Mobile News 24 Hours

Last updated: September 20, 2026, 2:00 PM ET

Joby's Autonomous Milestone

Joby Aviation completed a fully autonomous flight from California to North Carolina, a landmark demonstration for the electric air taxi startup as it looks to expand beyond piloted urban rides. The cross-country sortie underscores how far autonomous flight control has matured, though certification and airspace integration remain the gating factors before passengers board.

Pixel 11 Lineup and Android Buying Advice

Google's Pixel 11 and Pixel 11 Pro are now available, and the key differences between the two come down to display, camera hardware, and battery capacity rather than raw chipset. For buyers focused on frame rates and thermals, our guide on Android gaming phones breaks down the specs that actually matter when sustained performance is the priority.

Redmi and Oppo in the Pipeline

GSMArena's weekly poll pits the Redmi Note 17 Pro against the Pro Max, with readers weighing whether the series still delivers the value-for-money reputation it built its name on. Separately, the Oppo Find X10 launch is set, while Samsung's Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra are tipped to adopt M16 OLED panels.

iPhone 18 Pro Debut and Apple's Foldable Momentum

The iPhone 18 Pro series has gone on sale in the UK, with the broader lineup also seeing Galaxy Z8 foldables discounted. In the US, the iPhone 18 Pro launch arrived alongside a $100 price hike, while refurbished iPhone 17 Pros are holding stubbornly high prices. Poll results show the iPhone Duo nailed the form factor on Apple's first attempt, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max upstaging the smaller 18 Pro in sales.

Winamp's Streaming Comeback

Winamp will return in 2027 as a subscription service built around a Deezer partnership, an attempt to reposition the iconic player against modern streaming incumbents. Whether nostalgia converts into paying subscribers is the open question.

Smart Glasses and Wearables

Ray Neo's latest smart glasses cut the price to $299 while adding native 3DoF tracking and 3840Hz PWM dimming, a notable spec bump at a lower entry point. The move signals intensifying competition in the lightweight AR eyewear segment.

Power Banks and Charging

Nimble's SHAREPOWER power bank splits a 10,000mAh battery in half so two people can charge simultaneously, a clever twist on a commodity category. Meanwhile, the long-running debate over wired vs. wireless charging gets a fresh look at how each method affects long-term battery health.

AI Industry Moves

President Trump says he is creating an AI Force and will soon name an "AI czar" to run it, adding another layer of federal posture to the fast-moving sector. Anthropic, for its part, has picked Accenture to conduct third-party AI safety evaluations, the first step in CEO Dario Amodei's stated plan to slow down development in favor of rigorous testing.

SpaceX Sets Starship Orbital Date

SpaceX is targeting September 28 for Starship's first orbital flight. For the vehicle's 14th test flight, it will orbit Earth multiple times over roughly 10 minutes before reentry — a major step beyond the suborbital hops flown so far.

EVs: The Slate Truck's Tradeoff

The Slate Truck is built specifically for affordability, but its 205-mile range can't compete with pricier electric pickups. It's a deliberate tradeoff that will define the truck's addressable market.

Home Audio and TV Setup

If you've just placed speakers wherever they fit, our guide on improving surround sound covers small adjustments that pay off in a big way. Setting up Sonos hardware is also easier than many expect — here's how to set up Sonos speakers using the app. And for Netflix viewers dealing with muffled dialogue, a simple menu tweak can fix Netflix audio in seconds.

TV Viewing and Smart TV Control

The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers has a simple method — the 30-degree rule — for calculating ideal viewing distance based on screen size. And if you've lost the remote, you can use your phone as a remote for most smart TVs, even without an IR blaster. Many modern TVs stream Netflix and Prime natively, but there are still good reasons to add a streaming device anyway.

Apple Ecosystem Tips

Car Play delivers an iOS-like experience in the car, but CarPlay Ultra expands deeper into vehicle functions like climate and instrument clusters. For quick captures, you don't need video to record a meeting or song — here's how to record audio on your iPhone. And if Google Wallet is misbehaving, our rundown of common Google Wallet problems covers the usual fixes.

Gaming Hardware

The original Nintendo Switch is still worth buying used in 2026, but a new unit makes far less sense given the current lineup. On Xbox, the wired vs. wireless controller decision comes down to latency and freedom versus battery anxiety. And if you're hooked on puzzle games, Meowdoku swaps sudoku numbers for cats — highly addictive, though it has one big problem worth knowing before you download.

Maintenance and Disposal

Before you give away or recycle an old laptop, you need to safely wipe it to ensure your data doesn't travel with the hardware. And for the analog holdouts: controlling temperature and humidity is key to how long your cassette tapes will actually last. On the home front, robot vacuums save real time, but there are notable downsides to weigh before buying one.