Mobile News 24 Hours

Last updated: August 26, 2026, 8:36 AM ET

Phones & Chipsets

Qualcomm's next flagship chip continues to tease its potential ahead of the Snapdragon Summit next month in Hawaii. The alleged iQOO, powered by the upcoming silicon, has appeared on Geekbench, following an earlier AnTuTu sighting. The company has reportedly broken the 5GHz barrier with its next Snapdragon chip, hitting a whopping 5GHz clock speed. Meanwhile, a leakster has detailed the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro and Dimensity 9600 Pro flagship chipsets, noting that Xiaomi's new chip, while impressive, is held back by older tech like a 3nm process (TSMC N3P) and Arm C1 cores.

Huawei is ramping up teasers for the Pura X View ahead of its official China launch on August 28, showcasing its wide-screen design. The company has also confirmed that its next tri-fold smartphone, the Mate XT2, will be unveiled next month, with rumors suggesting a different folding mechanism. In the midrange segment, vivo quietly launched the V80 Lite 5G in Pakistan with a Dimensity 7360 chipset and a massive 7,050 mAh battery — a device distinct from the version heading to India. Xiaomi's Redmi brand also unveiled the Redmi 17C 5G, featuring a Dimensity 6300 SoC and a 6,000mAh battery, following a premature retailer listing in Europe. India-based Fire-Boltt entered the smartphone market with the Boltt Ace 5G and Evo 4G, both sporting 6,000mAh batteries at affordable prices. Sony updated its midrange lineup with the Xperia 10 VIII, but the phone offers few upgrades for a significantly higher price.

Galaxy Ecosystem & Software

Samsung is rolling out the sixth beta of One UI 9 for the Galaxy S26 series, an 851MB update that includes the August security patch and various fixes. One UI 9 Beta 6 arrives about two weeks after the fifth beta, and users are hoping this is the final beta before a stable release. The update also brings an improved Smart Switch app, which now has a simpler set-up process and can copy more data, particularly when moving from an iPhone to a Galaxy device. fresh high-quality CAD renders of the Galaxy S27 Ultra have surfaced, showing a design that looks increasingly iPhone-like with a horizontal camera plateau. The redesign mirrors the iPhone 17 Pro in several ways, according to Android Central.

Nothing OS 5.0, based on Android, officially debuts tomorrow with an open beta rollout beginning at 11:00 BST for select devices. The Nothing OS 5.0 release brings a host of new features and a detailed rollout schedule. For those interested in alternative operating systems, Graphene OS is finally coming to Motorola's phones, with support for 2027 Motorola devices arriving first, followed by foldables.

Apple & Mac

Apple has refreshed its desktop lineup with the new Mac mini and Mac Studio, featuring the latest generation of M-series chips. The Mac mini and Mac Studio now pack the M6 and M5 Ultra processors, making them the most powerful computers Apple has ever made. The M5 Ultra with an 80-core GPU is designed to power through AI models and 8K video, while the M6 chip is built on a cutting-edge 2nm process. The Mac Studio with M5 Ultra and the Mac mini with M6 represent significant leaps in performance for creative professionals.

In other Apple news, the company has reversed a controversial decision regarding its Hide My Email privacy feature. Apple decided that undermining its own email privacy feature was a bad idea after all and has restored the feature's functionality. For those looking to disable Find My iPhone, there's a guide on how to turn it off and when you definitely should — though the feature should generally stay on for security.

Apps & Services

WhatsApp has announced improved security features, most notably a stronger two-step verification system. Previously a six-digit PIN, the verification now requires a full alphanumeric password, offering significantly better protection. The app has also added enhanced call information to help users identify incoming calls. Instagram is rolling out a new feature called First Draft that automatically trims clips for Reels, taking care of the busywork of video editing. Meanwhile, Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified in a social media addiction trial, saying it was "news to me" that employees limited his exposure to teen safety data.

Anthropic has updated Claude's memory functionality, which now works across both chats and Cowork sessions. The update gives users more control over what memories Claude saves. OpenAI has made Chat GPT's upgraded task scheduling tool available to free accounts, while paid accounts can configure prompts to trigger when things happen in Gmail, Slack, or GitHub. Uber is introducing a feature that lets parents peek through a driver's selfie camera when teens are taking a trip, though the company says it will only access recordings to review safety reports.

Gaming & Entertainment

CRKD is mining nostalgia with three Gibson guitar controllers for the upcoming Stage Tour game, set for a December 10 release. The guitar controllers are designed to evoke classic rhythm gaming experiences. Iceflake Studios, the team behind Cities: Skylines II, is preparing a cozy new city builder called Lego Skylines, announced at Gamescom. A remastered version of The Witcher 3 will be released on September 29, and current owners will get the upgrade for free. Nintendo has revealed new Switch 2 bundles just ahead of the console's price increase, serving as a reminder that the Switch 2 is getting more expensive next week.

Xbox is celebrating its 25th birthday with a bunch of translucent green accessories for the console. The company has also released a retrospective on how Xbox controllers have changed over the past quarter-century, from the original Duke to the modern Series X pad. A new analysis explores why movie tie-in games are rarely sold anymore, examining how the industry shifted from licensed adaptations to original IP.

Wearables & Accessories

Lexar has released the Silver Plus, which is being called the best 2TB Micro SD card you can use with a camera or any other accessory. The Lexar Silver Plus has impressed reviewers with its performance and capacity. The Pebble Time 2 has been reviewed as the perfect smartwatch for a select group of people, designed to push back against the trend of feature-bloated wearables. Garmin's Fenix 9 lineup raises the bar with faster maps, smarter training, titanium design, brighter displays, and serious battery life. The Garmin Fenix 9 series is aimed at athletes and adventurers who need robust performance in the field.

Ben Q has introduced its first dual-monitor desk lamp, the Screen Bar Max, which will give your screens a glow up — but it'll cost you. The BenQ Screen Bar Max is excellent but comes at a premium price. The Nokia 300 Charge doubles as a 10W powerbank, offering a practical dual-purpose design. The re Markable Paper Pro, considered by many to be the perfect writing tablet, has scored a rare discount at Best Buy and Amazon. The reMarkable Paper Pro deal offers $100 off, but it won't last long.

Mobility & AI

Waymo is expanding to Germany, with service in Munich planned for 2027. The company has set up subsidiaries in several European countries this summer as it prepares for international expansion. Elon Musk's SpaceX is planning to use NVIDIA GPUs for its Starmind project, which aims to harness solar energy for AI computing in orbit. The SpaceX Starmind project faces unique challenges in the space environment.

Awards & Recognition

The Expert Imaging and Sound Association has announced its latest 2026-2027 smartphone awards, with Xiaomi winning the top EISA Smartphone award. Honor, Oppo, and Samsung also received recognition in various categories. The EISA awards are voted on by multiple member publications that have tested the products extensively.

Connectivity & Deals

Mint Mobile has finally received its Google Pixel 11 stock, and the deals are even better than expected. The Mint Mobile Pixel 11 deals offer the phone for under $900, making it one of the more competitive options for the flagship device. For those wondering about the latest connectivity standards, there's a helpful guide explaining the difference between Thunderbolt 4 and 5, covering speed, power, and display capabilities. The Google Pixel 11 Pro XL has been put through its paces in a teardown video testing its resistance to scratches, open flames, and bending. The Pixel 11 Pro XL durability test shows how the device holds up under extreme conditions.