Last updated: August 22, 2026, 12:30 AM ET
Smartphones: Samsung & Google
The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip8 review is in, and the clamshell continues to refine the formula with a polished hinge, improved cameras, and a larger cover screen. Our unboxing shows the device arriving in a very pink and purple set, completing Samsung's foldable family alongside the Fold8 and Fold8 Ultra. Ahead of next week's Galaxy S26 FE event, a leaked unboxing video has surfaced, revealing the phone's design and packaging before its August 27 debut. Samsung is also preparing to address the red tint issue on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with a software fix promised later this month. Meanwhile, a One UI 9.5 leak suggests Samsung will adopt Google's Gemini-powered "Create My Widget" feature, letting users design custom widgets with plain language. The company is also working on the Galaxy A58 and Galaxy XCover FR, according to a GSMA database listing. A new Galaxy A08 certification in Brazil reveals a jump to a 6,000 mAh battery. Samsung also showcased a 300Hz OLED display for gaming laptops at IMID 2026, alongside other cutting-edge panel tech.
Google's Pixel 11 lineup is now on sale, and the Pixel 11 series is available in stores and through carriers after a week of pre-orders. The Pixel 11 review notes that while the phone costs $100 more than last year, it remains one of the best smartphones on the market. Our Pixel 11 Pro hands-on highlights the improved camera hardware and new Gemini AI features, though the price increase is harder to justify. The Pixel 11 Pro camera review praises Google for bringing back the magic with better photo quality and fun software tricks. A longer week-long test of the Pro and Pro XL found them harder to recommend at their higher price points, despite compelling new features. The Engadget Pro review argues the phone is still great, even if it doesn't match the high standard its predecessor set. For those considering alternatives, we've rounded up 6 phones to buy instead of the Pixel 11 Pro XL. A head-to-head comparison between the Pixel 11 Pro and Galaxy S26 is also available. Google is also prepping the Pixel Watch 6. A mysterious smartband spotted in ads could be either a Pixel wearable or a new Fitbit device.
More Smartphones: Honor, Xiaomi, and Others
Honor has been busy this week, and the Honor Robot Phone's repair costs have been revealed — replacing the integrated gimbal camera won't be cheap. The company also quietly unveiled the Honor Turbo 5G, featuring the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chipset and a 6.7-inch display. A new Honor 700 series leak from Digital Chat Station also details upcoming Magic9, Win2, and Power3 devices. Honor is defying the broader market slump, as global smartphone sales drop while Honor gains ground behind Samsung.
Xiaomi's Q2 2026 report shows Q2 revenue of CNY 108.9 billion ($16.2 billion) with a 19.8% gross profit margin, though smartphone sales are down as average selling prices rise. The Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max have just been certified in China, supporting 100W wired charging and UWB. The Redmi M100 is now official in China with a 7,900 mAh battery and Snapdragon 4 Gen. Poco also launched the M8x, India's first phone with that chip, plus a 120Hz display. A Poco X8 Power with a 10,000mAh battery is rumored. The Poco F9 Ultra has appeared on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset and generous RAM.
OPPO's Reno 16 Pro review proves you don't need a flagship to take amazing photos, with standout cameras, a gorgeous design, and great battery life. Oppo is also rumored to be working on a wide-screen phone with a 200MP camera, possibly called the Reno X. The vivo V80 Lite will debut on September 3 with a 10,000mAh battery. The Infinix Hot 70 Pro is coming to India in the first week of September. The iQOO Z11 hands-on reveals the Indian variant differs from the Chinese and Malaysian models. Realme confirmed the P4s will debut next week with an 8,000mAh battery and Dimensity 7400 Ultra chip. One Plus is tipped to launch a budget phone in India following its exit from North America and Europe. Sony is launching a new Xperia phone next week. The Xperia 10 VIII has already appeared on Geekbench with a Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset. Huawei's Pura X View is now official with a 16:9.5 wide display and 7,000mAh battery. The MatePad Air (2026) is now available in Malaysia and the Middle East.
Wearables & Audio
The Pixel Watch 5 review calls it a fantastic watch that's missing some features at launch. Google has simplified the software with one unified build for factory images, though you still need an invite-only debug adapter to flash them. Original Pixel Watch owners can relax: the Google Health features aren't going away despite a scary warning in the app. If you're protecting your new watch, check out our picks for the best screen protectors. The Redmi Watch 6 Active is now official in China with a 470mAh battery and 140 sports modes for just CNY 349 (~$51). Nothing's CMF sub-brand launched the CMF Buds Neo in India, offering ANC and a claimed 52 hours of total battery life. Hyper X's first open-back gaming headset, the Cloud Alpha Air, is reasonably priced at $150 with super comfy earpads. Sony's WH-1000XM4C images have leaked, suggesting a relaunch of the classic WH-1000XM4 with new colors and specs. Apple's camera-equipped AirPods are getting weirder: each earbud takes its own image, which is then synchronized for Visual Intelligence. Motorola's leaked magnetic charger, the Moto Snap, hints that Qi2 magnetic charging could spread beyond the Edge 70 Max. And if you're confused about the standards, here's the difference between Qi2 and Qi2.2 wireless charging.
Smart Glasses & XR
Ray Neo has been on a roll, unveiling its iO smart glasses with a transparent HUD and no microphone, plus the cinema-focused GT Max with Dolby Vision. The GSMArena coverage notes Ray Neo holds 23.7% market share in AR smart glasses based on Counterpoint data. Our Engadget piece describes the two lines as going for very different audiences: the very discreet and the very nerdy. Meta is working on a hardware privacy lock for its AI glasses, per a new patent, aiming to address backlash over privacy concerns. Xreal's Aura is seeing massive demand, with reservations surpassing 10,000 units ahead of the fall launch. Valve's Steam Frame headset leaked in eight setup videos showing how to wear it, perfect the fit, and sign in. We also got hands-on with Payday: Aces High on Meta Quest, and it's a blast — VR is so back.
Carriers, Payments & Retail
Walmart is finally embracing contactless payments, with Google Pay and Apple Pay rolling out starting August 24 and reaching all U.S. stores by the end of 2026. Sam's Club will also accept tap to pay with phones and smartwatches. Mint Mobile has a wild deal: buy a Google Pixel 11 and get a free year of wireless. The big three US carriers are also offering some Pixel 11 models for free — here's what T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon have on the table. Verizon is still offering a free Pixel 11 even after preorders. We've rounded up the best Pixel 11 deals at launch. The Pro Fold deals at launch are also covered. TCL's Back to School sale on NXTPAPER tablets and smartphones offers up to 35% off on Amazon. IKEA is teasing some Xbox furniture, including a green Xbox logo cushion. And if you're looking for a NAS, the UGREEN DXP4800 Pro is 15% off at Amazon.
Apps, Platforms & AI
TikTok will pay $400 million to settle a Justice Department lawsuit over child privacy, with the DoJ noting the app has made significant strides since the 2024 suit. Senators are also pressing TikTok over a "sinister" experiment involving an algorithm safety feature; a teen who died by suicide was reportedly part of the test. LinkedIn says its AI slop button is working, with the reporting tool showing results. OpenAI has rolled out a plugin that lets ChatGPT on Mac read and respond to Apple iMessages. Child safety experts are skeptical of ChatGPT for Teens. Meta's app for creating generative AI minigames, Pocket, is now available in the US. Amazon's Alexa+ AI assistant is now free for anyone with a Fire TV device in the US. Google is adding a preferred sources button to Search and Discover, letting you customize your news sources. China reportedly allowed ByteDance and Tencent to import 10,000 H200 chips each, per the Financial Times. GitHub says commits have doubled in the last four months, causing capacity failures that led to a recent outage. A recent Windows 11 update is causing game crashes and other problems, and Microsoft has launched an investigation. Australia has passed a law to charge tech companies levies unless they reach deals with news publishers, affecting Meta, Google, TikTok, and LinkedIn. Google is also trying to solve contrails with AI: Operation Blue Skies, involving the UK government, will subtly reroute flights. Flock is testing an AI tool that tracks driving habits, going far beyond license plates. Google Messages RCS is breaking for Galaxy users after using Smart Switch, and the issue may be tied to the transfer tool. Qualcomm is teasing Dual 8 Elite chips for Snapdragon Summit 2026. Reports say TSMC is racing toward 1.6nm production in Q4, just a month away from 2nm chips from Qualcomm. Bilibili is going global with a new international app and English website. Google will announce the new Googlebooks and OS on September 15. And Nothing OS 5.0 based on Android 17 is getting unveiled on August 25.
Gaming & Entertainment
Take-Two is hunting for the GTA VI leaker, issuing subpoenas to Discord and Microsoft ahead of November's release. The Binding of Isaac: Repentance+ Online is going head-to-head with GTA 6 on November 19 — there's nothing else going on that day, right? Riot is ending active development of 2XKO in December, though the fighting game will receive content updates through October 2026. Guerrilla is reportedly overhauling Horizon Hunters Gathering to make it more of a traditional co-op game after poor player feedback. Amazon's God of War show has cast Dave Bautista as Kratos, following Ryan Hurst's injury on set. A trailer for the Golden Axe animated series is full of self-referencing jokes and premieres on Paramount+ September 16. Season two of Netflix's Cyberpunk 2077 anime, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, streams October 20. Epic Games thinks Apple's new EU app store rules still violate the Digital Markets Act. Gamescom's Opening Night Live showcase is coming up, and here's how to watch the stream, featuring Final Fantasy 7 Revelation, Gears of War: E-Day, and The Witcher 3: Songs of the Past. Deus Ex and Dishonored designer Harvey Smith has a new studio, Black Pony Immersive, with veterans from Arkane, Insomniac, and Epic. Warren Spector, the founding father of immersive sims, has retired from game development. Crunchyroll is coming to car infotainment systems, starting with the Appning app store. Pokémon and Polaroid are collaborating on three new cameras for the 30th anniversary, prettier versions of the Polaroid Now and Go. A study found a 15 percent increase in traffic deaths after major music streaming releases, suggesting drivers get distracted when big albums drop.
Transportation & Tech
Nevada has approved permits for Uber, Tesla, and Waymo to start paid robotaxi service. Tesla's Robotaxi fleet is reportedly operating fully autonomously in Austin after a slow rollout. Waymo's Ojai vans are now available for all riders in three cities. Tesla and others are recalling over 4 million vehicles in China over hidden door handles. Genesis' GV90 NeoLun is a luxury electric SUV with heated floors and coach doors, loaded with innovation. Tokyo's Sushi Bus combines conveyor belt dining with open-air sightseeing. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of the crater on the moon caused by a SpaceX Falcon 9 crash. The FDA has approved the first robotic blood draw device for outpatient settings, meaning a robot could eventually conduct your blood draw at the doctor's office. If you have an old satellite dish, it might work as a free TV antenna depending on where you live.
Industry & Market Trends
European smartphone shipments hit a three-year low in Q2, with Counterpoint estimating 35 million units. Samsung's Tab S12 prices have leaked ahead of an expected announcement. Huawei's Pura X View takes a bold route beyond foldables with a wider display, slim bezels, and up to 1TB storage, though price and full specs remain under wraps. Roblox has vowed to make changes after an Australian regulator found more child safety lapses, including allowing adults to contact children. The Back to School season is here, and we've rounded up the best Android deals on phones, wearables, and more.