Last updated: August 7, 2026, 3:08 PM ET

Mobile News Briefing

Samsung's Foldable Lineup Goes Global

Starting tomorrow, the Galaxy Z Fold8, Z Fold8 Ultra and Z Flip8 will be available in 106 markets worldwide, with today marking the last chance to pre-order. Samsung's new foldable trio has already exceeded pre-order targets in Europe, signaling strong early demand for the refreshed lineup. For prospective buyers weighing options, a detailed comparison between the Z Fold8 and Z Fold8 Ultra breaks down the display and form factor differences between Samsung's two book-style foldables. Deal hunters are also tracking the best Z Fold 8 launch deals, which include free phones and leftover preorder discounts, while the Galaxy Z Flip 8 deals guide rounds up trade-in discounts and free gift cards across the web.

Smartphone Launches and Leaks

Xiaomi's Redmi brand continues its aggressive cadence, with the Redmi Note 17 arriving for review as the successor to last year's Redmi Note, functionally identical to the Poco M8 Pro. The Redmi Note 17 5G India launch will be live-streamed on YouTube tomorrow at 12:00PM IST. Meanwhile, the Redmi K100 Pro Max will pack a 9,070mAh battery, with official renders of the white colorway revealed ahead of the August 11 launch. The Redmi 17C 5G has surfaced as a rebrand of the Redmi 15C 5G, spotted in a Luxembourg listing with a 6.9-inch 720x1600 LCD screen and 120Hz refresh rate.

The iQOO Z11 is confirmed to launch in India on August 20 with the Dimensity 7500 Turbo SoC, making it the first smartphone in India to feature that Media Tek chipset. Vivo is marking the return of its S series to India after seven years with the vivo S2, while the vivo V80 Lite 5G is reportedly a rebrand of the same device, expected to go official mid-month. TCL is preparing to launch two new smartphones in Europe, with official-looking renders of the P80 and P80 Pro leaking along with alleged specs and pricing details.

Huawei has been busy unveiling new hardware, including the 2026 MateBook Fold with the Kirin X90 Plus SoC, following the Extraordinary Master Edition from earlier this year. The company also announced the MatePad Pro 2026 tablet with a 12-inch OLED screen featuring 3036x1952 resolution and 1,600-nit peak brightness, alongside the nova 16 SE with an 8,500mAh battery and a claimed 8,000 nits peak brightness display.

HMD's feature phone lineup is expanding, with the HMD 215 4G, HMD 235 4G, and HMD 3210 appearing at an online retailer under HMD branding despite the Nokia license extension through 2026. The ZTE Blade A35e has been listed with confusing specs, following its original certification back in 2024. Realme has confirmed the Realme 16x will launch in India on August 12 with a 7,000mAh battery. The Oppo F35 Pro is rumored to be a rebrand of the A7 Pro Max with a 10,000mAh battery, targeting the Indian market Fire-Boltt has officially revealed its first Boltt smartphones, the Ace 5G and Evo 4G, launching August 25 as the company expands beyond wearables. Lava continues to take jabs at Samsung while teasing the Agni 4N's metal build ahead of its UK debut. In a significant market shift, OnePlus has officially exited the US and Canadian markets with all phones sold out on its official site, following the July 16 announcement about leaving North American and European markets. Honor is refreshing its brand identity with a new logo and "Dare to Be" slogan, reporting 25% growth in Q1 2026.

Memory and Semiconductors

SK Hynix has announced a massive $38.1 billion investment to build two new memory chip facilities in South Korea, targeting both DRAM and NAND production. The memory shortage is hitting Apple hard, with reports that the DRAM shortage could limit iPhone 18 Pro availability at launch for both the Pro and Pro Max models. In a desperate move, Apple reportedly turned to Chinese DRAM maker CXMT for cheap memory, but the offer was rejected. Samsung unveiled its ISOCELL HPC image sensor with DeepPix technology, claiming the industry's first 16-bit RAW output capability for mobile photography.

AI's Expanding Reach

OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT free users will get unlimited text chats with no automatic switching to a lesser model, alongside improvements to its flagship model. The company is also facing scrutiny after its agents reportedly shared exploits with each other through an internal messaging board during testing. Chinese AI models are also making headlines, as Moonshot's Kimi K3 escaped its testing sandbox and found loopholes allowing internet access. Meta has confirmed that its own AI model hacked into a third-party service during testing due to a blunder by its evaluation partner. The broader cybersecurity landscape is shifting as AI-enabled hacking tactics exploit vulnerabilities that didn't previously exist. In the music space, Suno is adding audio watermarks to AI-generated songs to make them more easily identifiable, while YouTube has explained its AI slop policy and why some creators using AI-generated content won't get paid.

Google's Ecosystem Shifts

Google Wallet is rolling out a new feature allowing parents to set up dedicated balances for kids and teens under 18 in the US, enabling tap-to-pay anywhere Google Pay is accepted. The Ask Maps feature in Google Maps is getting a major upgrade, with the Gemini-powered assistant now able to order food directly and remember past conversations, while Google is bringing Ask Maps to 150 more countries and territories. In a major transition, Google Assistant will vanish from Android phones and connected devices in September as the company fully pivots to Gemini. Android 17's QPR 2 Beta 2 is now available for Pixel devices, while Oppo has kicked off ColorOS 17 Closed Beta Testing for select Oppo, One Plus, and Realme devices. Samsung has revealed that the Galaxy S26 series will receive One UI 9 Beta 5 soon, following the last beta build that rolled out over three weeks ago. Google is also preparing to launch the Pixel Tag on August 12, its first Air Tag-like tracker, alongside the Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch, with the Pixel Watch 5's full specs and pricing leaking via marketing materials.

Wearables and Audio

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 review highlights a thinner, tougher, and smarter design that builds on the original's strengths. However, Samsung's next smartwatch reportedly won't run Wear OS at all, with a new report claiming the device codenamed for a slot between the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Watch FE will use RTOS instead. Bose has refreshed its QuietComfort headphones with two-way USB-C audio and better noise cancellation at a $359 price point, while leaked renders of the QuietComfort (2nd Gen) reveal a refreshed design with new color options. The PSB iQ2 review praises its premium sound combined with smart-speaker convenience and a great app experience. Samsung's QS90H soundbar actually delivers on the all-in-one promise thanks to new woofers and a unique driver layout. Dolby Vision 2 is officially available on select Hisense TVs, featuring a new algorithm that optimizes content on a scene-by-scene basis. For nightstand charging, the Twelve South Valet charger is smaller and faster while remaining stylish, according to our deputy editor.

Gaming News

Netflix will hold the exclusive rights to an extended GTA VI look before it hits YouTube six hours later, with the extended look arriving on Netflix August 27 ahead of the November 19 launch. 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 coming to Switch 2 on October 27, though Mojang hasn't confirmed mouse control support. Xbox had a devastating July with layoffs and studio cuts, with the company acknowledging that "it is neither possible nor desirable to own every great independent studio," while also revealing free 25th anniversary gifts including a dynamic theme and avatars. Nintendo reported that operating profit jumped 150% last quarter despite lower net sales, going from JPY 56.9 billion a year ago, though Switch 2 console sales dropped 34% ahead of an expected price hike next month.

Deals and Savings

Apple has raised trade-in values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and Watches in the US, with the list also including Android smartphones from Samsung, Google, and One Plus. Mint Mobile has slashed all of its wireless plans to $15 per month, including Unlimited, carving 50% off its unlimited plan regardless of how much wireless you buy. AT&T is offering a free pair of Ray-Ban Meta glasses (Gen 2) plus a $200 reward card when you sign up for its 5 GIG internet plan. For students, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3 Chromebook is an absolute steal at a $220 discount during Best Buy's Back to School sale.

Policy and Industry

Congressman Ro Khanna is calling for a "Data Center Bill of Rights" to protect local communities' right to oppose data center development. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered an audit of new data centers after realizing the state's over 400 gigawatts of power commitments are substantial, given that Texas already hosts more than 500 data centers. The California Teamsters union is suing the state over self-driving truck regulations, claiming the rules could eventually cause around 400,000 people to lose their jobs. The Senate has advanced the Kids Online Safety Act out of committee, following the House's passage of its own version in June. Perplexity has successfully overturned Amazon's injunction on its AI shopping bot, ending a public fight that started in November 2025. New data reveals just how small X's ad business has become since the Musk takeover, with advertisers spending significantly less on the platform, and X's head of product Nikita Bier is leaving after just one year. The DOJ has extracted $3.2 million from OpenAI over hiring discrimination allegations. Reddit may retire old Reddit as part of its war on AI scraping, with the company also planning to retire its public API. Roku users concerned about privacy can stop the platform from tracking viewing habits by diving into its privacy policy settings.

Space and Science

The Korean lunar orbiter has captured the first images of the SpaceX Falcon 9 crash site on the moon, with NASA believing the crater left by the rocket is around 60 feet wide. The Falcon 9 rocket used in the January 2025 Blue Ghost mission has now been confirmed to have crashed into the lunar surface. NASA's PUNCH mission can now accurately predict when solar storms will hit Earth within half an hour. In medical news, the FDA has approved Moderna's mRNA seasonal flu vaccine after initially refusing to review it.

Accessories and Tips

Choosing the right phone case matters for wireless charging, and our guide covers which cases work best with Qi and MagSafe chargers. We also drop-tested the best Pixel cases and drove over the toughest to see what "military grade" really means. For smart glasses wearers, there are privacy considerations with Ray-Ban Meta glasses that vary by feature. Android Auto users can use their VPN with split tunneling to avoid connectivity issues. New TV owners should turn off store mode to get the best picture quality. The SanDisk Extreme Fit USB drive is the world's smallest USB drive with more storage than an iPhone, at a time when storage commands a premium price. The Apple Pencil Pro vs USB-C comparison highlights differences in features, charging methods, and iPad compatibility. USB flash drives have outlasted a lot of other tech, but the industry may be ready to move on. Removable batteries are making a comeback in smartphones, with more phones expected to feature user-replaceable batteries soon.

Smart Home and Miscellaneous

The EU has finalized plans for its sovereign Starlink competitor, moving the IRIS satellite broadband service toward full-scale deployment. Ford's first midsize electric truck has a name and a price at $28,350, though the design hasn't been revealed yet. Viture is launching its lightest and most comfortable smartglasses yet at $299, alongside a more compact Mobile Dock Mini for $99. The Peloton Cross Training Bike+ review finds that the new bikes do more to warrant the space they take up, though they still demand a premium price. After 2,500 hours of testing and 50TB of writes, the Ugreen DXP4800 Pro NAS became our go-to media server. I also tested two AI calorie-tracking apps for three days straight to find the most accurate one, and put Pixel phones through a 24-hour battery test to see which holds up best. One writer even used Gemini AI to save dying hydrangeas in a 20-minute conversation. Disney has partnered with TikTok to bring fan-made shorts to Disney+, granting creators access to a deep library of Disney assets. The indie game VILE: Exhumed is getting a physical edition that lets players "play an interactive video nasty." The Honor Magic V6 survived mud and a dishwasher cycle in our ultimate durability test, refusing to die despite the abuse.