Convex launched a collaboration with Resend
React Cache: It’s about consistency: React’s cache is more than just a performance tool for limiting fetches. It ensures that components using the same data source have access to it at the same time, preventing inconsistencies in your UI.
Server and client component composition in practice: A hands-on tutorial on the separation of concerns, teaching how to retain the benefits of server components and opting into client components only when needed.
Can we use Local Storage instead of Context/Redux/Zustand? Short answer: No. Use local storage for what it was made for – persisting data in the browser. Nevertheless, the article is interesting as the author dived deeper into the whys.
React Query Selectors, Supercharged: Fine-grained subscriptions using select explained by Dominik, the maintainer of React Query.
How to Handle deferred data in React Router: React Router’s Await combined with Suspense allows you to navigate to a component while the data is still being fetched.
Building testable Telegram bots with Zustand: Proves how using Zustand as the backbone of app architecture allows you to create scalable, easy-to-test code. Full source code available at the end of the article.
How I built a full-stack React framework 4x faster than Next.js: Rari is a React framework that replaces Node.js with direct access to the V8 runtime via Rust. It offers great performance for rendering, builds, and concurrent requests without sacrificing the developer experience.
React is Awful – A fun way to learn a bad thing Surprisingly accurate (and funny!) AI generated book about React. I feel insulted and impressed at the same time. The tone of voice in the book is a bit salty so take it with a pinch of salt.
React Certification – Take a supervised exam created by React expert Aurora Scharff, obtain your certificate to unlock career opportunities
React Router 7.8 – New loaderData fields, stability improvements to unstable_middleware
TanStack Form 1.16 to 1.19 – Alternative validation methods, form identifiers
Storybook 9.1 – Easier RN config, better monorepo support, sb.mock, DX improvements
StyleX 0.15 – Improved media query handling, dynamic styles optimization
Puck 0.20 – Inline text, overlay portals & resizable sidebars
TanStack Query 5.84 + 5.85 – improvements to devtools and fixes
MUI 7.3 – nativeColor unlocked all modern color spaces
Jack Herrington – 3 amazing new TanStack Query features
Neciu Dan – React Keys is not just for lists
Cosden Solutions – The problem with the React Compiler
Alem Tuzlak – This new TanStack DevTools library will change your DX forever
This Month in React – July 2025 – Vercel shakeups, new React Compiler docs

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React-Native

FlashList v2: A Ground-Up Rewrite for React Native’s New Architecture

FlashList v2 is a complete rewrite that eliminates the need for developers to provide item size estimates, a major limitation of v1. Thanks to React Native’s New Architecture, which enables synchronous layout measurements, FlashList v2 can precisely calculate and correct item positions before they are painted on the screen. This new approach removes the need for native code and delivers pixel-perfect scrolling, improves performance with an adaptive rendering algorithm, and enables advanced features like automatic scroll position maintenance. Also, FlashList v2 comes with masonry layout support built-in.

React Native 0.81 – Android 16 support, faster iOS builds, and more

React Native version 0.81 introduces support for the new Android 16, which enforces edge-to-edge display requirements. A major new experimental feature is precompiled builds for iOS, promising significantly faster compilation times. Since this version the built-in <SafeAreaView> component is deprecated and they moved JSC runtime support out to a community-maintained package.