Mobile News 24 Hours

Last updated: September 9, 2026, 2:19 PM ET

Apple's Big Reveal

Apple's "Surprise and shine" event is set to take place in Cupertino today, and the company's new CEO, John Ternus, has already stirred up excitement with a mysterious video teasing the iPhone 18 Pro Max's variable aperture camera. The event is widely expected to introduce the company's first foldable phone, and a last-minute rumor from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman suggests it will be called the iPhone Duo, not the iPhone Ultra, with a price tag of $2,000 — cheaper than initially expected. While earlier reports claimed Apple wanted the iPhone Ultra to cost $1,999, the final pricing and naming remain unconfirmed. The foldable's launch in China may be delayed over eSIM issues, a problem that also plagued the iPhone Air. Ahead of the event, live coverage is expected to detail the iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series, while a separate watch guide explains how to tune in. The iPhone 18 Pro series and the Duo foldable are expected to headline the event, with last-minute expectations pointing to a foldable design that could be called the iPhone Duo.

Apple Software & Ecosystem

Alongside the new hardware, Apple is finalizing iOS, and code sleuths have discovered that the camera app will gain pro add-ons and variable aperture support. The update also brings major changes to Home Kit, including AI upgrades and 4K camera support. Users can also look forward to an upgraded AI Clean Up tool for removing unwanted objects from photos, which has been enhanced in iOS 27. For those who prefer a more organized driving experience, there's a guide on how to customize your Apple CarPlay display, covering settings, apps, and widgets.

Nintendo Direct & Switch 2

Nintendo held a major Direct presentation, revealing a slew of new games and updates for the Switch. The highlight was a comprehensive rundown of announcements, including release dates and new titles. Mario Kart World is getting a free update that adds courses from the SNES original, arriving today. The excellent Resident Evil remakes are coming to Switch 2 on October 16, just in time for next year's Code: Veronica remake. Samus Aran's next 2D adventure, Metroid Ravenous, arrives on January 28, 2027, and will let her feed on enemies and steal their powers. Meanwhile, the retro gaming crowd got disappointing news: the Neo Geo AES console remake has been delayed to September 16, 2027, though the price remains unchanged.

Gaming Updates & AI

No Man's Sky is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the Cosmos update, its largest update yet, and it's 100 percent free. Riot Games has finally added team voice chat to League of Legends after 17 years of waiting. NVIDIA's DLSS 5 adds subtle details to NBA 2K27, but it demands a lot more power, making it a questionable upgrade for the launch title. Playdate fans can look forward to a new season of games, with a Showcase announced for tomorrow.

AI & Tech Industry

The AI landscape is heating up with several major developments. Anthropic is facing a class-action lawsuit over misleading advertising about Claude usage with its top-tier Max plan. US authorities, including the NSA, CISA, and the FBI, have accused Chinese AI companies like DeepSeek and Moonshot of industrial-scale model distillation to copy American frontier models. OpenAI is at the center of a controversy over whether AI solved a major mathematics problem related to the Navier-Stokes equations, with credit for the accomplishment being murky. Meta has revealed Muse, its new AI agent that can shop, send emails, and plan trips autonomously. Suno has launched its v6 AI music models, formalizing its partnership with Warner and BMG. The first trailer for the Sam Altman biopic "Artificial" is out, and it looks downright creepy; the film hits theaters on Christmas Day.

Mobile & Smartphones

The mobile world is buzzing with new announcements and leaks. Honor is officially announcing the Magic9 series, including the Magic9 Pro Max, on September 28, and the device has already been spotted at the Venice Film Festival in live photos. The company has also revealed the design and launch date for the Magic9 series, highlighting key camera features. Oppo's Find X10 series is now up for pre-order and will pack massive 8,000mAh batteries. The company has also made the Oppo A7 Pro official with an 8,000 mAh battery and 120Hz OLED display, available in China on September 11. Motorola is teasing the Signature, which could finally be US-bound with a slimmer design, upgraded cameras, and a Swarovski edition. The company has also started its teaser campaign for the Signature 27 in the EU. vivo has revealed the design of its X500 Pro Max ahead of its launch in China later this month. Realme is teaming up with Warner Bros. again for a Harry Potter Edition of the Realme 16 Pro, following last year's Game of Thrones limited edition.

Samsung & Android

Samsung has officially ended software support for the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Flip, with the final update rolling out. The company is also rolling out the One UI 9 beta for the Galaxy A55, a download over 2GB with firmware versions ending in ZZI1/EZI1. The Galaxy Z8 series is performing well, with sales up 30% over the Fold 7, and the Flip 8 reportedly excelling at attracting new users to Samsung. Two Galaxy S27 series models will feature Privacy Display, and future Samsung laptops may join them. In our review, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE offers strong value with a few compromises.

Chipsets & Components

Arm has unveiled its CSS for Mobile, an AI-native compute platform featuring the Mali G2-Ultra NX GPU and C2-Ultra and Pro CPU cores, a turnkey solution for chipset designs. Media Tek has set a launch date for its Dimensity 9600 Pro SoC: September 15 at 2:30 PM in China. The rise in drive prices is being driven by AI, and even HDDs can't hide from the skyrocketing storage costs, making HDDs a more sensible option in some scenarios.

Android Apps & Services

Visible is offering 50% off its best unlimited plan for an entire year, but you'll need a special code and have to pay for a year of the Visible Plus Pro plan upfront. Instacart has launched Clementine, its own AI assistant for smarter grocery shopping. Gemini's Daily Brief has dropped its subscription fee and is now free for US users. There's also a guide on how to take full advantage of Gemini when planning your next trip. Google will "degrade" Search in Europe to avoid EU fines, a move that some might call malicious compliance.

Transportation & Smart Tech

Lyft is now offering Waymo rides in Nashville through its app, giving users access to fully autonomous vehicles. SpaceX's recovered Starship 40 will take months to get back to Texas, as the rocket traveled thousands of miles from Texas to the Indian Ocean for a launch test. The White House has removed its border-wall Tetris clone, a game called "Build the Wall" that filtered block-stacking through immigration policies.

Reviews & Hands-On

Tecno's Camon Slim 5G is the latest in the company's line of slim phones, and we've unboxed it to see how it compares to the 4G version. TCL's P80 Pro features an OLED-based Nxt Paper display, and we went hands-on with it along with the standard P80. The Infinix XPAD 30 Pro is a budget tablet with 4G, GPS, and a 90Hz LCD, and our review is in.

Entertainment & Media

The original Star Wars film and the latest installment, Starfighter, are coming to IMAX 70mm in 2027, a Holy Grail quest for fans of the 1977 original. Audio-Technica's new wireless ATH-AL5NC headphones complete its open-back lineup, offering great sound at $279, even if they can't be truly noise-cancelling.

Software & OS Updates

Honor will finally unveil Magic OS, based on Android, next week on September 15. The update was originally expected in August but was delayed.

How-To & Tips

There's a guide on whether there's any benefit to restarting your PC regularly, and how often you really need to do it. The advice is still relevant today. Roku has multiple secret menus that allow you to change behavior and adjust ad preferences, and here's how to unlock them.