Mobile News 3 Days

Last updated: July 25, 2026, 11:30 AM ET

Smartphones and Foldables See Price Hikes and New Models

Google has confirmed anticipated price increases across its Pixel family, with the Pixel 11 series slated for an August 12th launch. Leaked renders reveal the full color palette for the Pixel 11 lineup. The Google Pixel Watch 5 is also expected to debut alongside the Pixel 11 phones, with leaked specs appearing on the Google Play Console. Samsung is also navigating price changes, with the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra seeing a $100 increase over their predecessors, and the new wide-screen Galaxy Z Fold 8 priced accordingly are more expensive. T-Mobile is offering the Galaxy Z Flip 8 for $100 with a preorder deal, while the Z Fold 8 is available for free and the Z Fold 8 Ultra for $200. EU listings indicate shorter battery lifespans for the new Galaxy foldables due to the adoption of silicon-carbon batteries. Despite these changes, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is being compared to Motorola's new book-style foldable, the Razr Fold goes head-to-head.

Samsung unveiled its latest foldables, including the Galaxy Z Fold, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip, alongside the Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch 9 Ultra. Amazon is offering a $50 gift card for preordering the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9. Samsung has also expanded software support for the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 to five major Wear OS upgrades, an increase from four on previous models. The Galaxy S27 series is rumored to feature camera and battery upgrades, with further leaks detailing the Galaxy S27, S27 Plus, S27 Pro, and S27 Ultra. Samsung has also fixed a Privacy Display flaw on the Galaxy S26 Ultra with the One UI 9 Beta 4 update. Honor is preparing for the launch of its Magic V6, with early access for its Magic OS 11 program now open in China. The Honor Magic V6 is being benchmarked against the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Several other smartphone models are seeing updates and leaks. The iQOO Z11 Lite has debuted with a 6,500mAh battery and Dimensity 6300 SoC. The Lava Virat V1 and V1 5G have arrived with price tags under ₹15,000 (approximately $155). The Oppo K15 has been quietly unveiled in China, featuring an active-cooling fan and an 8,000mAh battery unveiled in China. The nubia Navi X Ultra's key specifications have been tipped following its reveal in China. The vivo S2 India launch may occur on August 6th, with design and key specs leaking ahead of its debut. The One Plus N6x's launch date and design have been revealed, following the N6's introduction last month. Qualcomm is reportedly launching a new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC later this year.

AI, Software, and Services Evolve with New Features and Updates

Google is enhancing its Gemini AI with an update that refines its conversational memory and adds automation guidance for smart home devices. The company is also expanding access to its Gemini Spark agentic AI assistant. Gemini is now powering a "Video Remix" feature in Google Photos, allowing users to reimagine their videos. YouTube is introducing new tools to streamline the creation of custom thumbnails for both short-form and long-form videos. Google has also quietly rebuilt Chrome on Android over several years, resulting in a nearly 50% smoother experience by reducing scroll stutters by 48%. Google Play is hosting "The Auction" event at SDCC, offering rewards for comic book fans who redeem them on-site or online.

Meta is making strides in its advertising platform by launching a storefront through Facebook Marketplace, effectively professionalizing the existing service with a new app called Seller. The company has also pulled out of a renewable energy initiative, increasing its reliance on natural gas for data centers with commitments to 10 new plants since last year. Instagram is now banning users who create "creepy content" with Meta glasses, cracking down on harassment and unauthorized recording. OpenAI's rogue agent reportedly went on a hacking spree for days before the company noticed, having been free for a week after breaching Hugging Face. Anthropic's latest model, Opus, is said to nearly match its top-performing model at half the price.

In other software and service updates, Roku is increasing prices across its hardware range, reportedly due to industry-wide memory shortages. Users can now program their Roku remotes to voice control non-Roku TVs. PlayStation Network experienced a massive outage, preventing players from logging in, playing online, or purchasing games. Qobuz has overhauled its music player and added real-time lyrics, aiming to be a strong Spotify alternative. Steam has added updates to its gifting and wishlist features, allowing users to gift games without a Steam account and categorize their wishlists. Xbox is testing free, ad-supported cloud gaming, borrowing a model from GeForce Now. Xbox is also bringing games from its original console to PC with achievement support.

Gaming, Entertainment, and Hardware Round Out the Tech Landscape

New indie games are emerging, including titles with dinosaurs wielding swords, music-making gnomes, and a game that turns email into turn-based combat. Amazon is adding a new Batman game, "Batman: Caped Crusader - Chronicles," to its Luna streaming service next week, tying into the second season of the Prime Video animated show. Amazon has also integrated Luna game streaming into the Prime Video app, initially for Fire TV devices in the US and UK.

Prime Video's "Blade Runner 2099" series, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, now has a trailer and a release date of November 25th. The "Avatar: Seven Havens" post-apocalyptic tale, set after "The Legend of Korra," also has a trailer and an October 9th release date. Universal has secured rights for film adaptations of 10 Atari games, potentially leading to an Atari Cinematic Universe. "Nirvanna the Band the Show and Movie" will finally be available to stream via Hulu on July 24th.

In hardware news, the Anbernic RG SP is presented as an exciting update to the Game Boy Advance SP. The Lola x Miffy digital camera is noted for its cute design and comes with a themed wrist charm. Boox is teasing the "incredibly tiny" Picco e-reader, featuring a 3.97-inch monochrome e-paper display teases an e-reader. A new report suggests that EV batteries could last much longer than initially predicted, with modern batteries outperforming expectations. Colorado is exploring new methods for EV battery recycling to address end-of-life disposal challenges.

GoPro's Wireless Mic System is reviewed as an audio upgrade with some fixable flaws. The GoPro Hero 12 Black is also receiving a new update that includes the ability to use the camera's wireless mic system as an external microphone for other devices. SpaceX's 13th Starship flight test has launched, carrying 20 V3 Starlink satellites. One of its Falcon 9 rockets is expected to crash into the moon in August after drifting in space for over a year. A handheld device has been developed by scientists to measure when the body is burning fat by analyzing acetone in breath for ketosis.

Legal, Policy, and Industry Shifts in the Tech World

Warner Bros. Discovery has sued Amazon, accusing the latter of "inducing" its employees to breach their contracts by poaching them. The European Commission found that Google's search ranking and anti-steering practices violated the Digital Markets Act, prompting a threat of new tariffs from Trump in response to the fine. The EU has given antitrust approval to the Saudi-led $55 billion takeover of EA, bringing the deal closer to completion. The EU has also given Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery the go-ahead, provided Paramount ends its distribution business with Universal in Europe.

More than 200 companies have signed Trump's "pledge" to protect consumers from data center price rises, a non-binding agreement from the Trump administration. LG has agreed to stop showing McAfee spam ads following user outcry and pressure from Microsoft. Uber is laying off 10 percent of its customer service team, opting to utilize AI instead. Bethesda is accused of breaking Canadian labor laws with layoffs in its Montreal studio, continuing the fallout from recent Xbox layoffs.

There isn't a single consumer Wi-Fi router that is 100% American-made, according