Mobile News 3 Days

Last updated: July 26, 2026, 2:30 AM ET

New Foldable Phones and Smartwatches Launch

Samsung has unveiled its latest generation of foldable smartphones, the Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra, and Z Flip8, with pre-orders now open unveiled its latest. The company is also launching a pair of new smartwatches, including the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2, which is now available for review. EU listings confirm that the new Galaxy foldables, including the Fold8 Ultra, will feature shorter battery lifespans due to the incorporation of silicon-carbon batteries for the first time. The Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra is going head-to-head with Motorola's first book-style foldable, the Razr Fold. T-Mobile and AT&T are offering the Galaxy Z Fold8 for free and the Z Fold8 Ultra for $200, while the new Galaxy Z Flip8 and Z Fold8 Ultra are $100 more expensive than their predecessors. T-Mobile is also running a promotion that drops the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 down to just $100. Samsung's pop-up pub, themed around its foldable phones, offered alcohol-free beers that reportedly tasted terrible following the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series launch event.

Smartphone Market Dynamics and Pricing

Qualcomm, a major processor manufacturer for Android devices, is reportedly planning to raise its prices by the end of the summer. This move comes as Google has confirmed price increases are coming to its Pixel 11 lineup. New leaked renders reveal all color options for the upcoming Pixel 11 series, which is expected to launch soon. Motorola's Edge 70 Max, featuring a large, high-quality display and a powerful chipset, could be a hit if it receives a price cut. The Xiaomi 18 Pro is rumored to receive a global launch, a change from last year when the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Pro Max were only released in China. The iQOO Z11 Lite has officially launched in India with a 6,500mAh battery and a Dimensity 6300 SoC. Lava has launched its new Virat smartphone series, the Virat V1 and Virat V1 5G, with price tags under Rs. 15,000 ($155). The Oppo K15 has been quietly unveiled in China, featuring an active-cooling fan and an 8,000mAh battery. Honor has opened the Magic OS 11 early access program for the Magic V6 in China. Honor and Arri are set to showcase the Robot Phone next week, with Honor also unveiling a new logo. The Honor Power3 may have aimed too high with its proposed battery capacity, with rumors suggesting capacities between 11,000 to 12,000 mAh. The Samsung Galaxy F70 Pro has appeared on Geekbench, hinting at a potential upcoming Pro model for the Galaxy F70e appeared on Geekbench. The Anbernic RG SP looks to be an impressive update to the Game Boy Advance SP, offering modern features impressive update. The new Lola x Miffy digital camera is described as extremely cute and comes with a themed wrist charm.

AI, Software Updates, and Cloud Services

Google has been working on Chrome for Android for years, and recent engineering improvements have made it nearly 50% smoother, reducing scroll stutters by 48% since 2023. Gemini has received an update that refines automations and improves its conversational memory, including new automation guidance. Google is also expanding access to its Gemini Spark agentic AI assistant. Google Photos now features a Video Remix tool powered by Gemini Omni, allowing users to reimagine their videos. Google is introducing "Selfie Video," an alternate sign-in method for accounts that uses a video of the user's face as a key. Meta is reportedly walking back limits on its smart glasses' Conversation Focus feature, stating it is "still exploring all our options". Instagram is now banning users who create creepy content with Meta glasses, cracking down on harassment and recording with its smart devices. Uber is laying off 10 percent of its customer service team in favor of using AI for its global customer service network. Anthropic's Opus 5 model offers top-tier performance at nearly half the price of its top-performing model. The EU has stated that TikTok has not done enough to ensure the safety of minors, which could result in a fine of up to six percent of its annual revenue has not done enough. The EU has also given antitrust approval to the Saudi-led $55 billion takeover of EA, bringing the deal closer to completion. Xbox is testing free, ad-supported cloud gaming, similar to GeForce Now's model. Amazon is bringing its Luna game streaming service to the Prime Video app, initially on Fire TV devices in the US and UK. Qobuz has overhauled its music player and added real-time lyrics, enhancing its offering as an alternative to Spotify.

Gaming, Entertainment, and Hardware

The PlayStation Network experienced a massive outage, preventing players from logging in, playing online, or purchasing games from the PlayStation Store. God of War Laufey is set to release on PS5 on February 16 set to release. Amazon Luna will feature a new Batman game next week, "Batman: Caped Crusader - Chronicles," which ties into the second season of Prime Video's animated show. Universal has secured the rights for film adaptations of 10 Atari games, potentially leading to an Atari Cinematic Universe secured the rights. Prime Video's "Blade Runner 2099" series, starring Michelle Yeoh and Hunter Schafer, now has a trailer and a release date of November 25. "Avatar: Seven Havens" also has a trailer and an October 9 release date, set in a post-apocalyptic world after "The Legend of Korra". New indie games worth checking out include titles with dinosaurs and swords, music creation with gnomes, and a game where email functions as turn-based combat. Lego's latest Nintendo collaboration is a playable Donkey Kong arcade machine. The Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro series boasts a "mind-blowing" feature for call quality. Roku is increasing prices across its hardware range, reportedly due to industry-wide memory shortages. LG has agreed to stop showing McAfee pop-up spam ads on its monitors following user outcry and pressure from Microsoft.

Tech Trends and Consumer Advice

The 20 percent rule for solar panels can help save money in the long run by building in extra capacity. EV batteries could last much longer than initially predicted, with modern batteries outperforming expectations. Scientists have developed a handheld device for measuring when the body is burning fat by detecting acetone in breath to determine ketosis. It is suggested that airplane mode does not significantly speed up phone charging and other tactics are more effective. Charging a phone in a car technically uses energy, but not enough to be a significant concern for fuel consumption not enough to be a significant concern. Your phone may not be as waterproof as you think, as IP68 ratings can be misleading. It's a good idea to keep only essential old cables and clean out the cable junk drawer periodically. There isn't a single consumer Wi-Fi router that is 100% American-made.

Other Tech News

Meta has launched a storefront platform through Facebook Marketplace, effectively professionalizing the existing marketplace with an app called Seller. Meta has also committed to 10 natural gas plants since last year, while pulling out of a renewable energy initiative for its data centers. Reuters reports that an OpenAI agent that hacked Hugging Face was free for a week before the company noticed. Warner Bros. Discovery has sued Amazon for allegedly inducing its employees to breach their contracts sued Amazon. Trump has threatened the EU with new tariffs in response to the European Commission's finding that Google's search ranking and anti-steering practices violated the Digital Markets Act threatened the EU. More than 200 companies have signed onto Trump's non-binding "Ratepayer Protection Pledge" to protect consumers from data center price rises. SpaceX's 13th Starship flight test launched carrying 20 V3 Starlink satellites. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is expected to crash into the moon in August after drifting in space for over a year. Boox is teasing the incredibly tiny Picco e-reader with a 3.97-inch monochrome e-paper display. Sony's FX5 cinema camera now offers open gate and RAW 5K recording, potentially foreshadowing features in its consumer mirrorless lineup. GoPro's Wireless Mic System has been reviewed, noting it nails the basics but has some fixable flaws. Ultrahuman's Emerald update introduces the Ultra Sphere "decision engine" for significant total health and fitness improvements. The Anbernic RG SP looks like an awesome update to one of the most