Mobile News 24 Hours

Last updated: August 21, 2026, 8:35 AM ET

Pixel 11 Goes on Sale With Carrier Giveaways

The Pixel 11 series is officially available in stores and through carriers today, one week after Google opened pre-orders. All three major US carriers are dangling free hardware, with T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon each offering select Pixel 11 models at no cost alongside qualifying plans or trade-ins. Verizon's promotion stands out because the Verizon deal can still land you a completely free flagship even though the pre-order window has closed. Buyers eyeing the foldable can consult our launch guide to Pixel 11 Pro Fold deals for the cheapest routes to the premium device. We are also tracking the best Pixel 11 deals across free phones, trade-in discounts, and plan credits.

Poco Fires on Both Cylinders

Poco unveiled the Poco M8x as the newest member of its M8 series, making it India's first smartphone with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 5 SoC, alongside a 120Hz display and a 7,900mAh battery. On the flagship side, the Poco F9 Ultra surfaced on Geekbench, confirming the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and its RAM configuration ahead of an imminent launch. iQOO joined the midrange push as well, and our iQOO Z11 hands-on details how the India variant differs in design and specs from the Chinese and Malaysian models.

India's Budget Pipeline Keeps Flowing

OnePlus, having exited North America and Europe, reaffirmed its commitment to India, and the company is now tipped to launch a new budget 4G phone there. Infinix confirmed the Hot 70 Pro will arrive in India during the first week of September, with its color options now revealed. OPPO took a different tack with the Reno 16 Pro, a costlier-than-usual midranger whose standout cameras, gorgeous design, and strong battery life prove flagships have no monopoly on great photos.

Samsung Preps Tablets and a Bigger Battery

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Tab S12+ and Tab S12 Ultra very soon, perhaps alongside the Galaxy S26 FE next week, and leaked pricing for both tablets has already surfaced. In the budget tier, Anatel certification in Brazil revealed that the upcoming Galaxy A08 will jump to a 6,000mAh battery.

Huawei Bets on Wide Screens Without Foldables

Huawei made the Pura X View official with a 16:9.5 wide-aspect display and a 7,000mAh battery, extending the wide form factor beyond foldables. The non-folding Pura X View pairs that wider screen with slim bezels and up to 1TB of storage, though its price and full specifications remain under wraps.

Honor Climbs as the Market Slides

Counterpoint Research estimates European smartphone shipments fell to a three-year low of 35 million units in Q2. The global picture is similarly grim, yet Honor defied the slump and gained ground while Samsung led the market and Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo wrestled with rising costs and shrinking demand. leaker Digital Chat Station shared fresh details on the Honor 700 series along with specs for the Magic9 Pro, Win2, and Power3.

Software Roundup: Nothing, Samsung, OpenAI, and Google

Nothing announced that Nothing OS 5.0, its interpretation of Android, will be unveiled on August 25. A leak suggests Samsung's One UI 9.5 could borrow Gemini's "Create My Widget" capability, which turns plain-language descriptions into custom widgets. OpenAI rolled out a plugin that lets ChatGPT on Mac read and respond to Apple iMessages directly. Google, meanwhile, added a preferred sources button that lets users prioritize their favorite publishers in Search and Discover.

Wearables and Audio Get Fresh Entries

Xiaomi's Redmi brand launched the Redmi Watch 6 Active in China for CNY, roughly $51, packing a 470mAh battery and 140 sports modes. Hyper X entered new territory with its first open-back gaming headset, the Cloud Alpha Air, priced at $150 with notably comfy earpads. Nothing's CMF sub-brand debuted the CMF Buds Neo in India with active noise cancellation and a claimed 52 hours of total battery life. New Pixel Watch owners can also consult our roundup of the best Pixel Watch 5 screen protectors.

AR and VR Momentum Builds

Ray Neo is targeting opposite extremes with its latest AR smart glasses, splitting the lineup between minimalist and maximalist designs. Rival Xreal said reservations for the Xreal Aura have already surpassed 10,000 units ahead of the fall launch, and CEO Chi Xu called the demand "exciting." On the gaming side, Payday: Aces High left a strong first impression during an hour-long hands-on on Meta Quest.

Robotaxis Gain Ground in Nevada and Austin

Nevada's transportation authorities approved paid robotaxi permits for Uber, Tesla, Waymo, letting the companies charge for autonomous rides. In Texas, Tesla's Robotaxi fleet in Austin appears to be operating fully autonomously without supervision for the first time.

Genesis Loads a Luxury EV With Surprises

Genesis revealed the GV90 NeoLun, a luxury electric SUV whose innovations skip the dash and drivetrain in favor of coach doors and heated floors.

Gaming and Entertainment Briefs

Amazon's God of War adaptation cast Dave Bautista as Kratos after Ryan Hurst's on-set injury earlier this year. Riot Games will end active development of 2XKO in December, though the fighting game keeps receiving content updates through October 2026 and its servers stay online. Gamescom kicks off with Opening Night Live, a two-hour stream featuring Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day, and The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past. Sega's classic beat-'em-up is also headed to television, with the Golden Axe animated series premiering on Paramount+ on September 16.

Platforms, Policy, and Infrastructure

GitHub said commits have doubled over the past four months, and the resulting traffic peak triggered the capacity failures behind its recent outage. US senators pressed TikTok over a "sinister" experiment that held back an algorithm safety feature, a test that reportedly included a teen who died by suicide. Meta launched Pocket, its app for creating generative AI minigames, in the US, describing it as a platform for making and sharing gizmos. Bilibili is going global with a new international app and an English version of its website. A recent Windows 11 update is causing game crashes and other problems, and Microsoft has opened an investigation. Crunchyroll is expanding beyond phones, with the anime service appearing on car infotainment systems via the Appning app store. Australia passed a law requiring tech giants such as Meta, Google, TikTok, and LinkedIn to pay levies supporting local news unless they strike deals with publishers.

Silicon Watch: TSMC Eyes 1.6nm

Just as 2nm chips from Qualcomm near release, reports say TSMC is already racing toward 1.6nm mass production in Q4 2026.