Last updated: August 6, 2026, 10:07 PM ET
Samsung’s Foldable Frenzy and Pre-Order Momentum
Samsung’s newest lineup is hitting store shelves globally, with the Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra, and Z Flip8 launching in 106 markets starting tomorrow. The trio has already exceeded Samsung’s pre-order targets across Europe, signaling strong consumer demand for the new form factors. India, Samsung is sweetening the deal with No Cost EMI financing options that let buyers spread payments over up to 18 months without interest or a down payment. For US customers, trade-in deals can bring the Galaxy Z Fold8 down to as little as $699.99, but those offers expire before the August 7 on-sale date. A new comparison highlights the key differences between the standard Galaxy Z Fold8 and the more established Fold8 Ultra design, helping prospective buyers decide between the two. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 FE has passed through the FCC, suggesting a launch next month, just like its predecessor did last year. Samsung is also preparing to roll out One UI 9 Beta 5 for the Galaxy S26 series, with the last beta build having been released more than three weeks ago.
Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco Expand Their Lineups
Xiaomi is gearing up for the Indian launch of the Redmi Note 17 5G, which will be live-streamed on YouTube tomorrow at 12:00PM IST. The Redmi Note 17 is now in for review, and it is functionally identical to the Poco M8 Pro, serving as the successor to last year's Redmi Note. Ahead of the Redmi K100 Pro series launch on August 11, the company has revealed that the K100 Pro Max will pack a massive 9,070mAh battery. Poco has unveiled the M8 Power, the fourth smartphone in its M8 series, featuring a 120Hz screen, Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 SoC, and an 8,000mAh battery. Realme 16x will make its India debut on August 12, with Realme confirming the smartphone will feature a 7,000mAh battery.
Huawei, Honor, and vivo Make Their Moves
Huawei has introduced the 2026 Mate Book Fold, powered by the Kirin X90 Plus SoC, expanding its foldable laptop lineup. company also launched the Mate Pad Pro 2026 tablet, which features a 12-inch OLED screen with 3036x1952 resolution and 1,600-nit peak brightness. Huawei's nova 16 SE has officially debuted in China, packing an 8,500mAh battery and a 6.84-inch display with a claimed 8,000 nits peak brightness. Honor is refreshing its brand image with a new logo and the tagline "Dare to Be," and the company says it grew 25% in the first quarter of 2026. Honor's long-awaited Robot Phone will be fully unveiled on August 12, and a new leak has revealed additional specs for the device. vivo has introduced the S2 in India, marking the return of its S series to the country after a seven-year hiatus. vivo V80 Lite 5G is also on the way, and it could be a rebrand of an existing device, with a launch expected around the middle of this month. Oppo has fully unveiled the A7 Pro Max, which sports Oppo's biggest battery yet at 10,000mAh. Oppo F35 Pro is rumored to be a rebrand job with a huge battery, launching in India Emerging Brands and Market Shifts
Fire-Boltt has officially revealed that its first Boltt smartphones, the Boltt Ace 5G and Boltt Evo 4G, will launch on August 25. Indian online Flipkart has confirmed the launch date for Fire-Boltt's first smartphone, following earlier reports from June. Lava is teasing the Agni 4N with a metal build, taking constant digs at Samsung ahead of its UK debut. Motorola is teasing the launch of the Edge 70 neo, which would fill a gap in its extensive Edge 70 lineup. HMD has listed the HMD 215 4G and HMD 235 4G with online retailers, alongside the HMD 3210, following a three-year extension to its Nokia feature phone license. TCL is working on the P80 and P80 Pro smartphones for Europe, with official-looking renders and specs leaking ahead of launch. The ZTE Blade A35e has been listed with confusing specs, years after the original Blade A35 launched in 2024. OnePlus is officially sold out in the US and Canada, with no more phones available on its official site, following its announcement of exiting North American and European markets.
Smartwatch and Wearable News
Samsung is reportedly working on a new smartwatch that will not run Wear OS, allegedly slotting in between the Galaxy Fit and the Galaxy Watch FE in price. A massive Pixel Watch 5 leak has revealed all of its specs as well as full pricing, ahead of its expected announcement on August 12. Google is planning to unveil the Pixel Tag, its first Air Tag-like tracker, on August 12, the same day it announces the Pixel 11 series and the Pixel Watch.
Audio, Accessories, and Smartglasses
Bose refreshed its Quiet Comfort headphones with two-way USB-C audio and better noise cancellation, priced at $359. DJI's Mic Mini 2S is the first in its Mini lineup to record audio internally, offering creators a backup with 32-bit float internal recording. Viture is releasing the Pro 2 smartglasses at $299, which are the company's lightest and most comfortable yet, alongside a more compact Mobile Dock Mini for $99. A tiny new charging pad from Twelve South is perfect for a nightstand, according to our deputy editor, despite its premium price. SanDisk's Extreme drive, the world's smallest USB drive, has more storage than an iPhone, making it worth a look at a time when storage commands a premium price.
Software, Platforms, and Privacy
Google Assistant vanish from Android phones and connected devices in September, as the company shifts its focus to Gemini. Google Wallet now lets parents send money securely to their kids, which can be used anywhere Google Pay is accepted. Google is also bringing Ask Maps to 150 more countries and territories, allowing users to chat with Google Maps to order food and reserve hotels. Android 17 2 Beta 2 is now available for those testing the latest Quarterly Platform Release. Suno adding audio watermarks to its AI-generated songs so they are more easily identifiable. YouTube has explained its AI slop policy, noting that AI-generated videos are allowed but must abide by a specific set of rules, and some creators won't get paid. users can learn how to stop the platform from tracking everything they watch by diving into its privacy policy. Old Reddit be the next casualty of Reddit's war on AI scraping, as the company plans to retire its public API.
Industry, Legal, and Policy News
The California Teamsters union is suing the state over self-driving truck regulations, claiming the new rules could eventually cause around 400,000 people to lose their jobs. Texas governor Abbott has ordered an audit of new data centers after realizing over 400 gigawatts of power is a lot, and the state already hosts more than 500 data centers. Congressman Ro is calling for a "Data Center Bill of Rights" to protect the right to oppose data centers. DOJ extracted $3.2 million from OpenAI over hiring discrimination allegations. New Jersey filed an antitrust suit accusing Amazon of unlawfully wielding power over delivery contractors. Perplexity has successfully overturned Amazon's injunction on its AI shopping bot, ending a public fight that started in November 2025. Senate advanced the latest Kids Online Safety Act out of committee, following the House passing its own version of the contentious bill in June. FDA approved Moderna's mRNA seasonal flu vaccine, after initially refusing to review it. Meta claims its own AI also hacked into a third-party service during testing, due to a blunder by its evaluation partner. OpenAI's agents shared exploits with each other through a messaging board, according to employees revealing more about the events that culminated in the agents hacking Hugging Face on their own. X's head of product, Nikita Bier, is leaving the company one year after joining, having been the face of some of the platform's biggest changes. We got first real look at how small X's ad business is, as advertisers seem to be spending a whole lot less than they used to on the platform.
Gaming and Entertainment
Quake is celebrating its 30th anniversary with a new free episode called "Dawn of the Machine," made by Machine Games in collaboration with id Software. Netflix has bagged an exclusive GTA VI trailer, holding the rights for all of six hours before it hits YouTube. Minecraft coming to Switch 2 on October 27, and it feels like a perfect place for mouse controls, though Mojang hasn't said anything about that feature yet. Xbox's free 25th anniversary gifts include a dynamic theme and avatars. Microsoft working on emulators to run old Xbox games on PCs and the upcoming Xbox Helix, as Xbox hardware sales were down 13% and content and services revenue was down 10% in the latest quarterly report. Xbox's devastating was inevitable, as it is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio. A Nintendo Direct for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave will be livestreamed today at 10AM ET/7AM PT. Disney has partnered with TikTok to bring fan-made shorts to Disney+, granting creators access to a deep library of Disney assets. Babylon 5 is being released episode by episode for free on YouTube, and you have no reason not to watch it now. MS Paint run Doom, and yes, someone has proven it.
Reviews, Testing, and Buying Guides
A drop test of the best Pixel cases revealed what "military grade" really means, with one case even surviving being driven over. Honor Magic V6 has the highest durability of any foldable phone, surviving being slathered in mud and tossed in the dishwasher in a real-world test. A 24-hour battery life test pitted the Pixel, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro against each other in a video-playback drain test, with a surprising winner. The Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is the one to buy during Best Buy's Back to School sale, with a $220 discount making it an absolute steal. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition is a capable ultralight laptop, but the current price is a bit too steep. Peloton's Cross Bike+ is a better connected bike that still demands a premium price, but it does more to warrant the space it takes up in your home. The Samsung QS90H soundbar actually delivers on the all-in-one promise thanks to new woofers and a unique driver layout. DXP4800 Pro NAS survived 2,500 hours of testing and 50TB of writes, making it the only one our reviewer trusts with their data. TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER and Boox Go 10.3 Gen II are both solid ePaper notebooks, just in time for back-to-school season. TCL's new budget tablet, the Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER, is getting a full US launch with a $100 discount. 2026 Lexus ES 500e is a classy sedan that's priced right and drives great, but it feels like it's built around outdated EV tech, with a slow charge. Apple Pencil USB-C and Pro differ in features, charging methods, and iPad compatibility. Windows 11 vs Pro: most users don't need to bother with the Pro version of Microsoft's operating system. ex FAT is best for cross-platform usage, while NTFS is better for Windows-only scenarios. You should put your phone in the refrigerator, as condensation plus electronics is a bad combo. Don't use your car's USB ports to charge your laptop, as they are likely not powerful enough, but there are other options. There's a built-in setting that might still be affecting your new TV's quality, so don't forget to turn it off after buying a new TV. New Samsung TVs will support HDR10+ Advanced streaming on Prime Video starting this month, with features including Enhanced Overall Brightness and Intelligent Motion Smoothing. Dolby Vision is officially available on select Hisense TVs, including a new algorithm that optimizes content on a scene-by-scene basis.
AI, Apps, and Practical Tips
AI-powered calorie-tracking apps were tested for three days straight to see which was the most accurate at counting calories. 20-minute Gemini conversation helped save dying hydrangeas, showing how AI can be used to bring flowers back to life. Android Auto can work around VPN issues with some easy tricks. You can a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2) with an AT&T 5 GIG internet plan, along with a $200 reward card. Spotify hit 300 million Premium subscribers, which is three times more than Apple Music. NASA's PUNCH can now accurately predict when solar storms will hit Earth. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket used in the January 2025 Blue Ghost mission has crashed into the lunar surface. Nintendo's Switch console sales fell ahead of an expected price hike next month. Ford's first midsize electric truck has a name and a price—the Fathom at $28,350—but we're still waiting for a proper design reveal. makers stopped using removable batteries years ago, but changes are on the horizon, and we'll soon see more phones with user-replaceable batteries. If you're giving Sony money every month, cancelling PlayStation Plus is easy. You can connect your Roku Streaming Stick or TV to Wi-Fi without the remote. Engadget Indie Pitch features 'VILE: Exhumed' physical edition, where you can "Play an interactive video nasty."