What you need to know

• Gemini Gems are being phased out as Google replaces them with more flexible, reusable Skills.
• Skills roll out October 5 in Workspace and October 13 in the Gemini app, with Gems starting their exit in November.
• Multiple Skills can work together, letting Gemini combine specialized instructions for more complex tasks.

Google is swapping out Gemini's customizable Gems for a more flexible system called Skills, and the transition is now getting a firm timeline. Skills will begin rolling out to Google Workspace on October 5, followed by the Gemini app on October 13, with Gems beginning their gradual exit in November.

In case you didn’t know, Gems were basically customized versions of Gemini built to follow a specific set of instructions. Skills take that further and make those instructions reusable and modular building blocks.

Google said in a blog post that Skills can capture a company’s brand voice, templates, processes, and other reference material in a blog post and then be reused whenever a similar task arises.

The biggest upgrade is that skills can now be stacked. Instead of just one custom assistant, you might have a Skill for writing a weekly newsletter and another Skill to ensure you adhere to your brand guidelines. Gemini also has the ability to automatically recognize when a Skill applies to a prompt, so you don’t need to manually select it every time.

Built on open standards

Skills are also coming to non-work accounts on Google. When the Gemini app rollout begins, Skills will be available to users of personal Google accounts and Google Workspace customers. They're based on an open SKILL.md format using Markdown, which Google says makes Skills portable across compatible platforms.

The catch is that skills developed in Gemini and Workspace will not automatically sync between them. If you want it in both places, you will need to create the same Skill separately.

The transition happens in stages. Gems will be transferred into Gemini’s Settings on November 17, where they’ll be usable for a time. Business and enterprise accounts will not lose Gems before March 1, 2027, and education accounts will not lose Gems before June 1. Remaining Gems will eventually be converted to draft Skills.

At a time when most devices are getting price increases, TCL has been releasing Android phones and tablets that are surprisingly affordable, fun to use, and perhaps most importantly, quite innovative. If you're concerned about eye health, TCL's NXTPAPER series has some of the best devices around, and now the company's offerings are up to 35% off at Amazon for a limited time.

TCL's NXTPAPER devices utilize unique displays that sit somewhere between E Ink and LCD technology. The screens have matte layers that reduce eye strain and blue light exposure, plus you get multiple display settings that let you customize the overall visual experience. Protecting your eye health doesn't come at the expense of user experience, however, as many of TCL's phones and tablets come with premium features such as 120Hz refresh ratings and IP68 durability.

Just days before Amazon's Big Deal Days sale kicks off on October 6th, the retailer is slashing prices on a bunch of this TCL tech, with deals that include 15% off the NXTPAPER 70 Pro and a whopping 35% off the TCL NXTPAPER 11 Plus tablet. These are some of our favorite cheap Android devices around, and this sale makes them even cheaper — so what are you waiting for? Let's jump in.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

My favorite TCL deals at Amazon today

More TCL NXTPAPER deals at Amazon

What you need to know

• Amazon's new Fire TV Stick 4K promises 35% faster app launches and up to 20% faster content playback.
• The new model supports Wi-Fi 6, 4K 60fps video and ships with Amazon's Vega OS out of the box.
• Amazon has redesigned the Fire TV remote with a new shape and tactile buttons that are easier to find by touch.

Amazon today announced the next generation of its Fire TV Stick 4K.

While there are plenty of great Android TV and Google TV streaming devices out there, Amazon's Fire TV Stick remains one of the most popular streaming options. And today, the company updated its lineup with the new Fire TV Stick 4K (2026). Amazon says the new model brings faster performance, ships with the new Vega OS, and comes with a redesigned Fire TV remote.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K is powered by a quad-core 1.7GHz processor and supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, and 8GB of internal storage. For video output, it supports HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, H.265, H.264, VP9, and AV1 at up to 4K 60fps.

Amazon says the new Fire TV Stick 4K should also feel noticeably faster in everyday use. According to the company, apps can now launch over 35% faster, while content starts playing up to 20% faster than before.

The Fire TV Stick 4K also supports Direct Power, which allows you to power the streaming stick directly through your TV's USB port instead of requiring a separate power adapter. It also ships with Amazon's new Vega OS out of the box.

Alongside the new Fire TV Stick 4K, Amazon has debuted a redesigned Fire TV remote. The company says the new design focuses on making the remote easier to hold and navigate without constantly looking down at the buttons.

The remote now has an asymmetrical shape with a flat top and a curved, weighted bottom, making it easier to tell which way you're holding it. The Home button gets a distinct metallic finish, while the other buttons are indented and differently shaped so they're easier to identify by touch alone.

You still get the usual playback and navigation controls alongside quick-access buttons for apps including Prime Video, Netflix, YouTube, and Disney Plus.

Amazon has also teased a new Fire TV Remote Plus coming next year. The more premium remote will feature an aluminum housing and backlit buttons, alongside a built-in Find My Remote feature. You'll simply be able to say, "Alexa, find my remote," and the remote will play a sound to help you locate it.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K is priced at $60 and starts shipping today in the U.S., Canada, Japan, Mexico, U.K., Ireland, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, and New Zealand, with more countries joining next month.

For a limited time, though, Amazon is offering the new Fire TV Stick 4K for just $30 in the U.S., and you'll get the redesigned Fire TV remote in the box as well.

What you need to know

• Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Tab S12 Plus, powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 chipset.
• The Tab S12 Ultra has a 14.6-inch 120Hz AMOLED display, while the Tab S12 Plus gets a smaller 12.6-inch panel.
• Samsung has made the Tab S12 Ultra just 5.1mm thin while still fitting an 11,600mAh battery and a 3D vapor chamber.
• The Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at $1,400, while the Tab S12 Plus starts at $1,200.

Samsung today took the wraps off the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S12 Plus, its latest generation of flagship Android tablets.

We've been hearing leaks about the Galaxy Tab S12 series for a while now, and Samsung has finally made the new tablets official. The company says the new models bring improved performance, longer battery life, and the latest Galaxy AI features while retaining the ultra-thin design the Galaxy Tab S series is known for.

Powering the Galaxy Tab S12 series is the MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset. This is MediaTek's last-generation flagship chipset, which we've previously seen powering high-end smartphones like the Oppo Find X9 Pro and Vivo X300 Pro.

On the front, the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra features a massive 14.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, while the smaller Galaxy Tab S12 Plus still packs a large 12.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with the same 120Hz refresh rate.

Both displays can reach up to 1,600 nits of peak brightness and support S Pen input, with the stylus included in the box. One interesting change this year is that Samsung has also embedded the fingerprint sensor directly into the display, unlike the previous generation of Galaxy Tab models.

Samsung is also claiming some big battery life improvements with the Galaxy Tab S12 series. The company says the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra can last up to 23 hours, while the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus can manage up to 21 hours. The Ultra packs an 11,600mAh battery, while the Plus comes with a 10,600mAh cell. Both tablets support up to 45W wired charging.

What's particularly impressive about the Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra is that Samsung has managed to fit all of this hardware into a body that's just 5.1mm thin, making it the thinnest Galaxy Tab yet. There's also a new 3D vapor chamber inside to help manage heat, while both tablets carry an IP68 dust and water resistance rating.

The new tablets ship with One UI 9 based on Android 17 and pack Samsung's latest Galaxy AI features. To make better use of those massive displays, you can run three apps simultaneously using Multi Window. So, for example, you could have Samsung Notes, YouTube, and an AI chatbot open on the screen at the same time.

Samsung has also partnered with Adobe to bring Photoshop preloaded on the Galaxy Tab S12 series, bringing more advanced image editing and design tools directly to the tablets. The company is also partnering with apps including Goodnotes, LumaFusion, and Notion to offer discounts and free trials to Galaxy Tab S12 buyers.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra starts at $1,400 in the U.S., while the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus starts at $1,200. Both tablets will be available starting October 7 in two colors, Gray and Silver.

Google launched the Fitbit Air in May, and nearly five months later, the fitness tracker is making its debut in India. Google will start selling the Fitbit Air starting October 2 for ₹13,999 ($146), and it will be sold in Obsidian, Berry, Lavender, and Fog. I didn't think it would be priced quite as high, as resellers had the fitness tracker at ₹12,999 ($135), but that's what you'll need to shell out if you want to buy from Google.

The Fitbit Air is intriguing because it is Google's take on what a screenless tracker should be. There's clearly a lot of demand for smart rings and trackers, and I routinely see Whoop bands at the gym. But the key difference is that unlike Whoop, Google doesn't charge a subscription to use the Fitbit Air — you just buy once, and get all the features. It's a refreshing change of pace from the brand that gave us the Nest Cam.

In his review, Derrek Lee had this to say about the fitness tracker: "The Fitbit Air is exactly the type of product Google needs, short of a smart ring. It's simple, distraction-free, and comfortable to wear, even to bed."

The Fitbit Air has continuous heart rate tracking, heart rate variability, irregular heart rhythm (Afib) notifications, blood oxygen (SpO2) tracking, and sleep analysis. My favorite feature is the automatic activity tracking; not having to do so manually is a big deal. Reviews point to the feature being a bit of a hit-and-miss, but I'm eager to see how it holds up in my testing.

Google Health Coach is present as well, and the AI-assisted feature gives you plenty of actional insights, and is a bit sassy (particularly if you don't get adequate rest). As with Google's smartwatches, the brand is bundling a trial of Google Health Premium with the Fitbit Air, so you can see what the platform has to offer.

I'll be getting the Fitbit Air shortly, and I'll be putting it to the test against the half-dozen or so smartwatches I have in my rotation.

There's a decent selection of Wi-Fi security cameras available, and I tested various Reolink and Baseus models in the last two years. But if you need 24/7 recording and local storage, the best choice is to get cameras that can be plugged in and connect these to a dedicated network video recorder (NVR).

This is where the Eufy Security NVR System E50 comes in. It is an all-in-one system that includes an NVR, a 2TB hard drive, four E50 PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) PoE cameras, and all the accessories you need to install the cameras. The entire bundle costs $1,199, but AC readers can get it for $839 by using code EUFYNEWPOE — that's a $359 discount on a subscription-free security camera bundle. The code is valid on Amazon as well if that's your prefer choice of retailer.

Let's go over the basics, because the E50 system comes with a lot of stuff. The E5 NVR is the center of the hub, and this is what you connect the cameras to, and store your recordings. It also has a 3.5-inch hard drive bay, and it comes with a 2TB drive installed out of the box.

If you're planning on adding cameras down the line (there's also an 8-camera version), or just need to store recordings for longer, you can take out the installed drive and slot in your own — the NVR holds up to 16TB drives. Just to give you an idea, the default 2TB drive easily holds three months' worth of recording when using all four cameras.

The NVR comes with HDMI and Ethernet connectivity, one USB-C and two USB-A ports. The defining feature is eight PoE ports, allowing you to connect eight cameras to it without any issues. It has enough power to drive all eight cameras (it has a 90W power brick), and you can easily set up the NRV and view footage from the cameras by connecting it via HDMI to a monitor — you don't get a monitor bundled with the box, but there is a mouse.

Then you get the four cameras, and all the accessories to mount the cameras. There's a water-resistant housing, positioning stickers, screws, and four 59ft (18m) Ethernet cables. I didn't need the cables as I have Ethernet cabling running outside, so I was able to connect the cameras relatively easily to the NVR and set everything up without any hassle.

Talking about setting things up, you will need to install the Eufy app to configure the E50 system. I would've preferred a web portal, but that isn't available, and you need to use the app or connect a mouse and monitor to the NVR and configure it locally over your network. The app itself has a ton of features, and it was easy to set up the NVR and configure the cameras. The power-over-Ethernet cameras need just the Ethernet cable to provide power and transfer data, and while it is a hassle to run cabling to the desired outdoor locations where you intend to mount the cameras, it's a one-time chore.

The E50 cameras have dual lenses — a 2K fixed lens with 180-degree field of view, and a 4K movable lens with 360-degree rotation with 65ft range and 5x zoom. With four cameras connected to the NVR, I was able to cover the entire outer area of my house. Eufy has a nifty OmniTrack feature that dials in on a subject when it detects motion, and it does a good job in this regard. You can set up familiar faces and exclusion zones with relative ease, and the cameras deliver clear footage even at night.

There's on-device AI as well (obviously) that's used to identify and frame subjects, and while I dislike shoehorning AI into every consumer product (these features existed before AI was a thing), I'll admit that Eufy has the basics covered. The E50 system gets multi-device view, cross-camera tracking, secure transmission of video feeds, and alert schedules.

In real-world use, the E50 did an admirable job; the cameras deliver clear footage, and I got instant alerts whenever they detected motion. Image quality is great, and I like using PTZ cameras because of the flexibility they provide — the secondary moving lens is great for tracking motion. I had no issues accessing alerts and camera feeds outside my home as well. Eufy finally uses end-to-end encryption (which is the reason I was willing to use these cameras), and while the brand took a while to rectify earlier mistakes, the E50 system doesn't have any security issues.

If anything, the only problem I have with the E50 cameras is that they don't integrate with the RTSP protocol. We moved to a new house last year, and I set up a DVA3221 NVR with 32TB storage and went with Reolink cameras. I did so as the brand has several cameras that use RTSP, and this allowed me to connect the cameras to the NVR and record footage with ease. Thankfully, Eufy says it is enabling RTSP in the coming months, and I will update this post once I use it with my NVR.

Look, if you're starting out and want an all-in-one solution with secure access, there's no doubting that Eufy did a great job bundling all the products you need. Oh, and if you want to add indoor cameras down the line, there's a Wi-Fi Module that lets you connect Eufy Wi-Fi cameras to the NVR, and that's good to see. Wi-Fi cameras are inherently more annoying to use — I hated the Nest Outdoor Cam — but they are a better choice indoors as you don't need to run cabling.

I get that even the discounted $840 price is quite a lot of cash to pay for a security system, but the E50 is designed to last, and it is more affordable in the long-term than using any Wi-Fi cameras that run on subscriptions, like Nest or Ring.

Not having to charge the cameras is a huge bonus, and you can be safe in the knowledge that all recordings are stored locally and not on a cloud server somewhere. You get actionable insights, Eufy's multi-view feature is pretty great in its own right, and the cameras deliver clean footage even at night. On the whole, it's a good choice if you need an all-in-one security camera system to cover your home and yard.

What you need to know

• The iQOO 16 launches in China with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
• An enormous 8,400 mAh silicon-anode battery powers the device, backed by rapid 100W wired and 40W wireless charging.
• Its 6.85-inch 165Hz AMOLED panel offers up to 10,000 nits of localized peak brightness and 5,000Hz touch sampling.
• China pricing ranges from CNY 5,999 to CNY 8,499, depending on the configuration.

Smartphone manufacturers are engaged in a fierce competition for mobile gaming, and the new iQOO 16 aims to establish a significant benchmark. With a starting price of CNY 5,999 (about $900) in China, iQOO’s latest flagship is out to dominate your pocket with a hardware lineup that blurs the line between a daily driver and a dedicated portable console.

The star of the show is the battery. You get an 8,400 mAh silicon anode cell with 100W wired and 40W wireless charging.

As expected, the iQOO 16 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, a 2nm chip that can reach clock speeds of up to 5.01GHz. The company pairs it with LPDDR5X Ultra Pro RAM, UFS 4.1 storage, a dedicated Q4 gaming chip, and an 8,500mm² vapor chamber to keep sustained workloads in check.

Another highlight is the 6.85-inch Samsung M16 AMOLED panel with a 3168 x 1440 resolution and a 165Hz LTPO refresh rate. It can hit 2,800 nits across the entire display and up to 10,000 nits of localized peak brightness, with touch sampling rates as high as 5,000Hz.

The rear camera hardware is made up of three 50MP sensors: the main, the ultrawide, and a 3x periscope telephoto.

The 165Hz panel, dedicated gaming silicon, big cooling system, and huge battery are built for sustained high performance, not just chasing short benchmark bursts. That makes the iQOO 16 feel more like a portable gaming machine that just happens to be a phone.

Prices go up to CNY 6,799 for 12GB/512GB, CNY 7,499 for 16GB/512GB, and CNY 8,499 for 16GB/1TB. The phone runs on Android 17 with OriginOS 7 and has IP68/IP69 protection.

iQOO has not announced any plans to launch it globally at this time, so it's available only in China for now. Previous reports have indicated that the phone is being certified for international use, but the company has not confirmed when or where it will be available outside China.

What you need to know

• Fairphone's Fairbuds 2 arrive October 14, with Europe first and the US following shortly after.
• The upcoming earbuds keep their standout repairability feature with seven user-replaceable parts, including swappable batteries and individual replacement earbud purchases.
• Launching at €119 in Europe and $119 in the US, the new model drops $30 lower than its predecessor's original European debut.

Fairphone is launching a new generation of wireless earbuds with a repair-first philosophy. The Fairbuds 2 will officially launch on October 14 and will cost $30 less than the original model at launch in Europe, when converted to US dollars at the time.

The company hasn’t disclosed every detail yet, but early information suggests more than a simple refresh. Fairphone told The Verge that the Fairbuds 2 will keep the seven modular, replaceable components, with repairability at the center of the design. That’s consistent with the original Fairbuds, which let owners swap out key components like the earbud and charging-case batteries or purchase a single replacement earbud rather than the entire set.

Fairphone has recently teased a green variant of the earbuds on X, as seen below.

Audio connectivity is also being improved. The Fairbuds 2 will be compatible with Sony’s LDAC codec, which allows for high-resolution audio streaming to compatible devices. The first-generation model was limited to SBC and AAC, so LDAC gives the new earbuds a more capable wireless audio pipeline.

That combo might make the Fairbuds 2 a different kind of deal: Fairphone isn’t just asking buyers to accept repairability as a trade-off for mainstream features. The addition of LDAC and a lower launch price bring the earbuds closer to traditional wireless options in terms of price and audio capability.

There could be a design change as well. Leaked images show the Fairbuds 2 adopting stems, which is a departure from the rounded design of the original earbuds. Fairphone has yet to confirm whether those will add touch or squeeze controls.

The Fairbuds 2 will be priced at €119 in Europe and $119 in the US, with the European launch happening first.

What you need to know

• Camera rumors continue for the Galaxy S27 Ultra as another round surfaces on X, stating it could boast "noticeable" processing changes.
• The S27 Ultra could bring better "highlight control" for objects at a distance, ensuring exposure levels don't go out of whack.
• Elsewhere, the device might also reduce the noise when taking dark/night photos and switch its cool tones for warmer ones.

Rumors about the Galaxy S27 Ultra's camera aren't slowing down. The latest round suggests there are significant changes to how it processes our photos.

These rumors surfaced on X from tipster Ice Universe (via GSMArena). According to the tipster, Samsung is supposedly planning three "noticeable" changes to the S27 Ultra's camera processing. The first change sounds like a major win for night photographers. They claim the S27 Ultra "shows an improvement in image cleanliness" when shooting in darker places. Photos may feature less noise, facilitating a "smoother" result.

Elsewhere, color tones are said to change. Allegedly, the S27 Ultra will swap its proclivity for cooler tones to warmer ones. Ice Universe then discusses what changes could come for the S27 Ultra's "highlight control."

If your highlights are blown out in a photo, it can really ruin an image. This is something the tipster calls out when speaking about the S26 Ultra. They state the device can "sometimes struggle to suppress the highlights" when shooting small, bright objects at a distance. The next iteration might try to control overexposure with a little more tact. The post claims this upgraded highlight control is likely for the phone's main and telephoto cameras.

The tipster states these changes are more noticeable when compared to the S26 Ultra.

Camera rumors galore

There has been no shortage of S27 Ultra camera rumors. We've seen everything from changes to walkbacks. Currently, there's a rumor that the next Ultra could feature "new technologies" for its camera system. The phone could feature an ISOCELL HP6 sensor that sticks to 200MP.

On the other hand, we have a rumor that says we might not see that telephoto upgrade we were hoping for. This old rumor from August claimed the S27 Ultra could switch its 3x and 5x telephoto cameras for a 4x f/1.9 zoom upgrade. For comparison, Samsung was going for a camera close to Apple's iPhone 17 Pro. This has since been thrown away. Rumors now suggest the S27 Ultra will retain its 5x periscope (1/2.52-inch sensor).

What you need to know

• Solos launched its $79 Privacy Kit for AirGo V2 smart glasses, replacing digital toggles with physical camera barriers and clear frame temples.
• The ClearView Temple is a non-powered, transparent frame arm available in four patterns (Ocean Arrow, Amber Net, Mint Check, Teal Web) that visually proves no electronics are inside.
• The Clip-On Bundle includes a full-cover shield to physically block the camera, plus a polarized sun lens available in Dark Green, Dark Grey, or Gradient Brown.

Solos is providing AirGo V2 owners with a more obvious way to tell when their smart glasses are not using their cameras. The company’s new Privacy Kit is now available online, combining a transparent replacement temple with clip-on accessories designed to physically block the glasses’ cameras.

Typically, smart eyewear relies on tiny LED lights or software toggles to signal when you are recording, but those methods rarely ease public paranoia. Solos, a company spun out of Kopin Corporation by engineers trained at MIT, is taking the low-tech, no-nonsense approach. Co-founder Kenneth Fan calls this “privacy by design," replacing pinky-promise policies with real barriers.

Solos first announced the kit in July during the global launch of AirGo V2. The kit is now shipping via the company’s website.

The Privacy Kit is $79 for three pieces. ClearView Temple is a non-powered, transparent replacement temple that shows you that there are no electronics or camera components inside it. It comes in Ocean Arrow, Amber Net, Mint Check, and Teal Web.

Then there’s the Clip-On Privacy Shield, a full-cover front accessory that physically blocks the camera from view and use. The same package also includes a polarized sun lens, providing UV protection and glare reduction when privacy isn't a concern. The lens comes in Dark Green, Dark Grey, and Gradient Brown.

There’s also an unexpectedly tangible cost to switching between those modes: The $79 kit is about 26% of the AirGo V2’s $299 starting price. Solos sells the ClearView Temple separately for $39 and the Clip-On Bundle for $49.

For AirGo V2 owners, the kit adds a decidedly physical layer of privacy to smart glasses. Instead of having a second setting hidden in an app, users can trade or add on hardware if they want a more visible privacy mode.

Amazon's Big Deal Days sale kicks off next week (October 6-7), which means we're about to get a look at some of the season's best Samsung Galaxy deals. From S26 smartphones and wearables to tablets and laptops, it's no secret that Samsung produces some of the best tech on the planet. This October Prime Day presents a great opportunity to get some of these devices for cheap, well before the Black Friday sales kick off in November.

I've been working sale events like this for many long years now, so I have a pretty good idea of what Samsung devices will be going on sale and which you might want to avoid until the holiday season hits.

Needless to say, the best deals during Amazon's sale will be exclusive to Prime members, so be sure to sign up if you haven't already. The retailer is even offering a free 30-day trial so you can explore the ins and outs of Prime membership without paying a cent. Whatever you're looking to buy during Amazon's Big Deal Days sale, this guide has everything you need to know about shopping Samsung tech during the sale. There are even some early deals available right now, so let's jump in.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

Early Samsung Galaxy deals

FAQ

What is Prime Big Deal Days?

Just like July's Prime Day and the Big Spring Sale in March, Prime Big Deal Days is yet another sitewide sale event for Prime members only. This October event showcases some of the season's best deals across a wide variety of product categories, from phones and tablets to clothes and kitchen appliances. Amazon's Big Deal Days also signals the start of fall sale season, giving shoppers an early look at what to expect when the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales go live in November.

What Samsung Galaxy devices will go on sale during Big Deal Days?

If you like to buy your Samsung phones and other devices unlocked, October Prime Day is an excellent time to do so. For starters, I'm expecting that we'll see the entire Samsung Galaxy S26 series get heavily discounted as part of the sale. The flagship phones received discounts as high as 30% during the official Prime Day event last July, so you can pretty much guarantee that the price will drop that low (or even lower) once Big Deal Days kicks off on October 6th.

The latest Samsung foldable phones (including the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and Z Flip 8) are also sure to receive record-smashing discounts as part of the sale, in addition to the latest Samsung smartwatches, tablets, TVs, and more. I'd also keep a special eye out for discounts on Samsung SSDs, as storage devices remain in high demand due to the ongoing RAM crisis.

Do I need to be a Prime member to shop during Prime Big Deal Days?

Yep, as with all of Amazon's sitewide sale events, the best deals during Prime Big Deal Days will be exclusive to Amazon Prime members. If you're not a member yet, it's worth mentioning that the retailer offers a 30-day free trial so you can explore all of the benefits of Prime without paying a thing.

Don't want to support Amazon? You're in luck: the retailer's biggest competitors (think Best Buy, Walmart, and Target) typically launch rival sales to coincide with October Prime Day, so you might be able to match Amazon's prices without breaking a sweat.

What you need to know

• BigMe announced that pre-orders have begun for the HiBreak Dual 3.
• The phone features a 6.1-inch E-Ink screen (color/B&W) and a "detachable magnetic" 5-inch LCD with MediaTek's Dimensity 8300.
• The HiBreak Dual 3 can be pre-ordered for $649 ahead of its "early-to-mid-November" launch window.

BigMe isn't done with the HiBreak Dual. The company's preparing a third installment, and its pre-order period has started.

BigMe briefly detailed in a press release this morning (Sept. 29) what consumers can expect from the HiBreak Dual 3. The device continues the ePaper main display with an LCD rear display. BigMe states the Dual 3 features a 6.1-inch E-Ink screen and a "detachable magnetic" 5-inch LCD. You can purchase the former in color or B&W.

BigMe equipped the HiBreak Dual 3 with MediaTek's Dimensity 8300 and a 4,450mAh battery with 30W fast charging. If you're curious about its connectivity support, the Dual 3 supports 5G, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth 5.3. This phone also supports a stylus. Pre-orders are open for the HiBreak Dual 3; however, there are a few options available before checkout.

The device offers two RAM/storage configs: 12/256GB and 16/512GB. What's more, consumers can pick their Dual 3 "bundle." BigMe is offering the device with the dual-screen setup (E-Ink and LCD), as well as the single E-Ink screen. Consumers can pre-order the HiBreak Dual 3 for $649. But if you'd rather drop the detachable LCD, you can purchase it for $589.

BigMe says it plans to begin shipping its latest model in "early-to-mid-November."

Don't carry two phones—take the Dual

We've been thinking a lot about BigMe's HiBreak series lately. In July, the company revealed the HiBreak Dual 2. Compared to the first model, the Dual 2 looks like a step in the right direction. BigMe announced its Kickstarter for the device, calling it a phone with a 6.1-inch color/BW E-Ink display and a 5-inch LCD. BigMe was also pretty active on social media (Reddit) in July, too. The company was promoting the Dual 2 while also seeking consumer feedback.

BigMe received strong interest in the Dual 2; however, there was an equal amount of concern about it. One major concern for consumers was bloatware on the Dual 2.

The company has recently updated its Kickstarter page about the Dual 2's launch window. Previously, all we knew was that it would "launch soon." BigMe's timeline states it's preparing to mass-produce the phone in October before it ships in November.

Amazon's Big Deal Days sale returns October 6-7, which means we're just days away from seeing some of the best Google Pixel deals of the year. Whether you're shopping for an AI-boosted Pixel 11 or a stylish Pixel Watch 5, Amazon's October Prime Day sale event is expected to slash prices on nearly all of Google's latest tech, along with a few iconic last-gen devices.

What specifically can you expect when the deals go live? Are there any early offers available? I've been covering sale events just like this one for years, and I can tell you exactly what you need to know about shopping Google Pixel tech during Amazon Big Deal Days.

The biggest thing to consider today is whether or not your Amazon Prime subscription is active. Most of the best Pixel deals during Amazon's sale will be exclusive to Prime members, so make sure you're logged in before you start shopping. Not a member yet? Amazon is running a 30-day free trial that lets you explore all of the benefits of a Prime membership (including access to exclusive deals) without paying a cent.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

Early Google Pixel deals

FAQ

What is Prime Big Deal Days?

Big Deal Days is Amazon's way of bringing the complete Prime Day experience into the fall season. From October 6th through the 7th, the retailer will be slashing prices on everything from clothing and kitchen appliances to Android tech, and all you'll need is a Prime membership. The sale also marks the beginning of fall sale season, giving shoppers an early look at upcoming Black Friday and Cyber Monday offerings.

What Google Pixel deals can I expect during Prime Big Deal Days?

Prime Day events like Big Deal Days typically showcase discounts on a wide range of Google products, from smartphones to wearables. This time around, I'd expect some hefty discounts on the entire Google Pixel 11 lineup. The prices on the flagship phones haven't dipped much since their August launch, so I'm anticipating discounts as high as 20% off or more once the sale begins in earnest.

You can also expect the Pixel Watch 5 to get its first-ever discount, while last-gen Google devices like the Pixel Watch 4 and Google Pixel 10a are almost certain to see some historic price drops as well.

Do I need to be a Prime member to shop during Prime Big Deal Days?

Yep. Just like other Prime Day events, the vast majority of deals during Big Deal Days will be exclusive to Prime members. If you haven't signed up yet, Amazon offers a 30-day free trial that lets you enjoy all of the benefits of Prime (including unlimited streaming, free shipping, and access to exclusive deals) without paying a cent. Once the free trial is up, Prime memberships start at just $14.99 per month with the ability to cancel at any time.

If you simply don't want to add another subscription to your monthly bills, it's also worth mentioning that Amazon's biggest rivals — such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Target — are also expected to launch their own competing sales around the same time. These sale events are sure to match (or even surpass) Amazon's discounts, and they typically don't require a membership.

Every parent wants to protect their kids, and while that's pretty easy to do when you're with them, how about all those times when you're not? Getting your child a kid-friendly phone or smartwatch is a great way to keep in touch (and keep tabs on them), but protecting them from the horrors of the internet is extraordinarily difficult, even with good parental controls in place.

That's why I've been using Bark since 2024 on my son's phone and just expanded it to a new Bark Watch so he can keep in touch no matter where he might be. But Bark isn't just any boring old parental control software that restricts or blocks content. It's got an AI-powered engine that understands context and sends you alerts when it thinks something might be wrong, and that's helped me keep him on the safe path online for the past 2 years.

What is Bark?

Bark offers parental controls for existing Android and iOS devices, as well as its own suite of devices. You can easily install it on your child's devices and link it to their social accounts, including Gmail, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and more. Bark's AI engine regularly scans activity on the device and linked accounts and sends you alerts when something is out of the ordinary.

If you don't want to set these up on an existing device, Bark sells two phone models and one smartwatch model that have everything pre-installed and ready to go out of the box. The watch and phones are all Samsung models, so you know they're good products, but I chose something else for my son because Samsung displays use PWM dimming, which causes me health issues and could also cause problems for him. Thanks, genetics.

The whistleblower

When your child is little (read: under 10), parental controls are a de facto standard that's an expected norm, even for the kids. As they get older, things get a little trickier. My son is almost 13 now and quite a bit more independent than he was even a year ago. I want to help him grow into a functioning adult, not to need me his entire life, so I've got to help give him more independence as he ages, but that comes with obvious dangers.

You generally know who your child is talking to in real life, but that's a lot harder online. That's where Bark comes in for me. Its AI-powered engine scans everything on the phone (including text, pictures, video, etc.), runs it through a private VPN, then alerts me when something is wrong. And, of course, if I really felt the need to read all his messages, I'd just take his phone away and do it. I'm still the parent, after all.

Every so often, I'll receive an alert from Bark about a conversation my son was having on Discord, or some silly video he recorded. I get around 3 per month on average, so this isn't overwhelming to deal with, and all of them are quite useful.

Most of the time, Bark identifies conversations as containing "bullying" or "violence," but in my son's case, the flagged conversation is just adolescent boys being goofballs rather than something truly harmful. "I'm going to kill you" sounds really bad with no context, but when I realized it was while they were playing some Roblox game where you fight each other, I'm no longer worried about it.

The same goes with videos or pictures he's taken with friends. One time, I got an alert about some recorded video containing "sexual content," but when I viewed it, I realized it was just potty humor taken a bit too far. A quick conversation with him nipped that one in the bud.

Another time, he skinned his knee quite badly and sent a picture of it to some friends. I got a quick alert when he did that and knew to grab the Band-Aids and Neosporin for when he walked back inside. It works impressively well, and it makes me feel like I have a digital companion helping me better parent him in the digital age rather than having to manually snoop on every conversation he has.

Bark Assistant

Bark's proactive alerts are a phenomenal way to keep me informed without having to keep the app open all the time, but there are occasions when I want to look something up in the app. Bark does a lot, and I used to find myself fumbling through menus to find what I want, but that all stopped when Bark Assistant launched.

Assistant is launched via the center Bark button in the Bark app's navigation bar. As you might imagine, Bark Assistant is powered by an LLM and can answer any question you have about your child's account or activity. It can also make quick changes to settings or help you set up features you didn't know existed.

My favorite feature is the "who has my child been talking to" option, which generates a one-page summary of the past seven days. It's particularly helpful for kids who have access to apps like Discord, which are anonymous and can be nefariously used.

I also love the Advanced Insights tab, which uses a private LLM to summarize recent data and give you quick to-dos. In one humorous example, Bark identified a Google search my son made asking, "where is the eighth heroine?" Bark Assistant says, "the search was auto-flagged for drug/alcohol-related content because early keystrokes matched 'heroin,' but it looks like this was likely research for a book, game, or show character."

That's some fantastic insight, because the "eight heroine" is actually a puzzle in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, not because my son was looking for illicit drugs. It's this kind of semantic understanding that makes Bark actually useful, rather than another app that sends me far too many annoying notifications.

Advanced Insights also gives you conversation starters for problems that it identifies. In the silly Zelda puzzle example, the Bark app suggested I double-check with my son by saying something like, "I saw you were searching for an 'eighth heroine' online -- were you looking up a character from a show or game? I'd love to hear what you were digging into." Good advice, especially if I don't want to rush in and immediately accuse him of something.

There's a lot more to Bark than these features, of course, but these are what set the service apart for me and make it truly special. It feels a bit like the difference between seeing a holistic doctor and stopping by a random clinic whenever you have a problem. Bark seems to understand the big picture, not just the things it should block or restrict, and I absolutely love that about it.

There's never been a better time to buy MagSafe power banks; the introduction of 25W Qi 2.2 charging tech has catalyzed this category, and there are plenty of great choices. I tested UGREEN's MagFlow models, Baseus' Qi 2.2 power banks, and the brand's Dark Cherry collection.

Honestly, any 5,000mAh or 10,000mAh Qi 2.2 power bank will be good enough if you're using an iPhone or recent Pixel and just want something that can charge your phone. It's a little more convoluted with other Android phones as you need to use a magnetic case, but other than that, the usability is similar.

But that isn't the case with wide foldables like the iPhone Duo and the Galaxy Z Fold 8. The smaller and wider design means most power banks will be too long, but accessory makers are solving that problem. BMX's SolidSafe Duo is a 5,000mAh magnetic power bank with a semi-solid-state battery cell, and it utilizes a custom square design that's designed to go with the iPhone Duo.

As the image above illustrates, you can attach it to the rear of the foldable and use the provided 360-degree kickstand to interact with the inner panel. The rotating nature of the kickstand makes it inherently versatile, and you can use it to take advantage of the iPhone Duo's unique size.

I also like that the SolidSafe Duo gets a TFT panel that shows battery level and charging details. It isn't a Qi 2.2 power bank, instead going up to just 15W, but it gets a built-in USB-C cable that hits 20W. That's annoying, as 25W charging would have been ideal — considering it costs $79, nearly double that of regular Qi 2.2 power banks.

Baseus is also getting in on the action with the PicoGo Air AM72 Magnetic Power Bank. While it doesn't use a semi-solid-state cell and doesn't have the rotating ring, it has a similar design as Baseus's other power banks, and it should be just as reliable. While I haven't looked at BMX's power banks just yet, I used Baseus's products for well over two years now, and I haven't had any issues whatsoever. Baseus hasn't detailed what the AM72 will cost, with the power bank slated to go on sale in November.

This is just the initial wave of accessories, and I have no doubt that we will see plenty of other brands roll out iPhone Duo-related power banks, chargers, and cases over the coming weeks as we get closer to the foldable's availability.

What you need to know

• Google has started warning users in Gemini Gems that it will replace this feature with "Skills."
• Gems will be replaced by Skills on November 17, 2026; however, users can continue to use Gems until they migrate.
• Skills are "reusable custom instructions" that are stackable and easier to access for users in Gemini chats.
• Google introduced Gemini Gems in August 2024.

Google is shutting down an old Gemini feature in the next couple of months. It states it will replace Gems with the next iteration of its AI tech.

In Gemini's Gems view, Google has posted an alert to inform users that Gems will be replaced by Skills on November 17, 2026 (via 9to5Google). The company's alert reads, "...we'll automatically begin migrating your Gems to skills. You will be able to use your Gems until they migrate." Learning more sends users to a support page where Google details its move from Gems to Skills.

According to the post, Skills are "reusable custom instructions" that users can utilize for automated tasks in Gemini. However, there are a few more uses. Skills are "stackable." Google states this means users can combine multiple Skills in one chat with Gemini for complex tasks. What's more, the company says you can type the Skill's name in a chat with Gemini for easier access.

It's worth noting that Google is working on a way to type "@" followed by the Skill's name for an even easier experience. Gemini's awareness of your Skills will have it "automatically recognize when a skill is relevant to your current prompt." Gemini will then apply that Skill for you without much manual input. If you've been using Gems and are curious about how to recreate them as a Skill, we suggest reading this.

The support document states Skills are available now in Gemini's chats for users over 18 years old and signed in (personal account). Google says it plans to expand Skills to work and school accounts in the future.

Watch the skills

We've had Gemini Gems for two years. Perhaps it's been a good run? Google first introduced these custom Gems in August 2024, stating they let users "create a tailor-made version of the AI for a specific need." Users can instruct the AI on its purpose and "how it should respond." Gems were available (still are, technically) on desktop and mobile. Since its introduction, Google has brought Gems to Workspace.

Google delivered a pre-made selection of Gems for Gmail, Drive, Sheets, and Slides. Users still had the ability to create their own, too. What's replacing it now—Skills—is the result of Gemini Spark. This is Google's latest proactive AI agent to help streamline users' workdays. Gemini Spark can manage tasks and workflows in the background without disturbing you. Google explains that Skills are "a set of instructions and preferences that teaches Gemini how to handle a specific type of task the way you would."

What you need to know

• Opera is adding a travel eSIM directly to its Android browser, with 3GB of free data for eligible users.
• You don't need to enter credit card details to claim the free 3GB, and the eSIM can be managed inside Opera.
• Opera's travel eSIM works across 47 destinations and stays installed on your phone for use on future trips.

Opera will now offer a free eSIM directly through its Android browser, giving users 3GB of free data to use while traveling.

Opera has quickly become one of the more interesting browsers on Android, adding features like multi-model AI search directly into the browser alongside plenty of other additions. And now, Opera is giving users another reason to give its browser a try.

The company today announced that it's integrating a travel eSIM directly into Opera for Android. Opera says eligible users will get 3GB of data for free in supported destinations, allowing them to try the service before paying anything. There's no requirement to enter credit card details to claim the free data either, and users will be able to manage their eSIM directly through the Opera browser.

Opera says that before you can browse the internet while traveling abroad, the obvious first step is getting connected in the first place. That's where the new eSIM comes in, with Opera offering connectivity across 47 destinations directly through its Android browser.

Similar to other travel eSIMs, you'll need to install the eSIM from the Opera app before traveling to your destination. Once you arrive, you can simply enable the eSIM and connect to mobile data. The eSIM also stays installed on your phone across multiple trips, so you won't need to set up a new one every time you travel.

To claim the free eSIM through the Opera app, you'll first need to make sure you're running the latest version of Opera for Android. Open the app, tap the Profile icon in the bottom-right corner, scroll down, and select eSIM.

You should then see a Claim button. Tap it, choose the country you're traveling to, and confirm your selection to activate the free trial.

Of course, you'll need an Android phone that supports eSIM to use the feature. But if you're using a recent Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, or another flagship Android phone, there's a good chance your device already supports it.

For now, Opera says its free 3GB data offer is available to users in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Canada, UAE, Brazil, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Poland. The travel eSIM itself, however, can be purchased and used more broadly across its supported destinations.

It's a a pretty unusual feature to see built directly into a browser, but for anyone who travels frequently, having an eSIM ready to go without downloading another app could come in pretty handy.

What you need to know

• Bose has launched new $99 USB-C wired earbuds that bring active noise cancellation without needing a battery.
• The earbuds draw power directly from your device and support lossless playback with output fixed at 24-bit/48kHz.
• Bose offers Quiet, Aware, and ANC Off modes, with an inline remote for playback, volume, calls, and ANC controls.

Bose has just launched a new pair of wired earbuds that come with active noise cancellation as well.

While there are plenty of benefits to using the best wireless earbuds, including ANC and the convenience of a completely wireless listening experience, I'm still one of those people who prefers wired earbuds. But I've mostly stayed away from them over the past few years because they usually miss one of the features I rely on the most with wireless earbuds: active noise cancellation.

However, it looks like Bose might have just fixed that problem for me.

Bose today unveiled its new Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds. Just like other USB-C earbuds, these plug directly into the USB-C port on your phone, tablet, or computer for instant audio. There's no requirement to use an app, and since the earbuds draw power directly from the connected device, there's no battery to charge either.

Bose says the earbuds use its proprietary SoundDesign digital signal processing technology to deliver crisp and clear audio, alongside support for lossless audio playback.

The earbuds support the USB Audio Class 2 protocol, meaning they can accept source input at different sample and bit rates, while playback output is fixed at 24-bit/48kHz. You also get the usual benefit of lower latency that comes with using a wired connection.

For noise cancellation, Bose has fitted dedicated microphones on the back of the earbuds that listen to the surrounding environment and help reduce unwanted noise. There's also a physical inline remote for controlling playback, volume, and calls, as well as switching between the different noise cancellation modes.

There are three listening modes available. Quiet mode reduces outside distractions using ANC, while Aware mode lets you hear more of what's happening around you. There's also a straightforward ANC Off mode if you don't want to use noise cancellation at all.

Just like most in-ear earbuds, the Bose Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds come with soft silicone ear tips and are rated IPX4 for water resistance.

The earbuds will be available in Black, White Smoke, and a limited-edition Dewdrop Mint colorway. Bose has priced the Noise Cancelling Wired Earbuds at $99 in the U.S., with pre-orders starting today through Bose and Best Buy. They'll begin shipping on October 15.

What you need to know

• Wide Motorola foldable rumors claim the device could feature a 6.9-inch OLED inner screen and a 4.9-inch cover display.
• The phone could come equipped with Qualcomm's 2025 midrange chip, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 5, and a 5,000mAh battery with 25W wireless charging.
• While the phone sounds smaller than the competition, its thickness could surpass that of others, as a mid-December launch is speculated.

The latest leaks claim to have discovered the name and a few key specifications about Motorola's upcoming wide Razr foldable.

A post by Android Headlines alleges several important details about Motorola's wide foldable, which could be called the "Razr Flex." Right out of the gate, rumors suggest the wide Razr could feature a 6.9-inch OLED inner screen with up to a 165Hz refresh rate, paired with a 4.9-inch cover display. Interestingly, the device might not snag a flagship-quality chip.

These early rumors purport that Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 SoC could power the foldable. This chip was revealed in November 2025. It's a midrange chip designed to grant such devices "flagship-level strength," but at an affordable price. Similar to previous rumors, the "Razr Flex" could feature two cameras on its rear panel. The publication claims these could be dual 50MP lenses (main and ultra-wide) with up to "30x digital zoom" on the main lens.

The leak alleges the wide foldable could feature a 5,000mAh battery with 25W Qi2 wireless charging. Rumors conclude by stating the device could measure 110 x 149 x 5.8mm (unfolded) and 110 x 76 x 12.6mm (folded). What's more, this phone could see a "mid-December" launch in 2026 with PANTONE Coriander and Dark Botanical Garden colorways.

Moto's going for iconic

Apple launched its iPhone Duo earlier this month, and Motorola was quick to start talking about what it's working on. We've been hearing rumors about a wider Razr Fold for a while now, and a few alleged sketches of this device have appeared online. The device will seemingly feature a design we're familiar with: a pocketable form factor with rounded corners. However, what Motorola showed off on Instagram got us thinking even more.

Shrouded in darkness, the device briefly appeared in a model's hand, unfolded, then folded. It was difficult to make out any defining features; however, its protruding camera bar was one such notable aspect. Other rumors suggest Motorola could feature a "bezel-less" display for its cover screen and an "easy open profile." Current rumors paint an interesting picture: the "Razr Flex" could be smaller than the competition.

Its displays are a bit smaller than the likes of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8. These rumors also suggest Motorola's will be thicker and "slightly heavier," too. We'll have to wait and see for sure.

Amazon's next big sale event is only a week away, but you don't need to wait until Big Deal Days on October 6th to find some stellar deals on Amazon brand devices. Whether you want a new tablet, TV, or smart home device, Amazon's early October Prime Day sale is discounting dozens of great devices across its site, and most of them don't even require a Prime membership.

I'm talking about deals like 53% off the popular Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet, or this offer that drops the newest Amazon Echo Show 5 down to just 60 bucks (a 40% discount). Keep reading for more of my top picks, and don't forget to check back later to see what's new: I'll be adding more Fire deals to this collection as they go live.

Amazon Big Deal Days kicks off on October 6th and runs through the 7th. Like I mentioned above, most of the best deals during the sale will be exclusive to Prime members. If you haven't joined yet, you can easily shop all of the best discounts for free by signing up for Amazon's 30-day free trial.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

Tablets

Smart home

Streaming & TVs

What you need to know

• Honor launched the Magic 9 Pro Max after briefly featuring the phone at the Venice Film Festival.
• The device features a 6.8-inch OLED display, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, and an 8,800mAh battery with 100W wired charging.
• Its ARRI partnership continues with the phone, offering two 200MP lenses, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, and strong ARRI Image Science, Cinema Mode, and Live Video.
• The device starts at RMB 6,499 (~$968) in Shadow Black, Glacier Silver, and Moss Green.

Early this morning (U.S. time), Honor revealed its latest Pro Max flagship phone in China. The device is focused on "Cinema Heritage" as the company strengthens its ARRI partnership.

The OEM detailed the launch of the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max this morning (Sept. 28). James Li, CEO of Honor, said, "The HONOR Magic Series was born for creation, using technology to nurture and empower the creativity within each of us." To get creative, Honor said it took inspiration from the three-lens ARRIFLEX cameras. This facilitates a 1+2 camera array. The main lens is larger to the left of the other two cameras (positioned vertically).

The Magic 9 Pro Max features a 6.8-inch OLED display with up to 10,000nits of peak brightness. Honor also reached for Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip for the device.

The Magic 9 Pro Max's cameras take center stage like no other flagship. Honor puts its continued ARRI cinematic imaging partnership front and center, highlighting the phone's 200MP main sensor.

Honor states this is a "200MP Ultra Night Main Camera" with an f/1.57 aperture, OIS (optical image stabilization), and three-degree gimbal-level stabilization. It pairs this with a 200MP Ultra Night telephoto lens and a 50MP ultra-wide camera. Honor has included its in-house Imaging Chip H1 to help retain photographic detail, texture, and more. However, with ARRI involved, things go further.

Honor states it brought ARRI Image Science to "capture, color management, and real-time preview." When it comes to ARRI Cinema Mode, consumers will find support for (up to) 4K 60fps recording. Elsewhere, Honor says Cinematic Live Video will "capture a three-second moving moment after the user presses and holds the record button."

More under the hood

Honor continues its cinematic ambitions with the Magic 9 Pro Max by drawing attention to its speakers. The phone is equipped with Stereo Dual 1216 speakers for all your playback needs. What's more, Honor says creators can find additional "cinema-grade" tools for the phone, such as a SmallRig Mobile Video Kit.

We're busy focusing on the cameras, but Honor says that's not all. The Magic 9 Pro Max packs an 8,800mAh silicon-carbon battery. This cell supports 100W wired SuperCharging and 80W wireless charging. MagicOS 11 (Android 17), which reportedly advances the brand's on-device AI, YOYO. The existence of YOYO Memory helps users capture content, alongside organization tools for easy rediscovery.

The Honor Magic 9 Pro Max launched in China today (Sept. 28) with four RAM/storage configs: 12/256GB, 12/512GB, 16/512GB, and 16/1TB. Consumers will find the phone in Shadow Black, Glacier Silver, and Moss Green. The phone starts at RMB 6,499 (~$968).

Honor says the phone will roll out in "other key international markets," but an official announcement on that is coming soon.

I'm one of those people who believes that we don't need a new generation of smartphones every year (can we take 2027 off please?), but this trend does come in handy when you're on the hunt for Motorola Razr Ultra deals.

Order last year's Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) unlocked from Best Buy today, for instance, and you'll get a straight $600 off your purchase, no trade-in required and no strings attached. This is an excellent clamshell device that still holds its own against many of the best foldable phones on the market, but since it's officially "last-gen", discounts like this are becoming more common.

Will the price drop even further when Amazon's Big Spring Sale kicks off next week? It's hard to say for certain, but I wouldn't worry about feeling any FOMO once the deals go live on October 6th: $600 off is an impressive discount no matter how you look at it.

We called the Razr Ultra (2025) the 'flip phone, nearly perfected' in last year's 4.5/5-star review, and most of this praise still rings true today. Straight out of the box, you'll find two gorgeous pOLED displays (7-inch internal, 4-inch external) with a titanium-reinforced hinge and a premium vegan leather finish.

Under the hood, the Razr Ultra (2025) is equipped with an all-day 4,700mAh battery, 16GB of RAM, and the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, in addition to 512GB of onboard storage.

How does the 2025 foldable compare to this year's Motorola Razr Ultra (2026)? Well, the newer phone adds an upgrade to the camera system and a larger battery without affecting the weight, plus a few new finishes that look great. That's about it. Both phones share the same processor, they have identical charging speeds, and there's no change to the display technology.

Iterative upgrades between smartphone generations are hardly uncommon in this day and age, but the Razr Ultra (2026) is selling for a jaw-dropping $1,499.99 right now. There is no universe in which I could recommend the 2026 flip phone when the nearly-identical Motorola Razr Ultra (2025) is selling for $800 cheaper at Best Buy.

Needless to say, unless you simply have to have the latest and greatest devices on the market, grab the 2025 Razr Ultra while it's on sale. You won't be disappointed.

What you need to know

• Samsung has finally published the official One UI 9 changelog for the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra.
• One UI 9 brings the Galaxy Z Fold 8's My FanCam feature to Samsung's Galaxy S26 series for the first time.
• The update makes the Quick Panel more customizable and adds improved Now Nudge and call screen information.
• Samsung is also adding AI privacy alerts, a new location indicator, and upgrades to Bixby and Samsung Health.

Samsung has finally and officially detailed what's coming to the Galaxy S26 series with the One UI 9 update.

Samsung's One UI 9 rollout for the Galaxy S26 series has been one for the books. Earlier this month, the company announced that One UI 9 would start rolling out to the Galaxy S26 series on September 21. We later learned that Samsung had delayed the rollout, only for T-Mobile to suddenly start pushing the update to Galaxy S26 devices in the U.S.

Safe to say, it's been messy. That said, Samsung has now updated its official support pages to confirm that One UI 9 builds for the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra are available on T-Mobile, Metro by T-Mobile, and US Cellular (via Android Authority). Unlocked Galaxy S26 owners are apparently starting to receive the update as well.

Despite One UI 9 already reaching several Galaxy S26 devices, we didn't have an official changelog from Samsung detailing exactly what was new. But with Samsung now updating its support pages, we finally know what Galaxy S26 owners are getting.

One of the biggest additions is My FanCam, the AI-powered video tracking feature that debuted with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series. One UI 9 also brings an improved Now Nudge experience, alongside the ability to show relevant information directly on the call screen.

Samsung is also making the Quick Panel even more customizable. You can now separate the Sound Mode button from the volume slider, giving you more control over how the panel is laid out.

There are some new privacy and security features as well. One UI 9 introduces AI-powered privacy alerts that monitor how apps use permissions and can notify you if an app appears to be unnecessarily accessing your personal data. A blue indicator will also appear at the top of the screen whenever an app accesses your location.

Beyond that, Samsung says One UI 9 brings major upgrades to Bixby, Samsung Health, and the Lock Screen Clock, alongside several other smaller changes. You can check out Samsung's full One UI 9 changelog below.

One UI 9 official changelog:

Galaxy AI

Enhanced Now nudge
Now nudge provides helpful suggestions in more places throughout your Galaxy experience. In addition to the keyboard, suggestions will now appear in conversation notifications and in a floating button in the bottom right corner of the screen. There are also several new types of suggestions, like entering reservation details or addresses and saving places in Google Maps.

Focus on someone important
My FanCam lets you select a person in a video and follow them automatically while cropping out the rest of the video.

Interpreter keeps your conversation in front of you
In conversation mode, you can scroll through the whole conversation while you’re still talking.

See useful information during calls
See relevant events and other information related to your current call on the call screen.

Productivity and multitasking

More customizable quick panel
You can now rearrange and customize the controls in your quick panel even more than before. You can change the size of the brightness and volume sliders as well as the media player. You can also separate the sound mode button from the volume slider.

Privacy, security, and device protection

Warranty and care
The new Warranty and care menu in settings lets you check your warranty information and access diagnostic checks and useful information for keeping your Galaxy in top condition.

Lock down your phone quickly
It's now easier to securely lock your phone in a hurry. Just press and hold the Volume down and Side buttons at the same time or tap the Power button in the quick panel. This prevents biometrics from being used the next time you unlock your phone.

Location access transparency
Stay on top of your location privacy. A blue indicator will appear at the top of the screen when an app accesses your location. Tap the indicator in the quick panel to see which app it is.

Stronger security and privacy protection
Alerts will appear in your Now brief to let you know about risks from malware, apps from unknown sources, unnecessary permissions, and other issues that may put your security and privacy at risk. Apps that have been identified as malicious or vulnerable will be blocked from opening until you make a decision about whether to remove them.

AI privacy alerts
Get help protecting your personal data. AI will monitor how apps use permissions and notify you about unnecessary access to your personal data.

Samsung Health

New look for Samsung Health
Samsung Health has been redesigned to make your health data easier to understand. Enjoy clearer visuals, improved charts, and a more engaging experience to help you reach your health goals.

Customize your Health home screen
Resize cards and organize them by category, like Activity, Sleep, Mindfulness, and Nutrition, so your top priorities are easy to access.

Log health data quickly
It's now easier to add your health information right from the Samsung Health home screen. You can log your mood, meals, and more. You can even use the camera for faster input.

Advanced trend analysis
Track your progress with improved trend charts in Samsung Health. View data in hourly, daily, or weekly intervals, pinch to zoom in for a closer look, and overlay multiple charts to compare your performance across different periods.

Monitor changes in your sleep vitals
Samsung Health helps you notice meaningful changes in your sleep health data. Use Galaxy Watch or Ring measurements to better understand your daily health patterns.

Manage your heart health
Track key health metrics and lifestyle factors that affect your heart. A daily score based on your sleep, exercise, BMI, and blood pressure helps you better understand your current heart health trends.

Track your cardio load
See how your workouts and activity impact your heart so you'll know when to push harder and when to rest. Your target cardio load range adjusts daily based on your recent activity and training focus.

Check your fitness index
Your Fitness Index is an overall score calculated using five key fitness metrics: body composition, cardio, strength, flexibility, and endurance. Set a goal and unlock personalized insights tailored to your results.

Keep your ears safe
The new Hearing tracker monitors sound levels detected by your Galaxy Watch and headphone audio levels to help you manage your exposure to loud sounds.

View your cycle and body rhythm
Get a more personalized view of your cycle and body rhythm with new cycle tracking options. You can view your cycle information in your calendar and better understand your health patterns.

Bixby

Activate Bixby with a gesture
Talk to Bixby just by raising your phone close to your mouth and speaking. No wake-up word needed.

Manage your conversations
Keep your chats organized. Search them, rename them, or pin your favorites. You can also delete all of your past conversations at once.

Bixby on the Home screen
Add a Bixby widget to type or talk to Bixby or jump directly to your conversation history.

Accessibility

Discover new Accessibility features
Check the What's new menu in Accessibility settings to learn about and try the latest Accessibility features for your Galaxy.

Text spotlight for easier reading
Need a closer look? Tap any text on the screen to show it enlarged and highlighted in its own window. You can also customize the font size, colors, and other settings to match your preferences.

Physical keyboard shortcuts
Use shortcuts on your physical keyboard to access the Accessibility settings you need without touching the screen.

Mouse keys enhancements
New options are available when using your keyboard for mouse interactions including speed and acceleration control. You can also use the keyboard's number pad to point and click.

Replace swipe with single tap
The Replace swipe with single tap option is now located in the Dexterity and interaction menu instead of the Assistant menu for easier access.

Select to speak
Get quick audio readouts without turning on full TalkBack. With the new Select to speak feature, you can select an item on your screen, like text or an image, and hear it read or described out loud.

Improved TalkBack updates
TalkBack updates can now be applied with a simple app update from the Play Store, helping you get the latest accessibility features and enhancements.

Even more improvements

New Lock screen clock
The default clock on your Lock screen has been redesigned with a cleaner and more modern look that adapts to match your wallpaper.

Samsung DeX enhancements
It's easier to move an app window from one desktop to another using the menu at the top of the window. Desktop previews are now available at the top of the Recents screen, making it easier to switch with a single tap.

I always enjoy using limited-edition phones (who doesn't?), and I liked what Realme did last year with the 15 Pro Game of Thrones Limited Edition. The brand is following that up with another fantasy-related collaboration, this time launching the Harry Potter Edition of the 16 Pro.

I'm a Potterhead; I grew up with the Harry Potter books, and not being content with the canon, I went down the fanfic rabbit hole (HPMOR is incredible). My wife and sister also like the books, and we went to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios a few years ago (it was a thoroughly enjoyable three days, and I highly recommend it).

Anyway, let's talk about the device itself. Realme has proven that it knows how to make a limited-edition phone, and the brand outdid itself with the 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition. The attention to detail with the box, accessories, and the phone itself makes this one of the best collaborations in this category, and I know what I'm talking about — I used every phone-based collab to come out in the last decade.

The design is centered around Hogwarts, and the box that the phone comes in reflects that. The box is styled after Harry's Hogwarts trunk, and it comes with a ton of accessories: you get the Hogwarts letter (which is just plain cool), Platform 9 3/4 train ticket, bookmarks of each house, and four postcards.

There's a delightful SIM card ejector styled like the Hogwarts crest, a phone case with the crest on the rear, and a charger and cable that are of the same color as the phone itself. This is a big deal in and of itself, because most limited-edition collabs use the same charger as the regular models.

All of this leads to an unboxing that feels quite special, and honestly, it's clear that Realme put a lot of thought into this edition. The phone itself continues the Hogwarts livery, with the four-house crest highlighted on the rear along with Harry Potter and Realme inscribed underneath.

I also like the soft brown leather texture, and the pattern contrasts really well with the crest (it's also a good choice if you're into Burberry). Realme says the camera island is styled to look like Hedwig's eyes, and there's a laser-engraved Welcome to Hogwarts etched on to the mid-frame on the right.

I didn't notice this in the beginning, but the crest has what Realme calls Quadra Light-Sensing Color-changing Tech, which basically means it shows the colors of each house when you shine a UV light over it. This is undeniably cool, and I'll admit I wouldn't have come across it if I didn't go to Realme's product page.

There's a lot to like with the software as well. Realme added unique icons and animations, and it makes the device stand out from the regular model. If you don't like the styling, you can use the standard icons that come with Realme UI.

Other than that, the rest of the phone is similar to the Realme 16 Pro. It's a reliable mid-ranger, and it honestly is one of the better choices available in this category. You get a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel, Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Max, 12GB of RAM with 256GB of storage, a 200MP main camera, and 7,000mAh battery.

On the whole, the Realme 16 Pro 5G Harry Potter Edition is one of the best limited-edition phones I used. It does a great job reliving the magic of the Wizarding World, and I like the number of accessories Realme included this time around. of course, the result of that is the phone being costlier than the regular model; it costs ₹62,999 ($656) in India, and that's a considerable hike over what the standard 16 Pro costs in the country. Still, if you're a Potterhead and want a new phone, it is a great choice.

Qualcomm provided travel and lodging to Snapdragon Summit. There was no additional compensation, and Qualcomm did not have any input on this article prior to publication.

This year's Snapdragon Summit came and went, and I was fortunate enough to be on the ground in Maui to check out everything that Qualcomm and its partners had to show off. From powerful new smartphone chips to very interesting smartphones, more capable earbuds to chonky AR smart glasses, and, of course, the first batch of Googlebooks.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Extreme was the star of the show, but Summit also showcased a host of devices powered by Qualcomm's latest chip and other Snapdragon platforms. Here are some of the most interesting things I saw during Snapdragon Summit 2026.

Xiaomi 18 Pro comes with two unique displays

It's not too surprising, but Xiaomi was the first Android OEM to launch a smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series. In fact, it has two phones, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max, sporting each of the new Snapdragon chips.

Beyond using some of the most powerful smartphone chips, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series has unique features you won't find on most Android smartphones. The most obvious is the rear display, which lets users set customizable wallpapers, check notifications, adjust settings, and even take selfies using the rear 200MP cameras.

In addition, the front OLED display utilizes a new pixel layout that lets the Xiaomi 18 Pro utilize a new privacy display feature, similar to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. With it, you can hide the contents of your display from onlookers while still seeing your display clearly. It's also customizable, so you can hide only notifications or specific apps.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro is available in China, with a global launch coming soon.

Motorola Signature 27 brings the heat to Samsung

The original Motorola Signature didn't make it to North America, but its successor, the Signature 27, will launch globally later this year. The phone is a true Motorola flagship, powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, with a completely new design and some impressive-sounding cameras.

The main camera is a 50MP Lytia 910, and there's also a 200MP periscope telephoto lens, with cameras supported by Qualcomm's Image Stabilization tech and the device’s 3.5-degree OIS hardware. This is all housed in a striking camera layout, covered in ceramic and brushed aluminum.

Motorola is also partnering with Bang & Olufsen to deliver a high-quality audio experience and has promised up to seven years of software updates, which is pretty rare for Moto phones.

We don't know exactly when the Signature 27 will be available, but it's at least coming in 2026, so it won't be much longer.

Snapdragon gaming is getting a major boost

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 is a powerful chipset that promises to upgrade your gaming experience with a new Adreno Neural Fusion. This enables new features like advanced AI frame generation for smoother gameplay and Super Resolution to improve graphics quality.

During my hands-on with reference devices, I played a game that used both features and could toggle them on or off to see the difference. This also included Unreal Engine's Lumen lighting engine.

The visual and gameplay differences were quite obvious, and Qualcomm says developers could decide themselves which of the Adreno Neural Fusion features they want to utilize for their games for the best experience.

Googlebooks bring your phone to your laptop

Google has finally introduced the next evolution of Chromebooks, and it features a lot more Android. The first batch of Googlebooks is here, with devices from HP and Dell running the new Googlebook OS and powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite.

The result is a more premium experience than what you'd expect from most Chromebooks. For starters, the Googlebook OS is built on an Android foundation, so it's more capable than what's possible on current Chromebooks. This makes it easier to add more features to the OS and supports AI features like Rambler, Gemini Live, Magic Pointer, and more.

Googlebooks can also access the full suite of apps on the Play Store, and connecting to your phone is now easier and more intuitive. You can access your phone's files from your laptop without plugging them in, drag and drop files between devices, and even cast apps from your phone to the laptop with ease.

Googlebooks start at $899, and they'll eventually come down in price and replace Chromebooks. But for now, the Googlebook experience is shaping up to be a premium one.

Snap Specs are cooler than I thought

Snap Specs were announced in July, but I finally got my hands on Snap's rather divisive AR glasses. Given their bulky design, I expected to hate them. However, once I put them on, it was clear that Snap has done something quite impressive.

Unlike other dual-display smart glasses, Specs don't require an external puck for battery and processing; everything is squeezed into the glasses, including the two Snapdragon processors, which is part of why they're so huge. That said, despite their size, they're surprisingly light and comfortable to wear.

I was able to play with a few demos, including a Harry Potter experience and a putting app. I was rather impressed with how well the glasses tracked my hand movements and anchored content to my environment. It felt a bit like using a Meta Quest 3 headset, but on a smaller, more comfortable pair of glasses. And while the Specs features some surprisingly good visuals, I was fairly disappointed in the field of view, which was rather narrow.

I can't imaging these going mainstream, but they're still pretty cool for anyone willing to spend $2,195 on these.

Your headphones are getting new superpowers

Alongside the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series, Qualcomm also introduced the Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2, which promises some pretty neat features for your next pair of headphones.

While headphones and earbuds generally route AI requests to your smartphone, Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 brings micro-power Wi-Fi, so your earbuds can connect to your AI assistant or other services without your smartphone. And with Snapdragon Sound Apps & Agents, manufacturers can build on these experiences, which could greatly enhance your audio experience.

In one demo, I translated audio from several languages into English directly on the headphones I was using. Another demo highlighted the AI capabilities, where the earbuds enhanced the voice of the person speaking directly in front of me.

The best part is that Snapdragon Sound Elite Gen 2 is targeting not only headphones and earbuds, but also smart glasses, AI wearables, hearing aids, and even a new category of camera buds.

Your glasses want to be your next doctor

In an interesting demo, I saw how medical professionals could use smart glasses to help diagnose you. A nurse or doctor could wear smart glasses while assessing you, and the glasses would use visual cues to decide what questions to ask next to get the right information.

While I'm not sure if something like this would be well-received by the public right now, especially when there's so much scrutiny surrounding the use of smart glasses, I can see how something like this could be used to help medical professionals triage patients, especially during busy times when there may be a wait to see an actual doctor.

This also appears to be part of Qualcomm's new Personal AI Health Alliance, which aims to make the health data our wearables capture meaningful through a more proactive, detailed, and accessible approach.

Qualcomm and MediaTek have unveiled their flagship chipsets, and we should see these coming to 2027 devices soon. With manufacturers pushing up their launch schedules, we don't actually have to wait until 2027 to see how these chipsets hold up — phones like the OPPO Find X10 Pro Max, Vivo X500 Pro Max, and the Xiaomi 18 Pro Max are already available in China, and will go live globally in the coming weeks.

Just having Elite in the name wasn't enough for Qualcomm, so this year's chipset is dubbed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. And while MediaTek didn't go anywhere as overboard with the naming convention, it added a Pro moniker this time, leading to the Dimensity 9600 Pro.

What's new this year is that both Qualcomm and MediaTek are using a 2nm manufacturing node. This is a big deal as the last three years have been on 3nm. The move to TSMC’s 2nm manufacturing node delivers huge gains across the board, and both chipsets include LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0 storage integration. So let's take a look at what these platforms have to offer, and when you can get your hands on devices powered by these chipsets.

These CPUs are extreme in all the right ways

Like last year, Qualcomm is leveraging its custom-core design, but this time the two main cores go up to 5GHz, which is wild. Qualcomm went with a standard 2+6 core configuration, with the six Performance cores going up to 4.0GHz. There's 16MB cache, and Qualcomm touts 13% increased performance with the new cores alongside a massive 37% gains in efficiency.

MediaTek, meanwhile, continues to use Arm's latest cores to great effect, and it is doing things a little differently than Qualcomm when it comes to the core configuration. It is using a 2+3+3 core configuration, using two of the C2-Ultra cores at 4.55GHz along with six C2-Pro cores, one cluster going up to 4.35GHz and the other at 3.1GHz.

This is similar to what MediaTek did last year with the Dimensity 9500, and having used the Vivo X300 Pro and Find X9 Pro that featured the silicon, I only have good things to say about how MediaTek implemented this system. MediaTek is claiming a 17% increase in performance this year, with 61% better energy efficiency with multi-core workloads and 37% with single-core workloads.

It's the latter number that should make a bigger difference in daily use, and I'll put these claims to test when I get my hands on phones powered by the platform — it shouldn't be too long a wait as OPPO and Vivo are launching their phones globally in October.

The GPU goes neural

Normally, I would just say that Qualcomm has the edge with the GPU, but it may not be as straightforward this year. Arm has doubled down in this area, and is leveraging neural tech to good effect, and the Mali-G2-Ultra-NX in the Dimensity 9600 Pro is highly intriguing as a result.

Qualcomm is also doing something similar with the new Adreno matrix cores, but it hasn't showcased just how much of a difference this tech would make in visually-intensive gaming. Qualcomm is touting 44% increased performance and 40% gains around energy efficiency, but the latter is a nebulous claim as it relates to games that use its neural tech. MediaTek, on the other hand, lists a decent 27% gain in performance this year, and 24% better energy efficiency at load.

Given all the overheating issues I noticed on Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 phones, I'm going to wait and see how the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 holds up in this regard. MediaTek did a much better job with thermal management last year, and it is entirely likely that may be the case this time as well.

Get ready for the next big imaging upgrade

Qualcomm has always done a great job with its ISPs, and this year it is including 3K60 video, ultra-low-light video at 4K60, and slow-motion video at 4K240. There's tight AI integration, and it remains to be seen if manufacturers leverage any of these features in their devices.

MediaTek made considerable headway in this area over the last 18 months — mostly due to its collaboration with OPPO and Vivo — and it has a lot of the same features as Qualcomm: 8K60 video, 4K240 slow-motion video, and tight integration with the NPU. As the Vivo X500 Pro and Find X10 Pro Max use this platform, there's no doubting that the ISP can hold its own against what Qualcomm is doing.

Coming soon to a phone near you

OPPO and Vivo are launching their flagships globally in October, and while Xiaomi hasn't confirmed when the 18 Pro will debut outside China, it is bound to launch later this year. Interestingly, the 18 Pro models will come to India as well, and that makes things very interesting.

Most Chinese manufacturers don't sell phones in the U.S., but Motorola is launching the Signature 27 in North America, and it is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6. The device should be available ahead of the holiday season, but we'll know details closer to launch.

I'll be getting my hands on phones powered by these two platforms soon, and I'll share my findings shortly thereafter. Based on the little I've seen of what Qualcomm and MediaTek have shared, I'm excited to see just how much of a difference there is against 2026 (and older) flagships.

Plenty of excellent wireless car chargers can charge your phone on the go while also serving as a mount. I usually recommend these for everyday use, especially since the latest generation of wireless car chargers is Qi2 magnetic, so you don't even need a clamp to mount your phone.

For long-haul journeys, I recommend wired car chargers instead because they support much faster charging speeds and let you recharge several devices at once. If you're traveling with a laptop or a Chromebook, your car charger needs to support at least 60W to 65W minimum to be compatible.

That's not enough power to be split between two devices, though, which is where the best 100W car chargers come in. I have used countless car chargers through the years. Anker, Baseus, and UGREEN are the top 3 most reliable brands for charging tech, so it's no surprise that, based on my hands-on testing, the best 100W car chargers are from these brands.

Anker Nano Car Charger (167.5W, 3 Ports)

Anker's tri-ported marvel is surprisingly affordable for the power and number of ports it delivers. The Anker Nano Car Charger (167.5W, 3 Ports) has one USB-A and two USB-C ports and has a combined 167.5W power rating.

This compact charger supports both Samsung and Apple fast-charging profiles. The first USB-C port supports 100W, while the second USB-C port is rated 45W. Lastly, the USB-A port supports up to 22.5W. Anker's proprietary smart chip regulates the voltage and temperature, making it both efficient and safe.

Anker includes a 3.3ft USB-C to USB-C cable and offers an 18-month warranty. While the Anker Nano Car Charger usually costs $53.99, it goes on sale very frequently. In fact, it's only $37.79 on Amazon as of this writing.

Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max 240W

I am not alone in my adoration of the spectacular Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max. My colleague Harish Jonnalagadda is also a big fan of the 240W car charger, and it's easy to see why. It has two built-in, 105W, 31.5-inch retractable USB-C cables coming out the top, and one 33W USB-C and one 30W USB-A port in the base.

If you can find it in stock, this insanely powerful charger will cost $59.99. That's nearly the same retail price as the Anker option, but features a significantly higher 240W output. And like Anker, Baseus frequently discounts the PrimeTrip VR2 Max, sometimes by as much as 40% during sales!

Baseus made this charger as convenient as possible, clearly thinking of every passenger and driver in a car. The top of the PrimeTrip VR2 Max rotates, supporting 450° multi-directional adjustment. Temperature and power management are handled by a smart chip and the body is a flame-retardant shell, and these are just two parts of the charger's seven-layer protection.

UGREEN Nexode Car Charger 145W

The UGREEN Nexode series has achieved legendary status in the charging gear world. The brand specializes in affordable charging solutions that look and feel premium. The Nexode Car Charger 145W may not be as popular as the GaN chargers from the series, but it definitely deserves your attention.

At $49.99, this is the cheapest 100W car charger on this list. In fact, it is easily one of the cheapest chargers in this category, period. Like the Baseus charger, the UGREEN Nexode Car Charger has four ports, though only one has a built-in, retractable USB-C cable rated 60W.

The second Type-C port delivers 100W, and the third delivers 30W. The USB-A port supports 30W charging. UGREEN also guarantees surge protection and smart temperature and voltage management, and the charger's shell is made of a fireproof material. One more reason to love the brand is that it also has frequent sales, and this charger is currently only $34.99 on Amazon!

Qualcomm provided travel and lodging to Snapdragon Summit. There was no additional compensation, and Qualcomm did not have any input on this article prior to publication.

Earlier this year, Google introduced what had long been rumored: Android on your laptop. Googlebooks seem like a natural evolution of Chromebooks, and I got to spend some time with some of the first models at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit.

I expected it wouldn't be very different from Chromebooks, and that's... kind of true. Googlebooks aim to take the best parts of ChromeOS and Android and merge them into a very capable computing OS that can take advantage of AI and better connect to your smartphone.

I never quite liked Chromebooks, but I find myself quite compelled by the prospect of Googlebooks, even if the barrier to entry feels a bit high right now.

Not the Chromebook you remember

One major way the new Googlebooks differ from Chromebooks is their price. Chromebooks are compelling because they are available at very low price points, which benefits schools and other institutions with limited budgets. However, Chromebooks in their current form are pushing for a more premium experience, with the cheapest laptop costing $899.

That's still cheaper than most lower-end MacBooks, but prices can easily hit over $1,000, depending on the model and configuration. I was told this is because it's much easier to start at the higher end and work your way down than to start low and work your way up.

It's clear that Google wants to ensure that Googlebooks are seen as a premium computing experience before bringing cheaper options that will eventually supplant Chromebooks.

It's easy to see this in the hardware available. At Snapdragon Summit, I got to play with two Snapdragon X Elite-powered Googlebooks, the HP Googlebook 14 ($1,299) and Dell XPS Googlebook ($999). They feature exceptional hardware that looks and feels premium, something I never quite got from the Chromebooks I've used (though I know higher-end models exist).

The HP has a larger 14-inch OLED display that looks phenomenal, with a sharp resolution and deep blacks for more vibrant images. It also has comfortable keys and a large trackpad. Meanwhile, the Dell XPS has a smaller LCD panel with thin bezels and a matte finish to reduce reflections. Its aluminum build reminds me a bit of a MacBook, which speaks to how light and premium it feels in hand.

Both laptops share similar specs, including 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. They also feature built-in fingerprint sensors and the distinctive Glowbar, which offers functions like displaying battery life, Gemini interactions, and more. There's also a hidden easter egg that unlocks more controls, but I was told users have to find it themselves.

I'm not sure why Google is hiding this Glowbar control panel, since it feels like an essential or even fun part of the experience. Fortunately, Google plans to expand Glow Bar functionality, but for now it's a bit limited, just like HiLight on the Pixel 11 Pro.

Many UI elements also just feel very familiar. The quick settings panel feels very Pixel and sits in the top-right corner. The Settings app also looks like it came straight out of a Pixel Tablet, so anyone coming from an Android phone should feel at home.

You can also pin widgets to the home screen for glanceable info and create app folders, just like on an Android phone.

All about AI

What will further help Googlebooks shake the Chromebook perception is its capabilities. Thanks to more powerful chipsets like the Snapdragon X Elite, as well as Android being the foundation for the Googlebook OS, these devices are more capable than Chromebooks in a few areas, and much of that has to do with AI capabilities.

Googlebook really shines in its ability to perform more AI functions you'd normally find on an Android smartphone. One example I saw during my hands-on was Rambler, which lets users dictate notes, emails, and documents using natural language. The AI automatically filters out "ums" and even accounts for moments when you seem to change your mind about something you said.

What's neat is that Googlebooks come with a dedicated Rambler key, so you can easily access this with a tap.

One feature I think I'll get plenty of mileage out of is the Magic Pointer. It almost feels like a desktop Circle to Search: you can activate it by wiggling the pointer a bit, and it will prompt you to click an item on your screen you want to know more about. You can ask about one thing or add multiple items, and a Gemini dialogue opens in a side panel.

It feels like a natural evolution of the cursor, giving you easy access to Gemini when you need it. And speaking of Gemini, there's also Gemini Live, with a neat little circular UI similar to what you find on an Android phone, plus proactive intelligence and automation features, so you can have your computer complete tasks for you, just like on your phone.

And remember when I mentioned widgets? Well, you can use AI to create your own widget, and you can be as specific as you want. When demoing this feature, the widget creator was given a very specific, long-winded instruction to create a widget that would display the 49ers' points scored, comparisons with rival teams, and Brock Purdy's passing yards, all in a purple and neon-colored widget. And within less than a minute, it appeared on the desktop.

I can see this being a very useful feature for people who like to use their desktops like notepads. I also can't help but think of Windows 8 and its Tile interface, which were essentially dynamic "widgets" that filled your screen, although this feels more functional and a bit less jarring.

Finally, because Googlebooks run on the Android foundation, it's easy to download pretty much any app or game from the Play Store. You can also easily connect your phone to your Googlebook, search through your phone's app drawer, and cast apps directly to your desktop.

I didn't get to see this in action, but this sounds like an evolution of Phone Hub on Chromebooks. It also reminds me of Motorola's Smart Connect, which can do the same, though a native experience should be more useful.

For example, Continue On is a Handoff-like feature that lets you start one task on your phone and continue it on your laptop. And by connecting your phone to a Googlebook, you can easily swap files between devices without needing Quick Share or a physical connection.

A promising start

I didn't get to spend much time with the Googlebooks, and this is only a small selection of devices, with other options powered by Intel and even MediaTek chips. Still, it's a promising start for Google's computing ambitions, and I can't wait to see where the company takes it, especially as it moves down in price point.

We'll still have Chromebooks for a while, and some may even be able to update to Googlebook OS at some point in the future. While Google is working with developers to better optimize games for these larger screens, you shouldn't expect native PC-like AAA games on Googlebook, though you can still use GeForce NOW to stream games to your device.

So, Googlebook may not be for everyone, but it feels like a viable option for Android users who need to stay productive on the go when a tablet won't suffice, and it could also be a go-to option for students.

I was never a fan of Chromebooks, but I will admit that even I'm intrigued by Googlebooks, and I'm seriously considering switching from Windows.

What you need to know

• Pixel users say Google Photos is causing problems when editing images as it becomes "unresponsive."
• Many Pixel users on Reddit report similarities, as the app's UI options become useless despite the lack of an error message.
• Google responded to the thread; however, the suggested actions have not worked, and users have been encouraged to submit a proper bug report.

Pixel users are encountering a few frustrating issues late this week in Google Photos. They claim that certain actions make the entire app unresponsive.

Reports were spotted today (Sept. 25) on Reddit (via Android Authority). One report by a user with a Pixel 11 Pro XL says the app becomes unresponsive after editing a photo. In this particular instance, the user was cropping a photo of a newspaper. However, when they finished, they said, "the resulting photo becomes completely unresponsive to several actions." The user provided a video with their Reddit report.

It showed them trying to tap every button on the bottom nav bar: Share, Edit, and Trash. Nothing works. Tapping "Add To" brings up the folder menu, but that's hardly useful in this situation. They go on to say the app never surfaces an error message or a "loading indication." The app is simply stuck. This problem doesn't persist with other, unedited photos. This issue appears only after editing.

The thread is full of other users chiming in, too. Users with a Pixel 9 series device, Pixel 10, and Pixel 11 say the problem has occurred similarly to the original poster. One user said, "I did exactly what you did. Took a picture, edit, crop, save. Opened the photo gallery, none of the options are responsive."

Here's where things evolve. Google responded to the user's report, offering aid; however, nothing seems to have worked. The user states they've attempted their suggestions, as well as suggestions by Google support—nothing has worked. The user was then advised to file an official bug report, meaning this issue might require more attention.

Problems right after an update

What's unclear is whether this problem is the result of the latest Google Photos update. We covered the huge app update yesterday, which brings Gemini Spark integration into the mix for Android users. Users can write a prompt to the AI, telling it the changes they'd like to be made. If people are lingering in the background, you can remove them and brighten those that matter. Another huge part of this update was "Moods."

Moods are new styles ("more than filters," per Google) that can give your photos a different feel. If you're going for a vintage aesthetic, there are Moods to choose from. What's more, Google introduced a new "redact pen" to help users blur sensitive details in images.

Since the issues have appeared late this week, it's unlikely that a fix will arrive so soon. We might have to deal with this for now until Google can apply a proper software update.

What you need to know

• Long-pressing a message now triggers a floating menu right beside the bubble on Google Messages — complete with a blurred background and shortcuts for copying, starring, or replying.
• You can finally drag selection handles to grab specific snippets like codes or addresses instead of being forced to copy the entire message.
• Swiping left across a chat reveals all message timestamps and encryption statuses at once, while swiping right lets you reply instantly.

Google Messages is making some subtle changes to the basic gestures that Android users have relied on for years. Google appears to be changing how you copy text, check timestamps, and reply to individual messages, alongside the new long-press menu.

The biggest visual change is the new long-press menu. Google Messages now places a floating menu next to the selected bubble instead of pushing controls to a toolbar on top. You have quick access to Reply, Forward, Copy, Star, Delete, Select more, and Info, while images add options like Save and Remix, as spotted by a Reddit user (via Android Authority). As you open the menu, the background of the conversation also blurs.

Copying text is also getting a very useful upgrade, as was previously discovered through an APK teardown. Instead of copying the whole message when you just need a phone number, address or snippet, you can press again and select a specific piece of text. Google has confirmed that the touch-and-hold actions work on text, images, videos, links, files, locations and contact cards.

Gesture changes may take longer to become muscle memory. Swiping left anywhere in a conversation will now show message timestamps and the RCS encryption status, while replying requires a right swipe directly on the message bubble (via 9to5Google). Tapping a message still displays read receipts, and Messages briefly displays timestamps after a tap to tip you off to the new behavior.

One practical consequence may be easy to miss: the new timestamp gesture gives you a quick way to scan an entire conversation’s timing rather than opening message details one by one. That makes the change more useful in long threads where it’s important to figure out when messages were actually sent.

The rollout is linked to recent Google Messages builds, including 20260910_03_RC02, but it’s server-side, so all phones won’t receive the new behavior at once.

Ever since I was a kid, I hoped I'd live to see the day when we had proper holograms like those in Star Wars. Of course, I hoped that real-life holograms would be a little higher quality than the fuzzy, often broken-up counterparts in the sci-fi series, and it looks like I'm mostly getting my wish thanks to Meta.

At Meta Connect 2026, the company debuted a new type of digital avatar system it simply calls Holograms. The company has substantially revised its avatar system over the years, from the extraordinarily ugly original release to 2024's modern upgrade, and now avatars are getting a truly realistic makeover, starting in WhatsApp calls.

Holograms are made from scans you take with your smartphone using Meta's app. During my demo, I completed a scan for use on Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses and standard WhatsApp calls, which took about 60 seconds to set up. During onboarding, the app had me turn my head in a few directions, then answer some questions out loud so it could learn my mannerisms.

The Meta rep then put on his Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, walked into the other room, and called me from the glasses. When I answered the WhatsApp call, he appeared on screen as if it were any normal day, not wearing glasses at all. Despite what my eyes were telling me, the video I was seeing was not actually him; it was his Hologram.

You can see the difference in the video above: it shows me on the video call (with my Hologram on the phone), then a close-up of the phone showing the rep's Hologram, followed by his real video. The results are uncanny. Even a bit scary, perhaps.

As you might have imagined, this all uses Meta AI. The initial 60-second scan I described earlier is followed by 5-10 minutes of server-side processing, where Meta AI creates a personalized model of your imagery for Hologram-friendly apps. On Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, this video call appears on the glasses' display and lets the other person see you on the call without needing cameras on the glasses looking at you.

This tech gets even more amazing when you answer a call in VR. For the demo, I used Meta VR Glasses, which give me full-color passthrough video so I can see the room around me. Calls normally appear in a floating window and show the same Hologram you'd get on WhatsApp on a phone, though holograms in VR have a 3D spatial quality.

Things get even cooler when you tap the full-person button, as the call window melts away and the person suddenly stands in front of you in the room at their correct height and proportions. It's a real-life hologram, and it moves impressively convincingly, matching the person's voice and inflection.

You don't need a device that supports full-body tracking or anything like that, either. Meta AI is smart enough to understand human behavior and bases gestures and movements on how you moved during setup. In this case, she wore the same outfit in her Hologram as she did in real life.

You can walk around the room, and the Hologram will stay in place, but it will always face you. You can also move it around the room, or resize it to put it in a better place. Holograms are part of the Meta ecosystem and can even be adapted to work in different apps via an API. That means you could see your Hologram appear in more than just WhatsApp or Meta VR products in the near future.

Meta has been working on this technology for years, originally calling it "codec avatars," but renaming it for the final release to something more understandable. It's a massive leap in quality compared to what we have now, and I can't wait to use it more as it nears the final release in the coming months.

What you need to know

• Google Calendar now supports three time zones on the web.
• Three zones appear side by side in Day, Week, and Custom multi-day views.
• The rollout started September 25, covering Workspace, Workspace Individual, and personal Google accounts.

Google Calendar is making life a little easier for anyone who routinely schedules meetings across borders. Now the web version can show up to three time zones at once, so global teams can see when everyone is actually working.

Previously, Calendar allowed you to see a primary and secondary time zone. That worked well enough for two locations, but things can get messy quickly when a meeting involves people in San Francisco, New York, and Zurich, for example.

Google’s new third time zone adds a third reference right on the calendar grid, so you don’t have to keep doing the time conversions yourself.

The three zones are displayed side by side for the Day, Week, and Custom multi-day views, per Google's blog post. These will also be added to the Find a Time scheduling screen, where they’ll be visible when creating or editing an event.

You also can assign a custom label to each time zone. You could also use labels like SFO, NYC, or ZRH instead of abbreviations to make the calendar easier to scan.

There's also one more small upgrade that makes this setup less tedious: Google overhauled Calendar’s time-zone picker earlier this year, so you can now search for a city or country instead of scrolling through a long list.

The update began rolling out September 25 for Google Workspace customers, Workspace Individual subscribers, and personal Google accounts. Rapid Release users could see it within 15 days; Scheduled Release domains begin rollout on October 12.

There is no need for an admin switch. When the extra zone reaches your account, you are able to set it up yourself.

What you need to know

• Google is rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6 to Pixel testers, aiming to fix an assortment of crashes and unexpected reboots for a few phones.
• The Pixel 9 Pro Fold experienced an unexpected reboot, thanks to a third-party app issue when trying to open the camera's viewfinder.
• QPR2 Beta 5 rolled out almost ten days ago; however, we are down the final stretch since Google achieved Platform Stability with this update.

Google continues to press ahead with its Android !7 QPR2 Beta with another update for Pixel users.

Over on the Android Beta subreddit, Google announced that it's rolling out Android 17 QPR2 Beta 6 to Pixel testers. The company states all devices are synced up on build numbers, so all users will find vCP41.260831.007. Eligible phones include the Pixel 6a up to the Pixel 10 series (10a, too). There's a handful of fixes arriving late this week, and one concerns a major Pixel 9 Pro Fold reboot problem.

This was a fairly prominent issue for Pixel testers in the QPR2 Beta. Several threads have appeared on the Issue Tracker, informing Google that their devices have experienced an "unexpected reboot." Google states the issue would occur when "initializing the camera viewfinder in third-party applications." The fix for this should hopefully alleviate any problems users have been experiencing.

Elsewhere, QPR2 Beta 6 offers a fix for a severe "system kernel crash." This problem also affected devices when a third-party app would "request simultaneous camera and microphone access" during biometric verification stages.

Clarity to the situation

• A visual regression causing letterboxed content to leak through the status bar during activity transitions
• The screensaver displays a blank screen while charging
• Locked applications could not be dismissed using swipe gestures in Recents
• An issue that caused device crashes, reboots, or hangs when scrolling

There are two things to note about Beta 6. One user reports that Google removed blurred notifications on the lock screen. This drew quick attention from Mishaal Rahman on Reddit, who clarified the situation, stating, "The product team temporarily reverted the lock screen blur effect from this recent beta release in order to fix some bugs."

Other users note that their phones (Pixel 10 Pro XL, Pixel 7, Pixel 9) have received Kernel 6.12. Many note improved fluidity on their devices.

QPR2 Beta 5 rolled out almost ten days ago, and it seems Google is keen on getting these major fixes in as quickly as possible. A few additional Bluetooth fixes were included last week, following Android 17 QPR2's "Platform Stability" achievement. We continue our trek down the final stretch toward a full release.

What you need to know

• Meta reportedly debuted its latest gadget, the Muse Charm, which is designed to keep users connected directly to its AI via 5G connectivity.
• The Charm features a 2-inch OLED touch screen, a camera, a microphone, and speakers, with a price tag that could encroach on smartwatches.
• During the event, Zuckerberg stated, "...if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way" to talk to Muse AI.

We're winding down from Meta Connect 2026, but one thing stole the show for us (aside from AI glasses), and that's the Muse Charm.

A post by The Verge discussed this AI device called the Muse Charm, stating it will feature a "built-in 5G modem" so consumers can communicate with Meta's AI. To us, this looks like the classic Tamagotchi but for the modern age. Meta provided us with images of this device, showcasing the small, rounded size, similar to the virtual pet gadget we used to have (Tamagotchis are making a return, though).

Meta is reportedly eyeing a December launch for the Muse Charm, but there's more to this. It's been announced to have a 2-inch OLED touchscreen, a camera, a microphone, built-in speakers, and a USB-C port.

The entire point of the Muse Charm is to let consumers use Meta's AI, Muse. At least, that's the gist of the situation Bloomberg was able to glean. What's more, users can reportedly use the charm's camera to give the AI additional real-world context. By this, it seems no different than opening your camera with Gemini Live and asking, "What does this sign say?"

Some additional coverage by CNBC highlighted more about the Muse Charm. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said, "We’ve packed a lot of technology with this little guy. So, if you’re not wearing glasses, this is going to be by far the fastest way to talk to your Muse and to show it what’s going on around you." Aside from cute avatars designed to attract the user, the publication notes that the Muse Charm is a part of Meta's bigger AI push.

Elsewhere, it's been alleged that the Muse Charm could see pricing mirroring smartwatches.

Muse will charm you

Meta Connect 2026 was packed with a bunch of reveals from the company. While it revealed new AI glasses, it had another reveal in store: VR Glasses. Meta's new device caught Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich off guard. While many VR-related devices are headsets—larger and heavier—Meta's VR Glasses strip that all away. This device is reportedly 83% lighter and 60% smaller than your typical VR headset (Apple Vision Pro).

One thing to note is that these VR Glasses are not meant to be worn all day. They're not AI glasses. Regarding their specifications, the VR Glasses feature 5K micro-OLED panels and a 37 pixels-per-degree (PPD) resolution. This level of clarity didn't come without compromise. Sutrich states Meta achieved this by narrowing the FOV (field of view). These VR Glasses are roughly 11 degrees narrower than the Quest 3S and 25 degrees narrower than the Quest 3.

Android Central's Take

I'm more than a little curious about why this is a thing. The idea of walking around with a tiny device resembling a Tamagotchi... for the sole purpose of communicating with Muse seems strange. What makes it more strange is the alleged pricing—near the levels of a smartwatch? The Charm has a camera (oh boy), a touch screen, and will reportedly play nice with Android and iOS for setup purposes. To me, it seems like a gimmick, and one that I'm unsure of the purpose it serves.

Amazon's Big Deal Days sale kicks off on October 6th, which means a lot of our readers will be on the hunt for the next great tablet, smartwatch, and Android phone deal. The problem is, just like the regular Prime Day event in July, many of the best deals during the Amazon sale will be exclusive to Prime members.

A large number of shoppers already have Prime memberships, but if you don't want to add yet another monthly subscription to your budget, there is a way to shop all of the best October Prime Day deals for free.

The Amazon Prime free trial lasts 30 days and gives you full access to all of the benefits of a Prime membership, including unlimited streaming, fuel discounts, and yes, exclusive discounts during Big Deal Days on October 6th and 7th.

That means that you could sign up for Amazon's free trial today, shop to your heart's content during the sale, and cancel your membership once Big Deal Days wraps up, all without paying a cent.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

What is Prime Big Deal Days?

Big Deal Days is Amazon's attempt at bringing the excitement of July's Prime Day sale into early October (which is why I often call it 'October Prime Day'). Now that it's been around for a few years, it also signals the beginning of the fall sale season, giving shoppers an opportunity to knock out some of their holiday shopping early.

Just like the Prime Day event held in July, many of the best deals during Big Deal Days will be exclusive to Prime members, so consider using Amazon's free trial if you haven't signed up already.

When is Prime Big Deal Days?

Prime Big Deal Days is scheduled for October 6th and 7th this year, giving Prime members 48 hours to explore a bounty of exclusive deals on everything from TVs and smartphones to clothing and kitchen appliances.

What deals can I expect during Prime Big Deal Days?

Sales like Prime Day and Big Deal Days often present excellent opportunities to get Android tech for cheap. It also gives us an early look at what to expect when the Black Friday deals start kicking off in November.

This year, expect solid discounts on foldable phones and flagships from Samsung and Google. I expect the Pixel 11 series, in particular, to get some good discounts, in addition to phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8. You can also expect SSD and NAS storage devices to get some good deals as the current RAM shortage continues on.

What if I don't want to support Amazon during Prime Big Deal Days?

If you'd rather not support Amazon at all, it's worth noting that the retailer's biggest competitors — such as Best Buy, Walmart, and Target — usually launch their own rival sales at the same time as the Prime Day event. These sale events will often match (or even surpass) Amazon's discounts, and they rarely require a membership to enjoy the full savings.

Motorola deals are hardly uncommon, but if you're a Verizon customer, you may have noticed that a few key models are missing from the carrier's store. Fortunately, that changes today, as Verizon just added some new 2026 Razr phones to its site with some excellent discounts to boot.

Whether you want the groundbreaking Motorola Razr Fold, the crowd-pleasing Razr Plus, or an exclusive variant of the standard Motorola Razr (2026), September's Verizon deals spell great news for Android users and foldable phone fans alike. Just be aware that most of the new offers require a trade-in to receive the full discount, so get ready to dig up those old devices.

Need a new smartwatch? Verizon has also started carrying the Moto Watch Ultra, and you can get this sleek wearable for free when you bundle the purchase with a Motorola phone. Needless to say, things are clearly changing over at Verizon, and Motorola fans should take note.

Verizon just got some new Motorola phones in stock - don't miss these deals

Look, there are hundreds of great GaN chargers these days, and if you want something small that you can just take anywhere, I have a few recommendations. UGREEN constantly comes out with new products (like its 160W Nexode Pro charger), and the Nexode Air 65W is its smallest yet in this category. It costs just $24 (down from its $39 retail price), comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable, and is a good choice if you want a 65W charger on hand at all times.

There's also Rolling Square's 65W charger, which looks about the same as the UGREEN but with one difference: it has a textured design at the sides, and that makes it easy to identify if you have it in a bag and are digging around. It costs $49 as of writing, so you are shelling out twice as much. Rolling Square mentions the design allows the charger to be cooler, but I didn't see much of a difference between this one and the Nexode Air when using both side-by-side to charge two Pixels. Both chargers are made out of plastic and have roughly the same dimensions.

With the Rolling Square, that translates to 60.5mm in length, 35mm in height and width, and a weight of just 70g. Obviously, the charger is much better if you get the U.S. blade prongs as it folds inward into the chassis; the EU style I've been using has pins that jut out considerably, and it's slightly heavier at 73g.

The Nexode Air is a smidgen heavier than that at 77g, but again, either charger is noticeably smaller and lighter than just about anything else in this category — they're half the size and less than a third of the weight as a regular charger that doesn't use GaN tech. Each charger has a single USB-C port, and while I would've liked a second charging port (I always have too many devices on hand), I can understand why either brand went with a solitary port to maintain a smaller profile.

Of the two, I prefer the Rolling Square because of the textured design; it just makes it easier to hold the charger and plug it into the wall. It also gets the standard 65W USB PD 3.0 power profiles: 5V/3A (15W), 9V/3A (27W), 12V/3A (36W), 15V/3A (45W), and 20V/3.25A (65W). What's interesting is that you get PPS as well, making it a good choice with Samsung phones.

What I like about the Nexode Air 65W is that it is available in four colors, so you can pair it with your iPhone or MacBook Air (yes, there's an orange one, and I would've preferred that color). It also gets 65W via USB PD 3.0, and has the USB PD 3.2 AVS fast charging protocol, so if you use the iPhone 17 Pro or iPhone 18 Pro, you will see a difference in how fast your phone charges.

Both chargers use GaN tech to good effect and deliver a reliable charge at 65W. I tested both with the iPhone 17 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, Find X9 Ultra (it hits 50W over USB PD), iPad Pro M4, and about a dozen power banks. They're just as reliable at charging different products, and the Nexode Air has a slight edge in this regard if you're leaving your phone plugged in overnight — it switches to trickle charging in this situation.

Deciding between these two comes down to what they cost. As of writing, the Nexode Air is just $24, and that gives it a distinct advantage. Rolling Square did a great job as well with its 65W charger, but if I had to just choose one GaN charger to take anywhere, I'm going with the Nexode Air 65W.

It's not much of a surprise, but Xiaomi's latest flagship is the first smartphone to hit the market featuring the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 series. The Xiaomi 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max have just dropped in China, but I got a quick hands-on with the devices at Snapdragon Summit after Qualcomm flew me out to check out the latest chips, devices, and innovations.

There's a lot to like about these phones, from the powerful new chipsets to the rear display surrounding the cameras. But one of its most compelling features isn't quite as obvious, and it both borrows from and improves on one of our favorite new Samsung features.

On the surface, the Xiaomi 18 Pro phones don't look much different from their predecessors. The design is nearly identical to the Xiaomi 17 Pro series, from the thick, boxy design to the rear camera display. However, this also gives users outside China a chance to experience this unique smartphone feature, since last year's model was exclusive to China.

In hand, the Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max are rather thick, but they're surprisingly light despite this. It's not much of a surprise, given the massive 7,000mAh and 8,500mAh silicon-carbon batteries in the 18 Pro and Pro Max, respectively. This is up to 1,000mAh more than the 17 Pro series.

Most of the colors are pretty standard, although the Galaxy Blue option has a rather unique design that's honestly quite striking, especially in sunlight. There's also a transparent option that gives both Nothing and Product(Red) vibes, and it's probably the one I would buy.

The rear 2.7-inch display is interesting because it adds a bit more personality to the phone, with a selection of wallpapers to choose from. It also allows users to check notifications, toggle various features, and even take selfies. That last part is particularly compelling, as it lets you take advantage of the rear 200MP cameras to preview and capture high-quality selfies.

Xiaomi also says you'll be able to utilize AI features using the rear display. I imagine adding these functions onto a smaller 120Hz panel can help with battery preservation, not that the Xiaomi 18 Pro needs it.

In many ways, it reminds me of the cover screen on flip phones like the Motorola Razr Ultra 2026. I mostly use my Razr while closed, utilizing the cover screen to open apps, respond to messages, and take selfies. However, for anyone not interested in foldables, the Xiaomi 18 Pro feels like a viable alternative, especially since you don't have to deal with the compromises that come with having a flip phone (fewer cameras, less internal space for batteries, etc.).

But the rear display is hardly the coolest or most useful feature on the Xiaomi 18 Pro series. Following Samsung's lead from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Xiaomi equipped these phones with its own Privacy Display, which it claims is more effective than Samsung's. This is due to the unique pixel arrangement of the display, allowing Xiaomi to utilize the feature without compromising on the display quality.

It's also very customizable, going beyond just hiding apps or notifications and allowing users to hide split-screen apps or even floating apps. It's quite compelling, and I'm glad to see this feature come to more Android smartphones.

The Xiaomi 18 Pro series is available now in China, with a global launch happening later this year. Xiaomi hasn't told me when the phones will come to global markets, but it's very likely that North America won't be part of the global expansion plans. Still, with the latest AI chip from Qualcomm, powerful Leica cameras, and two compelling displays, the Xiaomi 18 Pro series is definitely one to look out for when the global launch comes around.

Earlier this week at Qualcomm's annual Snapdragon Summit, Motorola surprised many people by announcing that the flagship Signature 27 is coming to North America. This is a big deal because the last-gen Motorola Signature didn't make its way stateside, despite being pretty well received for its premium design and excellent cameras.

Interestingly, this is also the first time I've seen Motorola at Snapdragon Summit as a featured OEM, which suggests Motorola is really excited about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 and its capabilities.

I sat down with Nicole Hagen, the executive director and head of Global Product Marketing at Motorola, to talk about why now is the right time for Motorola's return to traditional smartphone flagships and what we can expect from the Signature 27.

Motorola has heard us

Motorola has always taken a regional approach to its device launches. Many devices that come to Europe or Latin America aren't available in North America, and vice versa. As a result, we miss out on plenty of models, including flagships like the original Motorola Signature, which disappointed me and many others. However, Motorola seems to have gotten the message loud and clear.

"We heard you, we heard media, we heard analysts, and I'll be honest, we even heard from a lot of customers in North America on kind of popular feedback forums that they were disappointed," Hagen told me.

"We felt that this year we have the right product with the right specs, with the right capabilities and experiences, and we think that this product is really going to resonate well amongst users looking for a premium flagship phone and perhaps something a little bit different than what they've been offered over the last few years."

She tells me Motorola even saw Signature devices registered in the U.S. that were purchased in other regions, which underscores demand for the phone.

In a way, it makes sense that Motorola would be a bit conservative with its flagship strategy for traditional smartphones, given Samsung's dominance in North America with the Galaxy S series. Over the last few years, Motorola has focused on the Razr flip phones and, more recently, the Razr Fold, which consumers have received well. Only recently has Motorola begun adding top-tier chips to its Razr series.

But now, Motorola appears more confident in its premium smartphone offerings. Hagen tells me that last quarter, Motorola had its best quarter ever by revenue: "15% year over year, and the majority of that growth, of course, was driven by premium products." Clearly, there's a hunger for more high-end Motorola phones, and not just foldables.

What we know so far about the Motorola Signature 27

This year, Motorola skipped the higher-end Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, opting instead for the lower-end flagship chip on the Razr Fold. It still performs well, but based on what we know about the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, the Signature 27 should be a powerful smartphone.

"What I'm most excited about is that the chipset is unlocking a few things for us," Hagen explains. That includes faster, more reliable performance, more helpful AI, and stronger connectivity. She highlights that "one of the big pillars for this franchise is an incredible camera system, both driven by hardware and software, with this common thread of needing to have an incredible global platform supporting it."

The Motorola Signature 27 comes with a few camera sensors, but has only disclosed the primary 50MP Sony Lytia 910 and the 200MP periscope telephoto lens.

She explains that when testing phones like the Signature 27, Motorola goes through several rounds with its own engineers and Qualcomm's engineers to fine-tune Snapdragon's image-processing AI and stabilization.

"We have a couple more rounds of work to do before, of course, we announce and launch the product. But we expect an exceptional DxO result that will help validate the overall experience."

In fact, she teases that even after one major round of camera testing, the Signature 27 is already proving to outperform the Razr Fold, which got high marks among foldable camera systems and has quickly become one of my favorite overall smartphone cameras.

Beyond the camera, Motorola is also partnering with Bang & Olufsen to enhance the audio experience. This multi-year partnership builds on Motorola's ongoing collaboration with Pantone and will bring B&O audio to Motorola's premium devices.

When asked why these partnerships matter, Hagen says Motorola doesn't have an ego and knows it doesn't have to do everything itself.

"We aim to partner with best-in-class partners that we know do it the best, and then partner with them and leverage their strong capabilities. It enables us to bring better capabilities to our end users more quickly."

As for what B&O brings to the table, "Obviously, they're a premium brand. They've been around for over 100 years, and they are able to help us through in the same way that we're doing the tuning on the back end with the camera. We're doing the exact same thing for sound."

New Moto, who dis?

A new chip, exceptional cameras, and a B&O partnership all come together to create a premium experience, but it also needs a premium design. This year, Motorola is switching up its design language to something that I originally found divisive.

The Motorola Signature 27 has a top-mounted camera housing with five distinct circles making up its camera sensors and a flash unit. I'm not gonna lie, when I first saw the Signature 27, it triggered a sense of trypophobia that I haven't felt since the Nokia 9 PureView. But the more I look at it, the more I like it, and Hagen says there were some internal debates about how the cameras should be arranged.

"As you can imagine, this was a very popular one for internal debate, and everyone had their own subjective opinion," she explained.

"In some cases, many of the designs....kind of lean maybe into one specific gender. This one resonated with both."

One good thing about the camera housing (something we can all agree on) is that it doesn't protrude from one side of the phone, as Motorola phones have done over the past several years. As Hagen highlights, it's very balanced, not just visually, but physically. "There's no teeter-totter back and forth, and that was very, very well received."

The phone comes in two colorways: a grippy, black woven texture and a soft, green brushed textile-inspired finish. I didn't get to hold the phone, since it's not 100% final yet, but the Pantone Coal Smoke looked great, and the phone is quite thin, with premium-looking buttons on the frame. The camera housing also features two different textures: ceramic and brushed aluminum, for a very distinctive look.

Then, there's the name. In recent years, Motorola's naming convention in North America has included the full year after the product name, but this year it's simplified to the last two digits. It's a small change, but it's reminiscent of what Samsung does with the Galaxy S series, and I think it should resonate more with consumers.

In fact, Hagen says Motorola looked to competitors and the automotive industry for inspiration for the new naming scheme.

"We wanted something that was simple, clear, and easy to understand," Hagen told me. "Because the purpose of a generation is to indicate newness to folks that are considering a new product. To make it clear, as consumers are trying to, at or post-purchase, buy an accessory that will be compatible."

More to come... soon

The Motorola Signature 27 is launching globally this year, and while Motorola is remaining tight-lipped about the launch date and additional specs, it's clear that Hagen and company are very excited about the device.

"When I said on stage the other day that this is the best device that we've ever created... it truly is. The hardware specs are top-notch; the latest and greatest technology. And I think even more importantly, the outcomes and the experience that our users are going to have will really bring the product forward."

What you need to know

• Motorola's Signature 27 will be one of the first phones powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6.
• GrapheneOS has confirmed initial support for the Signature 27, expanding beyond Google Pixel phones for the first time.
• GrapheneOS is based on AOSP but focuses heavily on privacy, with optional Google Play services running sandboxed.

Motorola's Signature 27 is shaping up to be a serious contender for one of the best Android phones of the year. But beyond all the top-tier specs Motorola is packing into the phone, one of the most interesting features just confirmed for the Signature 27 is support for GrapheneOS.

At the Qualcomm Snapdragon Summit 2026, Motorola took to the stage to showcase one of the first smartphones powered by the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chipset. Qualcomm's new flagship chip is built on a 2nm process and can reach clock speeds of up to 5GHz, and the Signature 27 will be one of the first phones to use it.

The phone also breaks away from Motorola's previous Signature design with a new camera layout and packs plenty of other high-end features, including Audio by B&O. But alongside all those beastly specs, there's another interesting detail about the Signature 27, and that's support for GrapheneOS.

If you're unfamiliar, GrapheneOS is a privacy-focused take on Android that has grown significantly in popularity over the past few years. It's based on the Android Open Source Project, or AOSP, but is built with a much heavier focus on privacy and security and doesn't come with Google's services deeply integrated into the operating system.

You can still install Google Play services if you want, but they run sandboxed like regular apps rather than having the deeper system-level access they typically have on Android. Think of it as a much more privacy-focused version of Android that gives you greater control over how much access Google and other services have to your device.

Historically, GrapheneOS has officially supported only Google Pixel devices because of the project's strict hardware and security requirements. But that's finally changing, with the Motorola Signature 27 set to become one of the first non-Pixel smartphones to receive official GrapheneOS support.

GrapheneOS confirmed on X that initial support is planned for the Signature 27, although it stopped short of revealing many more details. We don't yet know exactly when support will arrive or what the installation process will look like, but we now know that Signature 27 owners will have the option to run GrapheneOS.

Motorola hasn't announced the exact release date or pricing for the Signature 27 just yet. But between the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, the new flagship hardware, and now official GrapheneOS support, Motorola is certainly giving Android enthusiasts another reason to keep an eye on this phone.

What you need to know

• Google Photos rolls out an update to help users edit their summer photos, as "Moods" gets introduced.
• With "Moods," users will find a selection of vintage styles that "automatically adapt" to your photo, solidifying Google's intent of a feature that's more than a simple filter.
• This update also brings Gemini Spark integration, giving users an easier, prompt-based way of editing their photos and removing unwanted guests.

Google Photos is rolling out a few updates to help immortalize the pictures we've taken throughout the summer. The app receives a new set of filters, as well as additional AI assistance.

Today (Sept. 24), Google detailed an update for the Photos app that begins with Gemini Spark integration. Availability is rolling out for Google AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the U.S. The company says users can "brighten and share" photos using a single prompt with Gemini Spark. What's more, users can remove people from the photo's background, leaving those who matter.

This update is also introducing "Moods." Google says Moods brings styles that users can use to edit their photos. However, it adds that these are "more than filters." You'll find a few options such as 35mm film and 2000s digicam. When you apply a style, Google states Moods will "automatically adapt" to your photo. But users can take things a step further.

You'll find sliders to fine-tune how much a style influences your photo, as well as mixing themes from other styles. Moods are rolling out to Android users globally.

The Google Photos app is upgrading its markup tool in this September patch. The tool now provides a "redact pen" to help users blur sensitive details. Additionally, you'll find "precise thickness sliders for custom sketches and fresh fonts to make your text pop." Another new addition involves the app's Remix templates. Google is rolling out 15 Remix templates that turn your photos into photo booth-style shots, birthday cards, and more.

The redact pen and other markup tool updates are arriving to Android users globally. The additional Remix templates are arriving for Android and iOS users over 18 in "select countries."

Google detailed one final update, but it's more of an expansion. The Photos app's Wardrobe feature, which lets users curate a digital closet for clothing styles, is now rolling out in the U.S., India, and Brazil on Android and iOS.

Expanding features

If you remember Moto's Razr reveal earlier this year, Wardrobe in Photos would sound familiar. The feature evolves the static gallery into a personal stylist and daily content hub. Wardrobe can automatically identify specific pieces of clothing, helping you fill out your digital closet. Users can mix and match different outfits and share those with others. So if you're looking to coordinate fits for your next outing, this might help.

Gemini Spark is a proactive AI that Google launched in May. The AI is capable of managing tasks and workflows in the background without disturbing you. Users can think of Spark as an AI agent that gets the dirty work done for you. If connected, you can bring Gemini Spark into your Gmail, Docs, Slides, and other apps. You can automate tasks with Gemini Spark or review meeting and email summaries.

Imagine you're scrolling through your Instagram or Facebook feed and see an ad for a game. I get these all the time and they usually catch my interest, but instead of just being a video to watch, what if the game was fully playable right inside your feed?

That's exactly what Meta is working on right now with Horizon Create, a total reboot of the company's Horizon Worlds platform that puts Meta's ubiquitous AI presense at the very heart of its brand new gaming engine.

I sat down with four members of the development team at Meta Connect 2026 as they both demonstrated the new tech to me and let me toy around with it myself, and I came away impressed.

Create what you imagine

Back in the day, I put quite a bit of time into Farmville. It was one of those weird guilty pleasures that was more enjoyable with friends, and it helped that it was built conveninetly into Facebook on my PC. I can't I've been quite as interested in "social media gaming" since then, though.

But Meta's new Horizon Worlds reboot is sparking an interest I had long forgotten about, and it all starts with how easy it is to make something. Like a normal AI prompt, you can start your first game with just a simple idea. Meta showed me a handful, but the one that triggered my imagination the most was creating an adventure game like Fable.

My demo began on Meta's Horizon Create smartphone app, which showed an Instagram-like gaming feed. Scrolling through the feed pulled up dozens of different games, from adventure titles to zombie survival games, crafting titles, you name it. Each one of these can be played instantly by just tapping it, and some of them even let you remix them, but I'll cover that in a moment.

While these games are AI-generated, they don't quite fit into the "slop" category that you might immediately think of. Everything in Horizon Create starts with a prompt, but the engine supports asset imports (so developers can bring in their own models and audio), and you can move, adjust, scale, or remix objects to your heart's content.

What's particularly amazing is that you can create things with friends, all while playing in the game world at the same time. During my demo, we had five people in the same world, all tasked with different jobs. One person was working on the weather, one was working on ground objects, another was working on building vehicles, and I was just running around shooting things.

I was also able to tap on any created object and freely adjust its size and position in the world, plus ask Meta AI to change the object in any way I could think of. Better yet, once things looked good, publishing it to Facebook, Instagram, or Horizon took just two taps.

This is a huge departure from current mobile game development concepts, even if you use AI like Claude to code something like a Roblox game. While Claude can be brilliant at coding, it can't do everything for you. I've tried my hand at making a few apps and almost always run into a wall because I'm simply not a coder.

Meta Horizon Create works fully in-engine and doesn't require 3rd party tools or SDKs to work. That means you don't have to use another AI agent and wait for things to happen; all prompts and changes happen in real-time as you're in the game, and it's pretty crazy to watch.

The desktop Horizon Studio app delivers even more options, as well. You can look at the entire development tree, including dependencies, delve down into each of the game's mechanics, and more. All of these can be iterated on, and it was pretty wild to see it all in action.

Meta has been working on this new version of Horizon only since April, so while this all seems extremely advanced, it's surprisingly early in development. They're expecting it to start rolling out early next year, but you can sign up to test out the new platform right now.

What you need to know

• Even Realities introduced its "Exposed" campaign, which will evolve into an eight-episode micro-drama on TikTok on October 8.
• "Exposed" will shine a bright light on the privacy concerns that smart glasses with cameras bring to the world.
• Consent is key, but when someone can walk around with a pair of glasses that's capturing you, the drama will ask: where's the consent in that?
• "Exposed" is directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, alongside VIRTUE Worldwide.

Even Realities looks to capitalize on Meta Connect by introducing its "Exposed" campaign. The microdrama draws awareness to the ongoing issue we're already facing: the extreme privacy concerns regarding camera-equipped smart glasses.

In a press release, Even Realities says its micro-drama explores the impacts these types of devices have on the people around us. Deepa Patel, managing director at VIRTUE Worldwide, said, “We didn’t want to run another traditional ad that people instantly skip; we wanted to, as always, tap into a cultural conversation and build a piece of entertainment genuinely worth watching.”

Cameras are moving away from our phones, and that's what Even Realities wants to spotlight. "Exposed" is also a part of VICE Media and is rolling out across major cities like the San Francisco Bay Area and New York this week before an eight-episode micro-drama begins on October 8. Even Realities says the reality is simple: "smart glasses do not need cameras to be useful..."

Consent is huge. And in a world where we have smart glasses with cameras, anyone can be captured and recorded at any time. The "Exposed" campaign and micro-drama is directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, and it's already getting its name out there in big places. Even Realities states it's running the campaign in Times Square in New York with the intent of bringing ads to more private places: bathrooms and gyms.

In San Francisco, the company has brought its campaign to buses running around Meta's campus in time for its Connect event. When the full eight-episode series launches on October 8, you can catch them on TikTok.

Meta Connect continues, but let's not forget...

Meta Connect is continuing as usual this year, despite the many alarms raised about smart glasses (or "pervert glasses" insult). It's forced Meta to take a step back and rethink some of its products. On one hand, we have rumors that the company is experimenting with a hardware lock for cameras and microphones. On the other hand, we have reports that the camera would disable if the LED indicator had been tampered with.

All of this is in response to users not wanting to be filmed or captured constantly by someone's smart glasses. It's a privacy violation, and when bad apples mess with the LED indicator, you're really in the dark. Meta did reveal some glasses—the Ray-Ban Audio—at Connect 2026 without a camera, but there are still plenty with one. However, VITURE's founders have revealed glasses with a privacy feature we wish everyone else would adopt.

Android Central's Take

I think I can already imagine where Even Realities' "Exposed" micro-drama is headed. It makes sense. And for people who will watch it, it might change their perspective. Sure, there's the usefulness of having these glasses with a camera. It's another way of recording memories. However, there's a malicious undertone to this. There's the ease for someone with nefarious intentions to capture you and do... what with it? I'd have to agree: smart glasses can be just as useful without a camera that's capturing people without their consent or knowledge.

What you need to know

• The Google Health app is rolling out blood pressure trends, insulin resistance trends, and sleep breathing quality tracking to its Health Guardian suite.
• The features analyze long-term pattern changes over weeks rather than providing instant clinical readings, functioning as wellness indicators instead of direct medical diagnostic tools.
• The update is available for free to Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5 users, while Fitbit Air owners can access it via a Google Health Premium subscription.

Google is expanding the health-monitoring tools available on its Pixel Watch lineup, with three new Health Guardian features starting to roll out this week. The update adds blood pressure trends, insulin resistance trends, and sleep breathing quality metrics to the Google Health app.

The features are intended to look for changes over time, not to replace traditional medical measurements. Pixel Watch owners can start to set them up this week, Google says.

According to the tech giant, the Health Guardian system uses AI models trained on billions of minutes of sensor data to recognize subtle physiological patterns, so the watch can estimate trends from signals it already collects without a dedicated blood-pressure cuff or blood sample.

That approach is especially notable for trends in insulin resistance, which Google says can analyze multiple weeks of physiological data without requiring a blood draw. The company says the feature is meant to promote overall wellness, not to diagnose diabetes or replace clinical testing.

The additions join Google's broader Health Guardian suite, which also includes Breathing Emergency Detection on the Pixel Watch 4 and Watch 5 in select European countries.

Existing owners also get in on the fun, as the new tools will be offered for free on the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5. Users of the Fitbit Air will soon have access as part of a Google Health Premium subscription.

The first detailed trend reports are expected in early October, offering users their first real glimpse at how Google’s trend-based health monitoring functions outside of the company’s launch messaging.

Amazon doesn't refresh its tablets and e-readers every year because it doesn't need to. The Kindle tablet series is wildly popular year round, because there's no other brand delivering such value-packed products at prices as low as Amazon. What's even more awesome is that Amazon is kicking off a few October Prime Day deals ahead of Big Deal Days, slashing more than half off the Fire HD 10 (2023) tablet.

Retailing for $154.99, the Fire HD 10 was already an insanely cheap 10-inch tablet. This 53% discount chops it down to an unbelievably low $72.99 on Amazon, but only for a limited time. The large 10.1-inch Full HD LCD display with a crisp 1920 x 1200 resolution makes this an ideal tablet for adults as well as children, which is why we named it the best cheap Android tablet for kids in 2026.

• Prime Big Deal Days returns October 6-7: see the full list of early deals

✅Recommended if: you want a cheap Amazon Fire tablet below $100 for streaming, gaming, or as a shared smart display for a family household; you need something with a battery life of over 12 hours; you want something that includes expandable storage.

❌Skip this deal if: you prefer a thin and lightweight build; you need higher quality cameras.

Although this deal is for the 32GB version of the device, the Fire HD 10 supports expandable storage via microSD, and you can add up to 1TB of storage. The uptime is superb, giving you about 13 hours of battery life per charge, and there are 5MP cameras on both the front and rear that are good enough for basic needs like video calls.

The tablet has easy-to-use parental controls for shared device usage and is compatible with the separately sold Amazon stylus.

One of the Fire HD 10's rarer features is the 3.5mm audio jack, allowing you to plug in headphones. It also sports dual stereo speakers with Dolby Atmos, so the auditory experience when streaming your favorite TV shows or movies is fabulous.

The Amazon tablet is powered by an octa-core processor and 4GB RAM, which may not sound like much, but actually manages to perform well in real life. In fact, you'll be delightfully taken aback by how decently the Amazon Fire HD 10 2023 handles multitasking, light office work, and even some gaming.

It's official: the Googlebook is coming, and while this laptop isn't receiving as many preorder deals as, say, a new Android phone might, there is one offer that you should know about. Preorder one of the new laptops ahead of their October 4th release date and Best Buy will give you a free pair of Google Pixel Buds 2a (in Hazel), no strings attached. There's also some trade-in credit up for grabs if you have an old laptop lying around.

Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all launching their Googlebooks on the aforementioned date, and this preorder deal from Best Buy presents an easy way to get equipped with two pieces of Pixel tech in one fell swoop. Now if they'll just throw in a free Google Pixel phone, it will really be a party...

What is a Googlebook?

Designed as a successor to Chromebooks, Googlebooks are laptops built for integration into the modern AI-focused device ecosystem. These premium laptops feature touchscreen displays with great battery life (up to 14 hours) and the latest processors from Intel and Qualcomm, plus you'll get to experience a ton of new software features that seamlessly connect the Googlebook with your Android phone.

Other specs include backlit keyboards, convertible designs, and 16GB of RAM out of the box. Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are all participating in the initial Googlebook launch, with devices that range from $899 to $1,299 for OLED models. In addition to the free wireless earbuds, your preorder will come with free limited subscriptions to YouTube Premium, Adobe Premiere, and Google AI Pro subscriptions.

What you need to know

• Pixel 11 users can now delegate routine calls — like checking store inventory, booking appointments, or changing reservations — directly to Gemini.
• You can monitor the entire conversation via a live transcript on your screen and take over the call at any moment.
• The preview begins September 24 for Gemini paid subscribers in the Phone by Google Public Beta.

Google today introduced a new task for Gemini on the Pixel 11: helping you dodge those pesky calls you keep putting off. The company is testing a feature that allows Gemini to contact businesses for routine tasks such as checking inventory, booking appointments, and changing reservations.

The idea builds on Google’s existing Hold for Me and Direct My Call features, which already take care of parts of the experience of a phone call. This time, Gemini goes one step further. You tell it what you need, and it will call the business, identify itself, go through automated menus, wait on hold, and speak with the person who answers, all through the Gemini app.

Google’s updated terms say these agentic calls are placed from your own phone number and use an AI-generated voice. That makes the feature less like a glorified voicemail assistant and more like an AI impersonating you.

You aren't handing over the phone altogether, though. The experience will include a live transcript so you can follow the conversation as it happens, Google says. If Gemini starts to go off the rails, you can take over the call at any point.

Google says it’s limiting the initial rollout as it works through the nuances of real-world conversations. There’s a good practical reason for Google’s decision to limit the initial rollout. These are conversations that are real. Gemini's calls are from real customers trying to book appointments, hold items, or change the date of services, meaning that businesses and the people who work for them have to deal with the AI on the other end.

The preview starts on September 24 for Gemini paid subscribers enrolled in the Phone by Google Public Beta, which is limited to Pixel 11 phones in the U.S.

Have you ever taken a photo on your phone, only to look back later and wonder where all the life went? I've seen people ask why their newer smartphone photos look dull and sterile compared to their older phone, and the answer mainly lies in how phones process photos these days.

Google seems to have heard everyone's cries and implemented a new feature on the Pixel 11 series called Camera Looks. These looks are more than a plain filter; they change how color science works and how shadows are calculated when you take a photo, leading to a result you'll hopefully like better.

What are Camera Looks?

To understand what Camera Looks does to your photos, you first have to understand how modern smartphone photography works. Unlike a "normal" camera, modern smartphones don't just take one picture when you tap the shutter button. Instead, your Pixel phone constantly takes pictures while the camera viewfinder is open; it just doesn't store them until you tap the shutter button.

The moment you press the shutter button, your Pixel saves roughly five photos taken before you press it, plus another five taken during and slightly after. Each photo is taken at different exposure values — meaning some photos are darker while others are brighter — to ensure the camera captures the widest range of light in an image. All this happens in less than a split second.

Your Pixel then takes those photos and combines them into a single picture at the pixel level. If you've ever taken a photo and then immediately tapped the thumbnail to see your shot, you've probably seen the picture "pop" into place and look a lot better after a second or two. This is the result of what Google calls HDR+.

While brightening the shadows and reducing the brightest parts of the photos might be technically excellent, it doesn't look "correct" to our eyes. After years of developing HDR+ into the industry's most technically advanced photo-processing software, Google is letting users pull back on the proverbial reins if they want to.

Google calls this extra control "Camera Looks," and it gives users a quick, easy way to make the Pixel camera look and work the way they want. You can reduce or enhance any specific processing parameters, including sharpening, shadows, vibrance, tinting, and more.

Camera Looks aren't "filters." Each look changes how the photo is processed when taken and delivers a different end look. A filter is something applied to a photo after it's taken, while Camera Looks changes the entire processing pipeline.

How to use Camera Looks on a Pixel 11

Camera Looks is supported on all Pixel 11 series phones, including the base Pixel 11, the Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Google hasn't ported this feature to older Pixel phones yet, as Camera Looks currently runs at the hardware level on the Tensor G6's ISP.

Camera Looks is a simple feature on the surface, but it also lets power users dive into more granular settings. Here's how to apply basic Camera Looks to your photos:

1. Open the camera app. You can also double-press the power button to quickly launch the camera.

2. Tap the Settings Sliders button on the bottom right of the viewfinder.

3. Tap on the Looks button on the bottom left of the viewfinder.

4. The viewfinder will now transform into a series of cards. At the top, tap the dropdown next to "default look" and select your desired base processing style.

5. You can also swipe through the Camera Looks cards to choose from 7 different preset options.

Setting your look as the default

By default, you'll need to tap the Camera Looks button every time you reopen the camera. Google does this to make "normal" photo-taking easy, but you can also set your preferred camera look as the default when you open the camera. To do that, follow these steps:

1. Open the camera app.

2. Tap the photo settings icon on the bottom left. It looks like a gear.

3. Tap the More button on the top right of the pop-up. It looks like three dots.

4. Scroll down and enable Always use selected look.

Now, when you open your Pixel's camera, the Camera Look you previously configured will always be enabled. To disable it, just tap the Camera Look button on the bottom right, then swipe through the cards to select another look.

Getting the most out of Camera Looks

While the carousel of cards is a quick way to get some nice presets, Camera Looks lets you dial in eight different properties of the Pixel's photography engine and adjust them in granular detail. When you open Camera Looks, you'll see a row of buttons along the bottom for individual settings. Here's what each one does:

Contrast (-10 to +10): The difference between the image's brightest and darkest parts. Increase this number to create starker darks and lights, and lower it to make the image gentler.

Highlights (-10 to +10): This refers to the brightest parts of a photo, usually something like sunlight coming through a window, a reflection in glass, etc. Increase this number to brighten highlights, and decrease it to reduce them.

Shadows (-10 to +10): This setting affects the darkest parts of a photo. Increasing this number brightens all the dark parts in an image. Decreasing this number will make the darker parts even darker, resulting in higher-contrast scenes.

Vibrance (-10 to +10): This setting affects color intensity. Higher vibrance settings make colors "pop" but can look unrealistic or cartoony at too-high settings. Lower settings make colors look duller.

Tint (-10 to +10): Adjusts how green or magenta an image is. Higher numbers skew the image toward a more magenta tone, while lower numbers make the image look greener.

Warmth (-10 to +10): Adjusts how blue or yellow an image is. Higher numbers skew the image toward yellow, or warmer colors, while lower numbers skew the image toward blue, or cooler tones.

Sharpness (0 to 15): This refers to how much artificial sharpening is added to a photo. Digital photography often uses sharpening to make photos look "high resolution" by enhancing fine detail, but an image that's too sharp looks noticeably fake and often "harsh."

Grain (None/Weak/Moderate/Strong): Adds an artificial grain look to photos. This differs from digital noise, a by-product of how digital photo sensors work. The grain setting does not enhance fine detail. It only adds a grain filter.

Feel free to play with each of these settings to find the look you want. If you don't like the look of stock Pixel photos, I suggest adjusting three settings right away: shadows, vibrance, and sharpness.

Try dropping the shadows a notch or two and see if you like the look. I think the preset "Shadows" Look (found in the drop-down menu at the top of the viewfinder when Camera Looks is enabled) already does a good job of adjusting this setting.

When you're done with that, try giving vibrance a little punch-up. Start with +2 and adjust from there. That, combined with shadow darkening, should give your Pixel photos a nice pop. Lastly, try reducing sharpness just a bit by bringing it down to 8 (the default is 10). This will reduce sharpening, making the photo look more like film and less digital.

I have fond memories of using flat-head earbuds as a kid in the '90s; I was just getting started with music discovery, and I was basically glued to my Walkman. I still use earbuds today, whether it's Bluetooth products like the FoKus Amadeus, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2, Status Pro X, or IEMs such as the Fiio FX15, Thieaudio Monarch MKIV, and Elysian Acoustic Labs Pilgrim.

So when Sivga said it's coming out with flat-head buds, I was obviously interested. The M260 have a bland naming convention (in a sense, that fits its retro positioning), but that's thankfully the only negative thing I have to say about these buds. They cost $39 on Amazon and come with a standard 3.5mm connector, and you can also get a USB-C version (like I did) when you buy at Sivga's website (these are $40 as well).

Let's start with the design. The M260 may be aimed at the budget category, but they're made out of machined aluminum, and the build quality is exquisite. The silver finish looks great in its own right, and the gold accents add a bit of flair.

There are a decent number of these earbuds around now, but they're mostly made out of plastic, and the attention to detail that Sivga lavished on the M260 makes the earbuds stand out quite a bit. This isn't anything new; I tested Sivga's Luan headset two years ago, and it has a delightful design and a high degree of comfort. It's so good that my wife immediately stole it to use with her gaming machine.

Anyway, the flat-head design of the M260 means they're extremely comfortable to wear, and if you've used IEMs in the past and didn't quite get a good fit, you should consider giving these a go. Unlike regular earbuds where the sound tube nuzzles into your ear canal — causing fatigue with long-term use — these buds sit around the outer ear, and they don't exert any pressure. You don't get a tight seal, so there isn't the same level of noise isolation as Bluetooth earbuds, but that isn't a big problem.

Most of the time, I didn't even realize I was wearing the buds, and they're designed for all-day use. The bundled ear tips provide good cushioning, and honestly, these may just be among the most comfortable earbuds I used in a long time. Also, they're just fun to use; I couldn't keep a smile off my face the entire time I used these.

Sivga went with a standard MMCX connector to plug the buds to the cable, and that means you can easily switch out cables should you need to do so. The bundled cable is of a decent quality, and it has a nylon sheath and a braided design that gives it better durability. Oh, and the cable gets inline controls, so you can easily adjust volume and pause/play music. It has a built-in mic as well, allowing you to take calls.

The USB-C model has a built-in DAC, and it is quite decent. I used the M260 with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Find X9 Ultra, and they did a great job with a diverse range of music. Sivga went with a custom 14.2mm dynamic driver, and it has a tight bass with a good rumble, clean mids, and smooth treble.

The mid-range is where these earbuds shine, with vocals coming through cleanly and with plenty of definition. They're a great choice if you want to listen to music or stream movies and TV shows.

Because they use USB-C, you can use the buds with just about any phone, tablet, and gaming console without having to get a dongle. That kind of convenience is a big deal in and of itself, and it's good to see Sivga provide a USB-C version.

Honestly, if you want earbuds you can plug in, you can't go wrong with the M260. They have a delightfully-retro design with unmatched comfort, great sound, and build quality that's guaranteed to last. Coming in at $40, they're a great value as well.

It's been a month of using the Pixel 11 Pro XL as my daily driver, and I generally like what Google did with the device this year. There are some frustrations (just like with every phone I test), but as a whole, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is better than its predecessors, and while I don't necessarily like Google's aggressive stance on AI, all of these features are easy enough to ignore.

Instead of a traditional long-term review, I wanted to highlight five things that stood out the most in the month I used the Pixel 11 Pro XL, so let's get started.

The Pixel 11 Pro XL can take a beating

The Pixel 11 Pro XL doesn't look too different to the 10 Pro XL, and I don't mind that one bit. The design is visually distinctive, and I like how clean and minimal the camera visor looks this year. The Obsidian model doesn't have much flair (you'll need to buy the Canyon instead), but the all-matte texture feels great to hold and use.

The positioning of the camera bar means there's no wobble at all when using the phone on a table — this is diametrically opposite to Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, which wobbles if you look at it. It is on the heavier side at 226g, but the weight is balanced well, and at no point did I feel that it was unwieldy to use.

I'm pleased to report that the phone has proven durability. The Pixel 11 Pro XL took over a dozen tumbles in the month I used it, and while there is some visible damage on the sides, it is all around the mid-frame, and the glass panels at the front and rear are unharmed. There was one notable instance where it skid face-down on a tiled floor; it just slid out of my hand, and my rescue attempt ended up with me kicking it across the room. Anyway, outside of minor scratching on one edge of the screen, the panel held up admirably.

It's good to see that Google actually paid quite a bit of attention to build quality, as the Pixel 11 Pro XL is designed to last a better part of a decade. I had issues with the fit and finish of older Pixels, but that thankfully hasn't been the case in the last two years, so it looks like Google finally has a handle on this.

The cameras are good — if not the best you'll find

I went to an Apple briefing to go hands-on with the iPhone Duo, and normally, I use whatever phone I'm daily driving to take product photos. In this scenario, it was the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and after taking two photos, I realized I made a mistake.

It took significantly more effort to shoot with the Pixel 11 Pro XL, and I wasn't satisfied with the resultant imagery — so much so that I regretted not bringing the Find X9 Ultra at least a half-dozen times. This isn't to say that the cameras are bad on the Pixel 11 Pro XL; if anything, the phone does a better job than previous years. I got plenty of great shots out of the camera over the last month, but it isn't well-suited to take product photos in questionable lighting.

Chinese flagships like the Find X9 Ultra, X9 Pro, Vivo X300 Ultra, X300 Pro, and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra do such a good job in this area that I didn't spot the Pixel 11 Pro XL's obvious limitations with the sensor size and resolution. Anyway, I got usable shots (if not the best quality or detail), but it reinforced the idea that Chinese phones have a significant lead when it comes to the cameras.

Connectivity is a mixed bag (yet again)

You don't need me to tell you about the state of the cellular modem on Pixels. With Google switching to a MediaTek modem this year, I thought the Pixel 11 Pro XL would be on par with other high-end phones. While connectivity is better, it wasn't as reliable as other devices I used in recent months.

I routinely saw an LTE signal in areas where I used to get 5G, and even at home, the signal was spotty. The phone intermittently disconnected from my home network, and I had to manually toggle the internet tile to get it to register on the network again. I get that these are minor quibbles, but I don't want to see any of these issues on a $1,199 phone — no other flagship has these problems.

Battery life is better than I imagined

The 5,115mAh battery on the Pixel 11 Pro XL is relatively smaller (the Find X9 Ultra has a 7,000mAh unit), but thanks to efficiency gains this year, it manages to last an entire day (and a bit) without any problems.

I got a full day of use even while traveling, and charging it wasn't as much of a hassle — it takes just an hour to fully charge the battery. On busy days that involve taking hundreds of photos, the Pixel 11 Pro XL managed to last until the night.

Qi 2.2 integration is a big deal, and not having to use a case makes a real difference. I use Qi 2.2 power banks and chargers daily, and as someone who doesn't like using cases, it's great to see native integration on the Pixel 11 Pro XL.

The software continues to be the real highlight

The main reason I use Pixels is the software, and there's a lot to like in Android 17. Most of the new features are around AI (which I don't need or use), but Rambler in Gboard is incredibly good, and I need it on other Android devices and the iPhone. I like that Google doesn't have any bloatware, and the interface itself is clean, has bright colors, and is highly customizable.

Using the Pixel 11 Pro XL made me realize that Google really needs to launch a Pixel Ultra to take on its Chinese rivals. While the phone does a good job against the iPhone 18 Pro Max and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it doesn't have an answer to the Find X9 Ultra, Vivo X300 Ultra, and the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, and Google needs to rectify that in coming years.

Although the brand always focused on software to make up the difference with cameras, we are getting to the point with diminishing returns, and Google needs to start using higher-resolution modules and generally deliver better camera hardware.