Tech & Mobile 8 Hours

Tech & Hardware

Last updated: August 21, 2026, 12:58 PM ET

Consoles & Keyboards

Microsoft kicked off early June by introducing the Xbox Series X25, a limited edition console celebrating 25 years of the Xbox brand, complete with a translucent green design and a premium $899 price tag. On the peripheral side, Razer announced the Huntsman V3 Pro Low-profile Tenkeyless 8KHz, which the company bills as the world's first low-profile analog optical esports keyboard, designed expressly for competitive play.

Monitors

Philips Monitors unveiled the Evnia 27M2N3291PL/01, a high-performance 27-inch gaming monitor equipped with a Fast IPS panel engineered for rapid action and competitive precision. Not to be outdone, AGON by AOC expanded its popular G4 series with the AOC GAMING Q27G4ZRAD, a 260Hz QHD display built for esports enthusiasts and mainstream gamers alike.

Audio

Kiwi Ears announced the Stardust, an earphone carefully tuned to maintain a natural balance between musicality and neutrality, with sub-bass set at a controlled 8dB level for tactile impact and engaging presence. One Odio, meanwhile, launched the Fusion Series A70 Gen 2, an upgraded flagship wireless headphone aimed at musicians, DJs, and Hi-fi listeners, arriving at a $59.99 price point.

Power & Storage

PCCOOLER, a brand better known for budget-friendly cooling solutions, is pushing into the enthusiast segment with the flagship CPS YS1200, a 1200W power supply carrying an 80+ Platinum rating and native ATX 3.1 support. Synology also announced the availability of the RS826RP+ and RS826+, compact 1U 4-bay rackmount storage systems designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage and protect data efficiently.

Silicon Watch

Intel is preparing an entry-level configuration of its Arc G3 processor family for upcoming handhelds, trimming the integrated GPU to 4 Xe3 cores versus the standard model's 10 Xe3 cores. The cut-down chip is expected to launch soon across handheld designs from the company's OEM partners, extending Panther Lake's reach into budget portable gaming.

Privacy & Spaceflight

As consumer demand for Meta AI glasses explodes, unwanted recordings are getting harder to avoid, spurring the release of Zuckoff, a free app that detects the eyewear in real time amid mounting privacy backlash. In launch news, Ars Technica's latest Rocket Report covered SpaceX making its mark on the Moon, ULA naming a new chief executive, and a setback for Taiwan's effort to develop its own satellite launcher.

Giveaways

Tech Power Up's Back2Kool Giveaway, run alongside Mad Catz and personal refrigeration specialist Koolatron, has rolled into its second week, giving readers in the United States and Canada fresh chances to win throughout the event.

Mobile News

Last updated: August 21, 2026, 2:41 PM ET

Carrier Deals & Back-to-School Savings

Mint Mobile is now taking orders for the Google Pixel 11 after finally receiving stock, and buyers can effectively score a free year of wireless service with the purchase. Students heading back to class can also grab TCL NXTPAPER tablets and smartphones at up to 35% off during the brand's Amazon sale. If you're not sold on Google's flagship, our guide to six alternatives makes the case that the Pixel 11 Pro XL is underwhelming compared with rivals like Samsung and One Plus.

Platform Politics & AI Safety

Epic Games insists that Apple's revamped EU app store rules still violate the Digital Markets Act, despite signals that the European Commission is satisfied with the changes. On the AI front, child safety experts are openly skeptical of ChatGPT for Teens, arguing that OpenAI must prove it can be trusted before products aimed at minors get regulatory or parental approval.

Apple Rumor Mill

Fresh details on Apple's camera-equipped AirPods reveal a genuinely strange concept: each earbud captures its own image, and the shots are then synchronized for use by Visual Intelligence.

Wearables

Our Pixel Watch 5 review concludes that Google's latest smartwatch is fantastic hardware that simply launched before several promised features were ready. Software-wise, Google has streamlined updates with a single unified build, though enthusiasts still cannot flash factory images without the company's invite-only debug adapter. In augmented reality, RayNeo — which held a 23.7% market share in Q1 2026 according to Counterpoint — unveiled two distinct lines: the productivity-focused iO series and the multimedia-focused GT series.

Foldables

The Galaxy Z Flip8 has arrived for its first look, completing the set alongside the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra in a very pink-and-purple color story.

Big-Battery Budget Phones

A new leak suggests the Poco X8 Power will launch soon with a huge 10,000mAh battery, expanding a series that already includes the X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max. vivo has confirmed that the vivo V80 Lite debuts on September 3, and it packs the same 10,000mAh capacity. Poco also officially launched the Poco M8x, making it India's first smartphone with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 SoC, alongside a 120Hz display and a 7,900mAh battery. Rounding out the segment, the Honor Turbo 5G went official via Honor Eurasia, confirming leaked specs that include the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset and a 6.7-inch screen.

Payments & Automotive

Walmart will finally accept contactless payments in stores by the end of 2026, and Sam's Club will let shoppers pay with their phones or smartwatches soon after. In China, Tesla and several other automakers are recalling more than 4 million vehicles over hidden door handles that may impede emergency exits.

Cutting the Cord

Whether a leftover satellite dish can double as a free TV antenna depends largely on your location, and our breakdown explains exactly what these dishes can and cannot deliver for cord-cutters today.

Apple News

Last updated: August 21, 2026, 10:34 AM ET

Walmart Ends Its Apple Pay Boycott

Walmart will finally begin rolling out Apple Pay support across its stores next week, ending a standoff with Apple's payment platform that stretched more than a decade despite steady pressure from shoppers. The reversal brings the country's largest retailer into line with competitors that embraced tap-to-pay years ago.

Camera Air Pods Emerge From the Code

Details of Apple's long-rumored camera-equipped AirPods keep surfacing, with code in the latest mac OS Tahoe build revealing image capture resolution, a dedicated status light, and built-in person detection. A companion report explains how the earbuds will detect people in frame and flash a warning light whenever image capture begins, an apparent bid to defuse the privacy debate surrounding head-mounted cameras. The leak anchors the newest AppleInsider Podcast episode, which also digs into upcoming Apple Maps ads and the state of Siri's AI overhaul. Listeners pressed for time can grab the same rundown from 9to5Mac Daily.

Ireland Windfall, Global Gains

Apple paid $17bn in taxes to Ireland last year, a figure equal to 40% of its $43bn worldwide tax total, according to Financial Times data. Meanwhile, new Counterpoint Research numbers show the company gaining ground in India, Latin America, and Europe even as all three regional smartphone markets contracted, underscoring Apple's resilience against a broader industry downturn.

Vision Group Takes a Hit

Apple has laid off roughly 60 employees from its Vision Products Group, with reporting describing the purge as eliminating "an entire team dedicated to VR development" and signaling continued slow progress for the headset business.

Chat GPT Wants Your Texts

The latest version of ChatGPT can now read a Mac user's entire Messages history and compose texts on their behalf, a capability Apple Insider likens to handing OpenAI your house keys. Anyone serious about privacy should think twice before granting a third-party assistant that level of access.

Deals and Second Lives

On the shopping front, Amazon has slashed LG's 27-inch Ultra Gear OLED gaming monitor to $467.97, the lowest price ever recorded for the display while supplies last. For shooters, a 9to5Mac photo diary argues the iPhone remains the best camera precisely because it is the one always in your pocket, doubling as a capable B-roll rig. And if an upgrade is looming, a practical guide lays out when to reuse, sell, or recycle an older iPhone or iPad, cautioning that the wrong second act can turn aging software into a security risk.