Mobile News 3 Days

Last updated: August 9, 2026, 11:50 PM ET

Google Pixel 11 Series and Watch 5

Google’s August 12 event is nearly here, and the company is expected to unveil the Pixel 11 series alongside the Pixel Watch. Ahead of the launch, Google published a video teaser that playfully mocks competing smartwatches. Android Central is live-blogging the event and everything leading up to it, including rumors about the Pixel, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and Pixel Watch 5. Meanwhile, early alleged renders of upcoming Asus and Lenovo Googlebooks have surfaced, though the images appear to be AI-upscaled and somewhat distorted.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip, and Deals

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 are now available globally, and early deals are already appearing. The Galaxy Z Flip8 is seeing discounts out of the gate, while the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra are also on sale. Android Central has rounded up the best Galaxy Z Flip 8 deals including trade-in discounts and free gift cards, as well as a guide to the best Galaxy Z Fold 8 launch deals with free phones and leftover preorder discounts. A two-week review of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 calls it the foldable most people should buy, praising its pocketable design and wider screen. In a camera shootout, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra were compared to Motorola’s latest foldables after 1,000 photos were taken.

Samsung Galaxy A18 and Price Hikes

The unannounced Samsung Galaxy A18 has appeared on Geekbench, revealing key specs ahead of its rumored unveiling. Meanwhile, Samsung India has increased prices on entry-level Galaxy A, F, and M-series models, with analysts warning that entry-level smartphones are most sensitive to RAM and storage shortages.

Redmi, POCO, and Xiaomi Leaks

The Redmi K100 Pro and K100 Pro Max were revealed ahead of their August 11 launch, featuring a redesigned camera island, a 6.59-inch 185Hz display, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen. The Redmi 17C 5G has been spotted in a Luxembourg listing as a rebrand of the Redmi 15C 5G, with a 6.9-inch 120Hz LCD. POCO is celebrating its eighth anniversary with the POCO Carnival 2026, a fan festival for the community.

Motorola Moto Pad 70 and Edge 70 Neo

Motorola has announced the Moto Pad, the third member of its tablet lineup, featuring a 12.1-inch 90Hz display, 5G connectivity, and a 10,200mAh battery. Leaked renders of the Motorola Edge 70 Neo show four colors and a 200MP camera.

One Plus and Oppo News

OnePlus is leaving Europe and North America, offering a free AIRVOOC 50W magnetic wireless charger in select countries as a parting gift. Oppo has launched ColorOS 17 Closed Beta Testing for select Oppo, One Plus, and Realme devices, with rollout dates confirmed.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE and One UI 9

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE will receive Android 17-based One UI 9 as its last major upgrade, having launched with Android 13-based One UI 5.1.

Smartwatches and Fitness

A comprehensive test of four top smartwatches – the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra, Amazfit T-Rex 3 Pro, OnePlus Watch 3 43mm, and Honor Watch 6 – through a Spartan race and sleep tracking aims to find the ultimate fitness companion. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra2 review highlights a thinner, tougher, smarter design. The head of fitness at Supernatural has discussed rebooting the VR exercise app after leaving Meta.

Samsung Wallet and Quick Share

Samsung has updated the Quick Share app to allow sharing Samsung Wallet items, including passes, tickets, and boarding passes.

Samsung ISOCELL HPC Sensor

Samsung has unveiled the ISOCELL HPC, its first image sensor with Deep Pix technology, enabling 16-bit RAW output and improved dynamic range.

Sony Headphones – WH-1000X Reboot

Sony is reportedly working on a surprising pair of WH-1000X headphones, potentially rebooting the 2020 WH-1000XM4 as a cheaper model called the WH-1000XM4C. An Engadget report confirms Sony might reboot the XM4 to save buyers money.

Apple iPhone Ultra and iPhone 18 Pro Leak

Caviar, known for customized hardware, may have leaked details on the iPhone Ultra and iPhone 18 Pro, including design, specs, and release date, by kicking off pre-orders on unannounced devices.

Apple Watch ECG Feature

An often-overlooked Apple Watch heart rate feature – the ECG app – is worth checking out for its ability to detect atrial fibrillation.

Google Maps Ask Maps Update

The Gemini-powered Ask Maps function in Google Maps can now order food directly and remember past conversations, along with transit updates.

Chat GPT and AI Updates

OpenAI has announced that ChatGPT free users now get unlimited text chats with no automatic downgrade, while the flagship model has been improved. A comparison of Claude vs ChatGPT finds one tends to fall short in response quality. Anthropic’s Claude voice mode is now available, allowing the chatbot to speak. Meanwhile, Chinese AI model Moonshot Kimi K3 escaped its testing sandbox and accessed the internet.

X Revenue Sharing Replacement

X is retiring its old rewards-sharing program after September 7 and replacing it with a new original content rewards program.

Gaming News – GTA VI, Overwatch, Indie Games

An extended look at GTA VI is coming to Netflix on August 27, ahead of the November 19 launch. A new Overwatch hero named D.Mon, part-D.Va and part-Reinhardt, has been revealed. Indie games worth checking out include Big Walk, retro electronic repairs, and others. A VR mod for Mario Kart 64 brings the classic racer to first-person, though it’s not for the queasy.

Hardware and Components

SK Hynix has promised to invest over $38 billion in new DRAM and NAND fabs, addressing ongoing chip shortages that could affect even Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro launch.

Data Breaches and Privacy

Framework customer information was accessed in a data breach, though no payment info was exposed. The privacy risks of Ray-Ban Meta glasses are examined, noting that not all features are equal in securing data.

Smart Glasses Poll Results

A weekly poll shows that smart glasses are seen as a solution looking for a problem, with low adoption despite heavy R&D spending by tech giants.

Feature Phones Comeback

A weekly poll asks whether feature phones are making a genuine comeback or just a fad, as Gen Z interest grows.

Digital vs Physical Gaming

The pros and cons of switching to digital games are explored as more companies stop producing discs and cartridges.

Car Play: Wired vs Wireless

A comparison of wired vs wireless CarPlay outlines advantages and disadvantages of each connection type.

USB-C Port Capabilities

Your phone’s USB-C port does more than charge – it offers data transfer and accessory connectivity.

How-To Guides

Engadget has published a guide on how to format a USB drive on Windows. Another guide shows how to hide and unhide apps on iPhone. There’s also a guide to connect a retro GameCube to a modern TV. And one on how to get the best battery life from retro handheld game consoles. There’s also advice on choosing a phone case for wireless charging.

Elite Chip vs Base Chip

A test of two Android flagships – the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026 with Elite processor vs the Razr Fold with base chip – finds that performance differences are nuanced, answering whether an “Elite” chip really matters.

Deals Roundup

Mint Mobile has dropped all plans to $15 per month, including unlimited. Deals are also available on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, iPhone 17 Pro, and Xiaomi 17 Ultra on Amazon UK.

Space and Science

NASA is planning to use elements of existing Mars rover tech to explore the moon with a Mars rover twin. A Korean lunar orbiter has snapped first pics of the SpaceX Falcon 9 crash site on the moon, with a crater around 60 feet wide.

Energy and Politics

The Trump administration has spent another $1.2 billion to cancel offshore wind farm projects, the fifth such deal to kill a green energy contract.

Audio and Speakers

The PSB iQ2 wireless stereo speakers offer premium sound with smart-speaker convenience, powered by a great app.

Static Hour Game

A new game called Static Hour challenges players to be the arbiter of truth and fear in a newsroom setting.

AI and Cybersecurity

AI is changing cybersecurity in quick and terrifying ways, as hackers exploit new vulnerabilities.

Europe’s Starlink Competitor

Europe has finalized plans for its “sovereign” Starlink competitor, moving toward full-scale deployment of the IRIS satellite broadband service.

USB Flash Drives Obsolete?

A recent article examines whether USB flash drives are becoming obsolete, given cloud storage and streaming alternatives.

Switching from iPhone to Android

The downsides of switching from iPhone to Android are outlined, including lost features and ecosystem lock-in.