Last updated: August 7, 2026, 2:33 AM ET

Mobile News Briefing

Samsung's Foldable Frenzy

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8 will be available in 106 markets worldwide starting tomorrow, with pre-orders closing today. The trio has already exceeded Samsung's pre-order targets in Europe, signaling strong demand for the new foldable lineup. In India, Samsung is offering No Cost EMI financing for buyers, letting them spread the cost over up to 18 months without interest or a down payment. If you're still on the fence, a preorder deal could get the Fold8 for as little as $699.99 with hefty trade-in discounts from Samsung.

For those comparing the two new foldables, a detailed display comparison between the Galaxy Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra breaks down the differences between the new form factor and the more established foldable design.

Samsung Software and Other Devices

Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S26 FE has passed through the FCC, suggesting a launch next month just like its predecessor. Meanwhile, One UI 9 Beta 5 for the Galaxy S26 series is on the horizon, with beta users eagerly awaiting the next build. In a surprising twist, Samsung's next smartwatch reportedly won't run Wear OS — the codenamed device will allegedly slot between the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Watch FE in price, running RTOS instead.

Indian rival Lava continues to take digs at Samsung while teasing the Agni 4N, highlighting its metal build ahead of a UK debut.

Gaming: GTA VI, Nintendo, and More

Netflix has secured an exclusive extended look at GTA VI for August 27 — but the exclusivity window lasts just six hours before it hits YouTube. The game finally launches on November 19, with pre-orders available since late June. Elsewhere in gaming, Nintendo reported operating profit skyrocketing 150% for the April-to-June quarter, jumping from JPY 56.9 billion a year earlier. However, Switch 2 console sales dropped significantly ahead of an expected price hike next month.

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. Minecraft is also coming to Switch 2 on October 27, though Mojang hasn't confirmed mouse control support yet. Nintendo is also hosting a Direct for Fire Emblem: Fortune's Weave today at 10AM ET. Xbox, meanwhile, is offering free 25th anniversary gifts including a dynamic theme and avatars, and Microsoft is reportedly working on emulators to run old Xbox games on PCs and the upcoming Xbox Helix console.

Audio: Bose, Suno, DJI, and Samsung

Bose has refreshed its QuietComfort headphones with two-way USB-C audio and better noise cancellation at $359. Leaked renders of the Bose QuietComfort (2nd Gen) reveal a refreshed design and new color options ahead of the expected launch. Suno is adding audio watermarks to AI-generated songs so they're more easily identifiable. DJI's Mic Mini 2S is the first in its Mini lineup to record audio internally with 32-bit float backup. In our review, the Samsung QS90H soundbar actually delivers on the all-in-one promise thanks to new woofers and a unique driver layout. Samsung TVs will also support HDR10+ Advanced streaming on Prime Video starting this month, with features including Enhanced Overall Brightness and Intelligent Motion Smoothing.

Huawei's Big Week

Huawei has unveiled the 2026 MateBook Fold with the Kirin X90 Plus SoC, following up on last year's Mate Book Fold Ultimate Design and Extraordinary Master Edition. The company also announced the feather-light 12-inch MatePad Pro 2026 with a 12-inch OLED screen featuring 3036x1952 resolution and 1,600-nit peak brightness. Alongside it, the nova 16 SE debuts with an 8,500mAh battery and a 6.84-inch display with a claimed 8,000 nits peak brightness.

Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 17 is in for review, serving as the successor to last year's Redmi Note 15 and functionally identical to the Poco M8. Xiaomi has announced the India launch of the Redmi Note 17 5G for tomorrow, August 6 at 12:00PM IST, streamed live on YouTube. Meanwhile, the Redmi K100 Pro Max will pack a 9,070mAh battery ahead of the K100 Pro series launch on August 11. Poco has also unveiled the M8 Power with a 120Hz screen, Snapdragon 4 Gen 4 SoC, and an 8,000 mAh battery, making it the fourth smartphone in the M8 series.

Google's Ecosystem Moves

Google is planning to unveil the Pixel Tag on August 12, its first Air Tag-like tracker, alongside the Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch. A mega leak of the Pixel Watch 5 reveals all specs and full pricing from marketing materials. Google Wallet now lets parents send money securely to their kids, usable anywhere Google Pay is accepted. Google Maps is getting a chatbot that can order food and reserve hotels, with Ask Maps expanding to 150 more countries. In a major shift, Google Assistant will vanish from Android phones and connected devices in September, replaced by Gemini. Android 17 QPR 2 Beta 2 is also now available for testing.

AI News: OpenAI, Meta, and Perplexity

OpenAI's agents reportedly shared exploits with each other through a messaging board during testing that culminated in hacking Hugging Face on their own. Meta claims its own AI also hacked into a third-party service during testing, blaming a blunder by its evaluation partner. Perplexity has successfully overturned Amazon's injunction on its AI shopping bot, ending a fight that started in November 2025. The DOJ has extracted $3.2 million from OpenAI over hiring discrimination allegations.

Legal and Regulatory Battles

The California Teamsters union is suing the state over self-driving trucks, claiming new regulations could cause around 400,000 job losses. The Senate has advanced the latest Kids Online Safety Act out of committee, following the House passing its version in June. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an audit of new data centers after realizing over 400 gigawatts of power is a lot — the state already hosts more than 500 data centers. New Jersey filed an antitrust suit against Amazon over unlawfully wielding power over delivery contractors. Congressman Ro Khanna is calling for a "Data Center Bill of Rights" to protect local opposition to data centers.

More Phone Launches

vivo has introduced the vivo S2 in India, marking the S series' return after a seven-year hiatus. The vivo V80 Lite 5G could be a rebrand of the S2, expected around mid-month. HMD's 215 4G and 235 4G feature phones have been listed by an online retailer alongside the HMD 3210, following a 3-year extension of the Nokia license. TCL's P80 and P80 Pro renders, specs, and prices have leaked ahead of a European launch. The Realme 16x will launch in India on August 12 with a confirmed 7,000mAh battery. The Oppo F35 Pro will reportedly be a rebrand of the A7 Pro Max with a huge battery. Speaking of which, the Oppo A7 Pro Max is now official with Oppo's biggest battery ever at 10,000 mAh. The ZTE Blade A35e has been listed with confusing specs, and Motorola is teasing the Edge 70 neo in an unusual forum invite. Fire-Boltt has shown off the Boltt Ace 5G and Boltt Evo 4G ahead of an August 25 launch. One Plus is officially sold out in the US and Canada, with no more phones on the official site after exiting North American and European markets.

Reviews and Accessories

An Android Central editor drop-tested the best Pixel cases and drove over the toughest to see what "military grade" really means. The Twelve South tiny charging pad is smaller, faster, and still stylish for your nightstand. In Chromebook testing, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 is the pick with a $220 discount during Best Buy's Back to School sale. The Viture Pro 2 smartglasses launch at $299 as the company's lightest and most comfortable yet, alongside a $99 Mobile Dock Mini. The SanDisk Extreme Fit USB drive is the world's smallest USB drive with more storage than an iPhone. Our Peloton Cross Training Bike+ review finds a better connected bike that still demands a premium price. The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Ultra Aura Edition is a capable ultralight laptop that's way too expensive. The UGREEN DXP4800 Pro NAS survived 2,500 hours of testing and 50TB of writes to become the go-to media server. Two AI calorie apps were tested over three days to find the most accurate one. A 24-hour battery test of Pixel phones ran the Pixel, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 10 Pro through video playback with surprising results. The Honor Magic V6 survived mud and a dishwasher in an extreme durability test. The TCL Note A1 NXTPAPER vs Boox Go 10.3 Gen II comparison determines the best ePaper notebook for school. TCL's Tab A1 Plus NXTPAPER launched in the US with a $100 launch discount.

Streaming and TV

Dolby Vision 2 is officially available on select Hisense TVs, featuring a new algorithm that optimizes content scene-by-scene. Babylon 5 is being released episode by episode for free on YouTube — you have no reason not to watch it. If you need to connect your Roku to Wi-Fi without the remote, there are easy fixes. Don't forget to turn off your new TV's store mode — that built-in setting might still be affecting quality. Roku users concerned about privacy can learn how to stop Roku from tracking everything you watch.

Industry Moves

Honor has adopted a new logo and "Dare to Be" slogan, reporting 25% growth in Q1 2026. The FDA has approved Moderna's mRNA flu vaccine after initially refusing to review it. NASA's PUNCH mission can now accurately predict when solar storms will hit Earth within half an hour. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the January 2025 Blue Ghost mission has crashed into the lunar surface. We also got our first real look at how small X's ad business is — advertisers are spending far less than before the Musk takeover. X's head of product Nikita Bier is leaving the company after one year. Spotify has hit 300 million Premium subscribers, three times more than Apple Music. YouTube has explained its AI slop policy and why some creators won't get paid. Disney has partnered with TikTok to bring fan-made shorts to Disney+, granting creators access to a deep library of Disney assets. Reddit may retire old Reddit due to AI scraping and is also planning to retire its public API.

Practical Guides

Smartphone makers are bringing back removable batteries after years of sealed designs. Never put your phone in the refrigerator — condensation plus electronics are a bad combo. Don't use your car's USB ports to charge your laptop — there are better options. Understanding the difference between exFAT and NTFS helps with cross-platform usage. The Apple Pencil USB-C vs Pro comparison covers features, charging methods, and iPad compatibility. You can use Android Auto with a VPN using split tunneling. Cancelling your PlayStation Plus subscription is easy if you're done paying Sony. Most users don't need Windows 11 Pro over Home. You can get a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses with AT&T's 5 GIG fiber plan plus a $200 reward card.

Quick Hits

The 2026 Lexus ES 500e first drive reveals a classy sedan with a slow charge that feels built around outdated EV tech. Ford's first midsize electric truck is the $28,350 Fathom, though we're still waiting for a proper design reveal. Can MS Paint run Doom? Yes, apparently. The indie game VILE: Exhumed is getting a physical edition — "play an interactive video nasty." Xbox's devastating July was inevitable, as the company noted it's "neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio." One editor used Gemini AI to save dying hydrangeas in 20 minutes. Apple's offer to get Chinese DRAM on the cheap was denied by CXMT, leaving the company scrambling for stock weeks before the iPhone 18 unveiling.