Mobile News 8 Hours

Last updated: August 13, 2026, 11:34 PM ET

Smartphone Market and Devices

The US smartphone market experienced a contraction of 5% in Q2, with budget devices being the hardest hit, according to Counterpoint Research. This downturn is occurring amidst an ongoing memory chip crisis. Meanwhile, rumors suggest the Fairphone 6+ is slated for an August 18th release with a price point around €685. In other device news, Google is offering significant discounts on Pixel 11 models through its Play Points program, with potential savings of up to $150. A recent teardown of the Galaxy Z Fold8 revealed disappointing repairability. Apple is reportedly skipping the launch of the iPhone 18 this year, pushing its release, along with the iPhone Ultra, to 2027.

Tech Company Updates and Layoffs

Netflix has closed down Night School, the studio behind the game Oxenfree, shortly after praising its "really solid numbers." The company had previously lauded the studio's latest game, Unhinged, before making the decision to shut it down. Microsoft's AI mascot, Mico, has been demoted and will no longer be featured in Copilot Voice.

Cloud Services and Infrastructure Issues

A St. Louis PBS station is embroiled in a lawsuit against a data center provider in an effort to recover a 70-year archive, highlighting the risks associated with cloud storage vendors going out of business. Separately, hosting provider Namecheap is experiencing an outage due to a cooling failure at one of its data centers.

Social Media and Algorithm Transparency

X is testing a new tool that will allow users to check if their posts have been subject to "shadowbanning." This feature is being rolled out as the company increases transparency by open-sourcing parts of its ranking algorithm.