It takes a lot for a power bank to leave a mark on me. I test Android devices and accessories for a living, and because of the sheer volume of releases, I try at least one new power bank or charger every week.

Having tested all of the very best, worst, and mid-tier power banks, I can confidently pass the verdict on the best slim Qi2 power banks released in 2026. Three of my top picks won't surprise you, because Baseus, TORRAS, and INIU have long established themselves as key players in the market.

A new bombshell has also entered the villa, and she is a sleek and chic, solid-state affair from a brand called ReelCharge.

Before I dive into what makes each of these Qi2 accessories so great, here's a quick comparison table to sum up their specs in a nutshell. One look at the table should help you decide which power bank is most to your liking, if a new power bank is on your shopping list.

Note that this isn't an exhaustive list of the best power banks of 2026, just the slimmest ones released this year that support magnetic Qi2 wireless charging and have stellar value overall.

Baseus Picogo Air AM71 3C Magnetic Power Bank 5000mAh 22.5W

Baseus always does a fantastic job with its new launches, and the Picogo Air is proof of that. It is the lightest, most unbelievably thin power bank I have ever used, so much so that I had trouble believing that it has a 5,000mAh capacity at first.

Although Baseus did not add a battery indication display, it has a unique NFC PowerSense feature that lets you tap the power bank on your phone and check its percentage through the mobile app.

This may not have the fastest charging speed, but it's not the slowest either. Plus, it also sports the CCC safety certification, and goes on sale very frequently. If you do buy it, I suggest looking at the gorgeous Dark Cherry colorway.

TORRAS MiniMag Pro Power Bank 10k mAh

TORRAS usually dabbles in wireless chargers and phone cases, but the MiniMag Pro Power Bank 10k mAh is a welcome addition to their portfolio. It may not be as slim or light as the Baseus option, but it packs twice the capacity.

What has my flabbers gasted is that TORRAS managed to water-proof this battery pack. A Qi2 power bank with an IP54 water and dust resistant rating is unheard of. If you're clumsy or live in a humid area, this is the perfect everyday companion.

INIU SnapGo Air Magnetic Power Bank 10000mAh 25W Qi2.2 MagSafe

INIU has been a favorite of mine when it comes to power banks. In fact, this is the brand I recommend to friends and family the most, because it prioritizes affordability and fast wired charging.

The SnapGo Air Magnetic Power Bank not only supports the fastest possible Qi2 wireless charging speed, but it also features 45W wired fast charging. INIU very thoughtfully includes a 60W nylon-braided cable that attaches to the power bank like a lanyard. A cable like this can cost you $10 to $20 on its own, so this power bank delivers amazing value overall.

ReelCharge ReelSafe 5,000mAh Power Bank

ReelCharge is a relatively unheard of brand in the consumer tech space, but I am hoping that will change. The brand's 5,000mAh solid-state power bank is almost as light as the Baseus Picogo Air AM71, which is no easy feat.

The ReelCharge ReelSafe 5,000mAh Power Bank supports 15W Qi2 wireless and 20W wired charging speeds, and comes in Orange and Gray. Sound familiar? That's right, it shares nearly identical specs with the BMX SolidSafe 5K Solid-State Magnetic Power Bank, which I absolutely adore.

But guess what? ReelCharge's option costs $10 lesser than BMX's offering, which is why it takes BMX's place in my list of the top slim Qi2 power banks of 2026.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

The era of giant, heavy VR headsets is officially over. The Oculus Quest began the era of standalone VR headsets in 2019, and now Meta VR Glasses will begin the era of tiny, comfortable standalone headsets when they launch in Spring 2027.

Despite what the name implies, Meta VR Glasses aren't associated with the company's other wearables offerings from brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley. Operationally, these are essentially a Meta Quest headset without the Quest branding, clearly separating it from that product line and giving it a new identity.

While Quest became most popular with kids and teenagers, Meta is aiming its new VR Glasses squarely at adults who want a cutting-edge immersive experience. It has brand-new features, content partnerships with streaming companies and sports leagues, and 75 new hand-tracking games at launch (including new Ace Attorney VR and Two Point Hospital VR, to name two).

All that, plus 100% backward compatibility with existing Meta Quest apps and games. It's a monumental moment for VR and the culmination of everything Meta has built up to this point.

The lightest standalone VR headset ever

When Apple Vision Pro launched, it blew people away. The experience was revolutionary, but its 600g weight and $3500 price tag severely diminished its appeal. Samsung's Galaxy XR launched last year at half the price, but it still weighed 545g and doesn't have the gaming support of Meta's platform.

Meta VR Glasses weigh just 100g. They're also less than half the size of either Apple's or Samsung's headsets. They also come in two sizes to accommodate as many people as possible and don't need an uncomfortable head strap to keep the VR Glasses on your face.

Instead, Meta VR Glasses look and feel more like a pair of glasses than a headset. Each temple arm folds in like a pair of glasses, and they even use adjustable nose pads. They're not intended to be worn all day like Meta AI Glasses, though. These are still VR headsets, just without all the bulk and weight the category has become synonymous with.

Prescription lenses magnetically attach to the headset's lenses, making fitting and sharing a breeze. The 5K micro-OLED panels inside each lens are incredibly bright and crisp, sporting a 37 pixels-per-degree (PPD) resolution. By comparison, Quest 3 has just 20 PPD, while Apple Vision Pro has around 34 PPD.

The trick here is that Meta reduced the FoV to achieve this level of clarity. At 85 degrees, it's around 11 degrees narrower than Quest 3S and 25 degrees narrower than Quest 3. It felt narrower than Quest, for sure, but not as narrow as even the best smart glasses. You adjust the IPD by manually sliding the lenses.

Meta VR Glasses don't ship with controllers, but you can pair them with any existing Quest 3-era controller or order a separate pair. I got to play a new version of Beat Saber called Beat Saber Flux, which is hand-tracking-only and heavily modifies the gameplay to match hand tracking's vibe. If you're familiar with Synth Riders, this new Beat Saber will feel familiar.

I also got to see an upcoming mixed reality title called Dice Throne Digital, a video game version of the popular Dice Throne board game. This roguelike title is like "battle Yatzi," as the developers described it to me: you grab imaginary dice, shake them violently in your hand, and throw them anywhere in your room.

Thanks to Meta's continuously improved hand tracking — plus the power of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon Reality Elite chipset inside Meta VR Glasses — the action looks more visceral than I ever thought a hand-tracking game could. Watch your hand transform into a powerful glowing fist when you shake the dice, and watch them bounce off your real-world objects as if they actually existed.

The new chipset and battery are housed in a separate, phone-sized compute puck that clips onto a belt or pocket. Ventilation on top of the puck keeps things cool, and a USB-C port on the bottom can power the headset indefinitely with a 45W charger. It even supports USB-C video input, so you can plug in your Steam Deck and get a massive 5K resolution screen anywhere.

Meta intends this headset to be used primarily while seated, so you'll likely want a "proper" headset for fully immersive VR experiences (read: ones you physically walk around, duck, or look under objects). Magnetic light blockers (like on Meta Quest Pro) will make things even more immersive, but I didn't get to see either of these at my hands-on.

The UI is the same as on existing Quest headsets, but built-in eye tracking capabilities and new cameras make navigating truly effortless. No need to raise your hand anymore; just look at what you want to select and pinch your thumb and index finger together, or make a fist and use your thumb like a D-pad to scroll. Meta VR Glasses will even create a virtual mouse and keyboard on any surface, both of which worked unbelievably well in my demo.

Speaking of cinema-grade experiences, Meta is clearly aiming this headset at a more casual crowd than the folks who normally enjoy the highly active gaming experiences synonymous with VR. Meta VR Glasses are designed primarily as a private screen, delivering IMAX-quality visuals with native 12-bit micro-OLED panels, all of which are James Cameron-certified (seriously!).

The displays use a PWM dimming method that matches the refresh rate, which lines up with how its LCD-based headsets have always worked. This should be comfortable for most people, including PWM-sensitive people like me. That's great since the 3-hour battery life and more casual use cases will likely have you in the headset for hours at a time.

A key part of this experience is a bespoke selection of included services, such as courtside seats at NBA games included in the headset's price (no additional subscription required). I don't know how many games this service will cover, but the game I watched in the headset felt like I was right next to the celebrities who can afford front-row tickets.

Meta VR Glasses are a total reboot of the VR paradigm Meta has been selling, and the company is putting high hopes in this product being a smash hit. The $1,299 price will limit its appeal a bit, but this is the most cutting-edge VR headset I've used in my 11 years covering VR professionally, and it finally solves the weight and size problem people have been asking for.

New month, new Ray-Bans. That's certainly what Meta seems to think these days, as it's launching nearly 10 new AI glasses at Meta Connect 2026.

These come hot on the heels of the company's July event that launched a slew of new glasses under the "Meta AI Glasses" brand. September's new reveals include three new Meta AI Glasses-branded glasses, a brand-new Ray-Ban Gen 3 line with three main styles, and another brand-new line called Ray-Ban Audio that ditches the cameras altogether.

That, and Meta announced a new partnership with superstar musician LISA, bringing the artist's style to two Meta AI glasses styles, plus blindbox charms that come with each pair. Here's everything you can expect.

Upgrades for (nearly) all Meta AI glasses

All new Meta AI glasses launch with the features I'm about to detail, but most existing pairs will get them too, starting with customizable controls that let you change the function of the buttons and touchpads to launch apps or run commands.

Meta AI glasses with cameras now support landscape mode cropping, which will automatically crop images taken with your glasses and straighten them using AI. A new dynamic camera feature can also be enabled to take a burst of photos when you press the shutter, letting you select the best photo after capture.

The audio experience is also getting an upgrade with Dolby Atmos-certified playback, so you get proper surround sound when watching videos with your Meta AI glasses connected to your phone. You'll also be able to customize the left/rigth audio balance, or select mono audio for a louder output.

Last is what Meta calls a groundbreaking new FDA-approved mode named Hearing Enhancement, which uses the glasses' microphones to amplify what someone in front of you is saying. That audio is then immediately played back through the glasses' speakers, which reside over your ear, helping replace hearing aids for some people.

I tried this feature using earplugs to simulate hearing loss and was impressed with how much easier it was to hear the Meta rep talk to me. I'd like to see how it works for someone with actual hearing loss, but the demo felt legit. This feature is coming to select Meta AI glasses, which means all the new models plus a handful of older ones, but it's an extra $149 upcharge to enable the feature. Meta One subscribers get the feature included in their plans.

Ray-Ban Meta Audio

I tried the new Ray-Ban Meta Audio glasses at the Hearing Enhancement booth, and they're exactly what you'd expect: cameraless Meta AI glasses. Meta says it chose this because people mainly use the audio function on camera glasses, but it's clear the company is also responding to the privacy issues plaguing the brand.

There are no new exclusive features here, just the optional $149 Hearing Enhancement add-on if you need it. Ray-Ban Meta Audio Glasses come in two main styles: Burbank, which looks pretty similar to Wayfarer to me, and Clubmaster, which is a radically different style from the rest of the pack. Clubmaster would be my style pick, for sure.

Since there's no camera, these weigh just 42g and feel substantially lighter because of it. Every gram counts with glasses, and it shows here. These start at $349 and will be available on October 7.

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3

It's hard to believe Meta is already launching a 3rd-generation Ray-Ban Meta product, but it's here with some surprisingly light upgrades over last year's pair. They launch in the classic Wayfarer style, as well as two new ones: Aviator and Zena.

Aviator is a larger, more structured style with wide lenses, while Zena pulls things in for a more feminine look. The limited-edition Warm Beige Aviators particularly appealed to me, though they'll run you an eye-watering $549. All three models come in black and Havana, plus select "seasonal" options and the usual lens types and colors.

Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 sports one extra mic (for a total of 6) and an additional hour of battery life over Gen 2 models. Gen 3 also has the customizable action button from July's Meta AI Glasses, as well as the slightly upgraded chipset, but, curiously, doesn't feature the adjustable nose pads. Ray-Ban Meta Gen 3 glasses retail for $449 and up, and are available right now.

LISA needs glasses

Meta AI glasses may have launched just two months ago, but Meta is already debuting four new options so people can buy another pair. The main new styles are Capri, which looks somewhat similar to the Adventurer style but with a more cat-eye appearance, and Nova, which has nicely rounded frames. Both pairs start at $299.

In addition to that, Meta is partnering with renowned musician LISA and launching special LISA versions of the Adventurer and Capri styles. These colorways, as Meta called them, feature unique color accents and a trademark star on each temple tip.

Each pair comes with a specially styled case, blind-box-style pet charms that clip onto the case, and unique digital photocards in the Meta AI app, all for $399. Meta is also launching a new $249 pair of Meta AI Glasses with a black frame and grey lenses in the Adventurer style, making them the most affordable pair yet.

If you're looking to buy a charger in India, you can't go wrong with Stuffcool. The brand regularly churns out reliable products, and with the Omni Pro, it's making its debut with Qi 2.2 charging tech. The Omni Pro is now available for ₹4,999, and that is in line with other Qi 2.2 power banks I used from the likes of Baseus, Anker, and other global brands.

But the Omni Pro isn't just a standard Qi 2.2 power bank. It also has a swivel arm that swings out, and you can easily charge your Apple Watch on it. This is a brilliant idea, and you don't have to take any other devices if you're heading out with an iPhone and Apple Watch. Oh, and there's also a kickstand, giving you the freedom to plonk your phone on the Omni Pro and use it while charging.

The design is elegant too; Stuffcool went with a silver finish that looks good, and build quality is great — I didn't see any issues in the month I used the power bank. It isn't much bigger than other 10,000mAh power banks, and at 214g, you can slot it into a bag without any issues. There's a tiny panel on the left that shows battery level, and while you don't get charging metrics like the Nexode Pro, it is an easy way of seeing how much charge is left on the power bank.

Qi 2.2 charging tech is interesting because it delivers 25W, and I use it constantly with my iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL. I'm switching to the iPhone 18 Pro Max this week, and it's great to be able to reliably charge these devices without having to connect a cable. The versatility of being able to do so with the Apple Watch is just the icing on the cake.

There's a USB-C cable as well that goes up to 35W, so if you need a faster charge, this is the way to go. The internal battery also charges at 35W, and you get a USB-C cable bundled in the box.

The Omni Pro has a 10,000mAh battery, and it can easily charge the Pixel 11 Pro XL or iPhone 18 Pro Max once over. Standard energy conversion means you don't actually get up to 10,000mAh of usable power — it's around 5,500mAh or so. This is the case with all power banks, and the Omni Pro did a good job delivering consistent power in the month I used it.

There aren't many reliable Qi 2.2 power banks in India, and the Omni Pro is one of the best available in the country. It looks good, does a good job charging devices over the Qi 2.2 standard, and is easy to take anywhere.

The AI glasses race is seriously heating up in fall 2026 with yet another new brand, but this one is doing something no one else has done so far. Vonder, a new company from the folks behind Viture and Oura, showed me its new line of intelligent eyewear that's coming to Best Buy shelves in just a few weeks, with preorders starting on September 28.

Vonder sets itself apart by ditching the camera, a piece that's become a privacy nightmare for some smart glasses, and instead uses a combination of bone conduction sensors, powerful speakers, and seriously intelligent AI to create a totally different experience.

Instead of capturing moments in photos or videos, Vonder Intelligent Eyewear captures all the thoughts you (and only you) have spoken out loud throughout the day and turns them into searchable, actionable information. It's a similar concept to MemoMind One, but with a far more private experience and more mature software, and they're going to be a huge hit if my time with them is any indication.

A chat with the founders

I spent just over two hours chatting with two of Vonder's three founders, Emily Wang and David Jiang, on a Monday afternoon in Palo Alto. The duo showed up with a briefcase full of Vonder glasses, showcasing a blend of every glasses style the company offers.

As they talked to me about their latest product, Emily, who co-founded Viture (some of the best smart glasses), pointed out that David was wearing the style I had just picked up, something I hadn't noticed at all because the glasses looked so normal. Even Ray-Ban Metas are a tad thicker than a normal pair of Ray-Bans, but these glasses had totally fooled me, and that's just the start of where Vonder got things right.

At just 30g, these glasses are by far the lightest smart glasses I've worn to date, making them the same weight as a normal prescription pair. It's the moment I've been waiting for, and I know a lot of other people have, as well.

But what good are smart glasses without a camera? Here's where the paradigm shift comes in. Instead of capturing moments in the form of photos and video, Vonder Intelligent Eyewear captures your thoughts as you speak them out loud via a clever bone conduction sensor located at the end of the temples, before the curved temple tips.

This ensures that other people around you aren't recorded without their consent. Consent is the biggest problem with smart glasses today, and Vonder's clever design goes a long way to solving it. You can even permanently delete all your data with one tap in the app if you want to.

The glasses have two switches onboard plus a tactile raised touchpad on the underside of the right temple. One switch is a power switch, while the other is a "meeting mode" switch. This second one switches the glasses' recording function from bone conduction to four microphones located on the temples: two forward and two downward.

This mode is intended to be used only for recording meeting notes or other conversations that are important and is paired with a tamper-proof bright blue LED on the side. Start recording, and it immediately illuminates. Flip the switch, and it turns off. Audio is deleted the moment it's transcribed.

Vonder's AI platform soaks in all the data and turns it into actionable items and summaries. Full conversations — whether they're just your thoughts or the entire meeting room's — are not available at any time. "Notes, not recordings," is one of Vonder's key tenets for ensuring privacy, and it seems to work impressively well in the two hours I spent talking to Emily and David.

The Vonder app and web platform store all these notes for future reference, allowing you to search your memories at any time. It's a full AI agent that's powered by every major AI platform to date, including ChatGPT, Gemini, you name it, so you know it works well.

The service sports a unique 3D knowledge cloud that links common topics you talk about. Everything is not only searchable when you need it, but also proactive. That means when you search using Vonder, it doesn't just come up with the same information that ChatGPT or Gemini would; it also adds your memories into the mix.

Vonder AI can even be connected to your Google account, letting it parse details from there. David showed me his AI-generated daily digest, which included a "know before you go" summary of my bio and articles I've published about Viture, all pulled from the calendar entry for u

It's the sort of personalized "superintelligence" that we've heard Google, Meta, and others talk about, and it's made possible by a pair of ordinary-looking glasses you'll want to wear all day.

Less looking down, more looking forward

As David Jiang was telling me this, he made it a point to highlight the brand's blend of fashion and tech roots. Emily Wang, who was also at the table, previously worked for The RealReal and NEIWAI. The company's other co-founder, Guillaume Hamon, comes from Rivian and Oura, while David himself hails from Google.

Vonder features European design, comes in six different styles, three different colors, two sizes for each style, and a boatload of different lens and color combinations for all of them. Unlike Meta's somewhat confusing product lineup, which features a mishmash of colors and style options unique to each line, everything Vonder makes is available in the style you want.

It's all part of making glasses you'll actually want to wear all day, including battery life that matches the part. Vonder glasses ship with a magnetic charging cable that lets them charge while being worn (unlike glasses that charge in a case), but you likely won't ever need to do this thanks to 16-hour long battery life. That's more than double Meta's best estimates.

And, of course, there's no denying the utility that comes with a wearable AI companion. Vonder is a 100% American company founded and based in San Francisco's Bay Area, another building block in ensuring you feel comfortable while wearing these glasses.

Plus, Vonder AI seems to actually be able to do "regular" tasks like play and control music and answer calls with your voice, something brands like Even Realities and MemoMind haven't been able to deliver on just yet. And if you'd prefer a pair of Vonder glasses with displays in the lenses, well, they've got that coming, too!

All of this adds up to the best pair of camera-free AI glasses I've used to date, and I can't wait to get a final retail pair on my head.

I have a never-ending pile of books to read, and I try to take at least an hour a day to read. That usually involves sitting on the couch with the Kobo Libra Colour, and while I enjoy using the 7-inch e-reader (a lot), it isn't what I'd call portable; I mostly use it while at home or on a flight.

This is the biggest advantage with the Boox Palma 2 Pro solves. As it has roughly the same dimensions as a phone, it is seamless to take anywhere, and I just throw it in my EDC bag. While I was initially hesitant to use the device because of the smaller size, I now see it as a huge advantage, and I ended up using the Palma 2 Pro much more than I imagined in the last six months. Starting at $399, it isn't an impulse purchase by any measure, and it costs more than most high-end e-readers; I like the DuRoBo Krono as well, and that retails for $279 as of writing.

That said, the unique size and feature-set of the Palma 2 Pro make it a great choice to use just about anywhere, and I'm outlining three areas where it's made a real difference.

The Palma 2 Pro allowed me to read everywhere

When I take out the Kobo, it is intentional. I plan my reading sessions and try to minimize distractions. That hasn't been easy in recent years because of a busy schedule and a toddler, and there are weeks where I don't get any reading done.

This isn't an issue with the Palma 2 Pro; I have it with me while going out, so if I'm just waiting around, I just use it instead of reaching for my phone. While I prefer reading in hour-long sessions, it's just easier to take out 10 minutes to read something interesting rather than get distracted by my phone, and the Palma 2 Pro made a big difference in that area.

The 6.13-inch E Ink Kaleido 3 panel is a delight to use, and it has the standard 300ppi pixel density with monochrome content. It has colors as well, and the 150ppi density is decent enough when reading comics on the go. What I like better is that it has adjustable light with warm tones, and it definitely comes in handy.

I didn't use my phone as much

I'd like to think I do a good job with phone usage. I have DND enabled throughout the day, and I try to be cognizant about how much I use my phone. That said, there have been enough times when I went down a Reddit rabbit hole and didn't realize hours had passed (r/watches is addictive).

This is where having a dedicated device like the Palma 2 Pro is so handy. The e-reader runs Android 15 out of the box and gives you full access to the Play Store, and it has a SIM slot that lets you use a data plan as well. But because it has an E Ink panel, you're limited in what you can do with the device. This is a good thing overall, and I found the size to be ideal to hold in-hand and read on the go.

I don't have to charge it daily

Look, I don't like charging devices daily; that's why I used the Find X9 Ultra as my daily driver, and why I'm liking the Pixel Watch 5. Thankfully, the Palma 2 Pro does a great job in this area, and the 3,950mAh battery easily lasts a week between charges.

This is a big part of what makes e-readers great in general. The battery on my Kobo Libra Colour lasts closer to two weeks before having to plug in it, and not having to worry about whether I've charged a device — particularly while on the go — is a big relief.

Honestly, I didn't think I'd use the Palma 2 Pro anywhere as much as I did when I got started with the e-reader. The smaller size is just so convenient, and while it doesn't have the same screen real estate as a 7-inch reader, the portability is unmatched. If you don't want to shell out quite as much cash, the Krono is a decent enough alternative, but you get a lot of additional software features with the Palma 2 Pro.

One way Google entices you to buy its latest smartphones — including the Google Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold — is through its subscriptions. Like most tech companies, Google upsells you a subscription to keep you inside its ecosystem, but unlike most tech companies, Google reaches a large swathe of most people’s daily lives.

For years, Google subscriptions were fragmented and separate, and while they still are to a degree, this year has been transformative for those of us with multiple Google products. I personally had four different subscriptions to Google products on my personal account — Google One storage, YouTube Premium, Fitbit Premium, and Gemini Advanced — and in the case of the latter, it’s one that I often forgot to cancel the renewal on.

Now, Google has a new proposition: the Google AI Pro bundle. The $20 starting price tag will be familiar to anyone who uses ChatGPT, Cursor, Claude, or any other AI model. What will surprise you is how much value is packed into that $20 price tag. Even better? You can get up to six months free with one of the latest Google devices.

This is the best AI subscription for everyone, even iPhone users. Here’s why.

Google AI Pro bundle offers phenomenal value for money

Like any human being, I love a bargain, or at least the perception of one. The Google AI Pro bundle is the definition of an absolute bargain, especially if you use one or two of the services.

First, it replaces the previous Google One bundle. In fact, consider it the evolution of that, as it’s managed by the same Google One bundle subscription process; the subscriptions are now named AI XYZ. I used to pay $9.99/m for 2TB of storage and was very close to my storage limit, but now the new bundle includes 5 TB. This is shared across Google Drive, Photos, and Gmail, and it’s more than enough for 99% of users. The best part? You can also share this with up to 5 family members.

Retail price: $20/month

Then there’s the Gemini Pro access; this alone is worth the $20/month price tag. This gives you access to Gemini Thinking and Gemini Pro models, which are quite capable for most of your tasks. It also lets you build platforms in Google AI Studio with the same allowances, and it’s a great platform for average users to build tools and platforms, since integrations with other Google services streamline complex tasks like database management and file storage.

If you only need extra storage and a powerful AI model, the Google AI Pro bundle already offers the best value for money, but the three lifestyle perks included really tip the scales in Google’s favor.

Retail price: $20/month.

The three hidden gems inside the Google AI Pro bundle

Google’s integration into your daily life is second to none, and the Google AI Pro bundle proves it has finally cracked how to deliver value and inspire customer loyalty. The key is that each of these three was a standalone bundle that would arguably be worth paying for on its own, and at least two had already proven their market fit.

First, there’s everyone’s favorite service: YouTube. The Google AI Pro bundle includes YouTube Premium Lite, which is designed to make YouTube Premium accessible to more customers. If you want fewer ads, a more streamlined experience, and a few other perks but don’t need the full ad-free YouTube Premium experience, this is a great subscription… and now it’s included in this bundle. (Retail price: $9/month.)

Then there’s Google Health Premium, the real hidden gem in this bundle. Google Health Premium includes the innovative Gemini Health Coach and, crucially for Apple users, can integrate with and pull data from Apple Health. This means your Apple Watch data can mostly sync with Health Premium, and Google’s Gemini Health Coach can answer questions and help you understand your health. This is a diamond that’s only going to get better, and I love that it’s included here. (Retail price: $10/month.)

Finally, there’s Google Home Premium Standard, a service I don’t subscribe to — I’ve mostly given up on my smart home dreams because of Google’s general apathy toward it — but it could have value if you still have a Nest Cam. It’s mostly for those with compatible security cameras and doorbells, and it lets you access video history, receive smart notifications, and ask questions about it. (Retail price: $10/month.)

The best AI bundle for everyone, even iPhone users

If you subscribe to cloud storage or an AI provider, the Google AI Pro bundle is a no-brainer, as it objectively offers more value for a similar price. If you already subscribe to one or two of Google’s other services, or any other combination, it’s also a no-brainer: $70 worth of services for $20.

Here’s where things get really interesting, however: Google is working on Project Aura, which will be among the first Gemini-powered smart glasses. They’re launching before the end of the year, and Gemini allowances are presumably key to making the most of them. If you’re buying the new iPhone Duo, you're probably buying the new Apple Watch and may even consider Google’s glasses. All of these bundled integrations ultimately give you a wide swathe of products and services, many of which are best in class.

Personally, I mostly wear an Apple Watch, and while the Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 both have excellent, unique features, the Apple Watch has saved my life, so it's hard to move away. Google Health Premium integrating with Apple Health, plus the included 5TB of storage, is enough for the Google AI Pro bundle to cement its place in my workflow, let alone the included YouTube Premium Lite and Gemini Advanced subscriptions.

The fact that it comes included with the Pixel 11 series, some of the best Android phones you can buy, the Pixel Watch 5, or the Fitbit Air is just an added bonus.

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Forget sharing a KitKat bar or a pizza; Nimble lets us share power banks by splitting them in half. If you're having trouble digesting this bit of info, you're not alone. If I hadn't been using the Nimble SHARWPOWER 10,000mAh power bank myself for a few weeks, I wouldn't have believed it either. But it's a real product, and it's well executed.

It's a wild concept, and once you've let the idea sit with you for a while, you might ask why do that when a multi-port power bank can easily be shared with extra cables. But there are some occasions that call for such a shareable battery pack.

It's not cheap, but it's one in a million

At $79.95, the Nimble SHAREWPOWER 10,000mAh power bank isn't an affordable purchase. It supports 35W PD wired charging in total and comes in four colorways: black, pink, white, and blue. It's a very small power bank that can easily fit in the palm of your hand, even when whole.

When split in half in what is called Share Mode, both halves are 5,000mAh batteries, and each comes with a built-in USB-C cable. So while this might be a pretty expensive 10,000mAh power bank compared to virtually every other option, its splitting act sets it aside from the rest.

Magnetic pins keep the two 5,000mAh halves together, and when you separate them, you reveal a folded USB-C connector inside. This is attached to the half that has the display indicating the battery percentage.

The other half has a proper USB-C cable that's tucked inside like a lanyard when the two halves are stuck together, which is called Stack Mode.

Each half also has one extra USB-C port, so you can actually charge four devices altogether when the batteries are split. The two halves support 20W PD each in Share Mode.

A truly and properly shareable power bank

This is such a fun little power bank, and you can tell how much thought was poured into its design once you start using it. Imagine a day out with your friends, and you need to share a battery pack; the other person can just walk away instead of leaving their phone with you.

Whether it's friends or family on a longer vacation or a short getaway with you, there is always that one person who refuses to bring their own charger or power bank along and usurps your battery pack. The Nimble SHAREPOWER helps you preserve half for yourself in such scenarios.

Even if someone hijacks one half of the SHAREPOWER power bank for the entirety of the trip or excursion, you don't need to be side by side or in close proximity all the time. You can go to the bathroom without leaving your phone behind or waiting in separate lines, since this product doesn't require two people to stay anchored to one power bank.

This is easily the best part of the power bank.

A great power bank for group trips and holidays

The Nimble SHAREPOWER addresses the main issue with sharing a multi-port power bank with others: you both need to be attached to the power bank and therefore must be close to each other for a while.

This is obviously problematic sometimes, especially when on holiday with lots of other people. Someone might need to go to reception while the other individual heads to the restaurant. One person might decide to skip an activity and stay behind. I've faced this issue myself as I'm always the designated tech person on holidays, and there's always one friend or another borrowing my power bank.

There have been times when I needed to go to a separate location as my friend, and we were both low on phone battery, in an unknown city, with all but one 5,000mAh power bank to share. One of us had to leave our phone with the other person until it fully charged, then meet up at a designated location later. Obviously, this was quite a risky move, but luckily we had other friends to accompany the phone-less person.

This illustrates the usefulness of the Nimble SHAREPOWER's ability to split into two independent halves that function as two separate 5,000mAh power banks in Share Mode. You don't even have to worry about bringing extra cables along. So if you're going on a trip with lots of other people, I highly recommend investing in one or two of these power banks.

I dabble in silly little puzzle-based Android games on the daily. Games that require sorting, untangling, or disassembling things systematically to beat a level are so soothing to my nervous system. They don't require much intellectual or emotional investment, so I can kill time on the train or while waiting at the dentist's.

Adding to a long list of quirky casual games, Meowdoku is my latest obsession. I don't know if you were being bombed with ads for the game like I was, but several friends told me they kept getting ads for it too. So, I took one for the team and gave in to the impulse.

I'm glad I did because this revamped version of sudoku turned out to be right up my alley.

The perfect cat-themed brain teaser to unwind

The game is built on the basic rules of Sudoku, but with no numbers. Instead, you get cats and colors. Just like Sudoku has a rule per column and row, Meowdoku has a similar principle: there can only be one cat per row or column.

There are other rules too: only one cat per color, and cats can't be in neighboring blocks.

Players build on these three cardinal rules and find all ten cats per level. You get three strikes for wrong cat placements, and then you've lost that level and must start over.

Some levels are easier than others, and sometimes you get one cat right at the beginning to help you out. You can also use limited hints, which can be earned back by watching ads or via the in-game reward system. Players can also participate in a daily challenge in addition to the usual levels.

I play sudoku on my phone regularly, and it's gotten a little too boring and predictable lately. Meowdoku is a fun take on sudoku, capturing the essence of the game perfectly. In fact, I have uninstalled the classic version of the game from my phone at this point!

I kept coming back to Meowdoku, despite the sheer number of ads after almost every level

I love cats, and I'm a big Sudoku fan, so it's no wonder that I love Meowdoku this much. What I despise about the app, however, is the unholy number of ads you need to watch.

Meowdoku bombards you with mandatory ads, one after almost every single level. And you know what's insane? There is no premium, ad-free version on Android. I would happily pay for an ad-free experience, but for some reason, the developer, Oakever Games, decided to skip that option.

I really hope they introduce an ad-free tier, because I'm not the only one going bonkers over Meowdoku. I came across YouTube videos, Facebook posts, Reddit threads, and even Instagram reels of people trying to find workarounds to rid themselves of the ad purgatory. Oakever Games has the opportunity to make a lot of money if they listen to what the people want.

Until then, I will be patiently grinding my teeth, sitting through the ads but refusing to stop playing the game, because I have a problem. Give the game a try and let me know if you think it's worth sitting through the ads.

It feels like I just reviewed the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, but the company is already back with another impressive new release aimed at the $300 price segment. The RayNeo GT is a much simpler name with notable design and spec boosts, making it a solid entry into what has become the most competitive price segment in smart glasses.

Despite the same $299 price as the RayNeo Air 4 Pro, the new GTs are 8g lighter and feature a new native 3DoF spatial tracking chip, plus the same Vision 4000 chipset that provides SDR-to-HDR conversion and a top-notch 3840Hz PWM dimming rate. Like all glasses in this segment, it sports a 47-degree FoV, but RayNeo has upgraded several parts of the experience that make it more competitive this time around.

That starts with three different IPD sizes to accommodate more people. I've been largely ok with RayNeo glasses in the past since my IPD is 64, but anyone with a wider IPD was out of luck if they didn't want to go cross-eyed. This time around, you can choose from small (63 and lower IPD), medium (64-67 IPD), and large (68+ IPD). You can also adjust the screen size within the glasses, which helps you better scale specific content. Neither feature is standard at this price range.

RayNeo GT is far more comfortable for me than any previous RayNeo glasses. The initial fit put the display too low for my eyes, but I just widened the nosepiece, and that perfectly centered the screen. That, plus the impressively low-flicker display, meant I could wear these for a long time without any discomfort. Plus, the included temple pads meant they didn't fatigue my ears or temples.

The new 3DoF tracking works incredibly well and lets you choose between steady, anchor, and follow (0DoF) modes with the click of the button on the top of the right temple. The 0DoF Follow mode is best if you want the most flicker-free experience, since any 3DoF or 6DoF mode introduces low-persistence flickering, also known as black frame insertion, which can easily cause headaches for anyone who is flicker-sensitive.

RayNeo also packed this one with native 10-bit displays and software support for 12-bit Dolby Vision content. You'll need to pair it with RayNeo's Pocket TV device, which is a dope little remote that turns your glasses into a full-fledged Google TV that fits in your pocket. It works perfectly as a streaming device, although it has significant limitations for offline downloads, so you're better off using your phone as a remote if you need offline playback.

I was also very impressed with the audio quality of the open-ear speakers. They don't ship with the sound tubes as the RayNeo Air 4 Pro did, but you can buy them separately if you want more direct audio to your ears. Still, I found the open-ear 4-speaker design to be impressively high quality and plenty loud without the sound tubes.

The biggest issue with RayNeo GT is that the lenses have no tinting and no electrochromic dimming, so while the micro-OLEDs are plenty bright, they can easily get drowned out by ambient lighting. This probably won't be an issue in a dim airplane, but likely will rear its ugly head everywhere else. Definitely order a glasses cover if you're picking up a pair.

All in all, these are a fantastic pair of glasses for the price and are among the most competitive I've yet seen from RayNeo. If you're looking for more customizable glasses, Xreal XBX A01+ are the ideal pair since they're designed to be modular.

Pokémon Sleep has been out for a few years, but I only got into it in the past year. And by coincidence, just as I logged a year's worth of sleep into the app, Google released a new Pokémon Sleep edition of the Fitbit Air as part of Pokémon's 30th Anniversary Celebration.

I've been using this special edition of the Fitbit Air to log my sleep in the Pokémon Sleep app, and it might be the best way to play the game. The wearable is lightweight, beautifully crafted, and tracks sleep quite reliably. If you're a Pokémon fan like myself, this might be the

Understanding the basics of Pokémon Sleep

When Pokémon Sleep first launched, I thought it was pretty pointless. I already track my sleep in apps like Google Health (then Fitbit), so why add yet another app? Two years later, something convinced me to finally try it, and boy, was I wrong about Pokémon Sleep.

Turns out, it's a great way to gamify your sleep! The game centers around a Snorlax that does nothing but sleep and eat, while attracting wild Pokémon to sleep around it. The more you sleep, the more points you get, which contribute to the Snorlax's Drowsy Power. The higher your Drowsy Power, the more Pokémon it attracts each day, and your sleep type (based on your sleep cycles) can influence the Pokémon it attracts, including rarer or shiny Pokémon.

You can "catch" these Pokémon by feeding them biscuits and maxing out their friendship points before they get full. It's both enticing and frustrating trying to "catch" certain Pokémon, each with its own attributes to help you throughout the game.

As you watch over this Snorlax, you have to feed it three times a day to build its strength and help it grow. You do this by curating a team of up to five Pokémon, all of which can collect berries and ingredients so you can make various dishes that contribute different amounts of strength. The Pokémon also have special skills that can help in different ways.

You can unlock additional skills and more ingredients, but it often requires careful planning. You have to consider things like a Pokémon's nature, its ingredient list, and other attributes that make it better for what you want. Thus, one Pikachu might be better than another and more worth the candies you collect to level up and evolve it.

Where the Fitbit Air fits

Pokemon Sleep offers a few ways to track your sleep, including the Google Health app. So you can track your sleep with a more traditional smartwatch like the Pixel Watch 5, but I often find them heavy, cumbersome, and uncomfortable to wear while you sleep. That's where the Fitbit Air comes in.

At roughly 12g with the band, it's incredibly lightweight, and it barely feels like I'm wearing anything. This makes it one of the most comfortable wearables I've used to track my sleep, and I recommend it for this alone.

And while there are some nice colors out there, the Special Edition Pokémon Sleep strap is my absolute favorite. It comes in a deep blue color that looks fantastic (it helps that my favorite color is blue) and even has a little sleeping Pikachu on it, which is a pretty nice touch.

As for the actual tracking, it's actually quite reliable. I often compare my results each morning to my Oura Ring and Garmin watch, and the duration, cycles, and other metrics are usually pretty on par. And of course, the Fitbit Air can do more than sleep tracking, since it's also a solid health and fitness wearable.

It also helps that battery life is quite good, easily lasting about a full week on a single charge. That means you don't have to worry about charging it before bed every night or when you wake up each morning.

Setting up the Fitbit Air to track your sleep in Pokémon Sleep

If you're just setting up Pokémon Sleep, you should be able to follow the setup process to get Google Health as your sleep source. You can only choose one, and your options include Google Health, Samsung Health (for Galaxy Watches), and Garmin Connect (for Garmin Watches).

If you're already using another source to track your sleep, changing it to Google Health is relatively easy.

1. From the main menu, tap Settings and More.

2. Under Smartwatch (Health Connect), tap Data Source.

3. Tap Google Health, then tap Change to confirm.

Note: You can also tap the Sync/Settings button in the field view to change your data source. Make sure you've already synced any past sleep data, since changing the data source will leave it unsynced.

If the Fitbit Air is already set up in the Google Health app, you're good to go and ready to catch 'em all while you catch some z's!

It didn't take me very long to fall in love with the app after finally deciding to check it out. It's a fun, low-effort way to catch and interact with Pokémon, while also motivating you to get more consistent sleep (something I definitely need to get better at).

The Fitbit Air with the Special Edition Pokémon Sleep band is available now on the Google Store for $129.

I've used pretty much all foldables released in the last four years, so I know what this category has to offer. Whether it's the tri-folding Huawei Mate XT, creaseless Find N6, or the camera powerhouse that is the Vivo X Fold 5, Android foldables have come a long way.

But it took just an hour of using the iPhone Duo to understand just what Android brands need to do differently. With the iPhone Duo, Apple proved yet again that it doesn't need to chase industry trends, instead launching a product when it feels that the timing is ready. That's my biggest takeaway of the iPhone Duo — it doesn't feel like a tech demo at all, and is instead just as polished as the iPhone 18 Pro Max.

There are three things that particularly stood out about the iPhone Duo during my hands-on: design, inner panel, and software. I used the foldable at an Apple briefing in Mumbai, India, and my initial impression with the design is that it's better to hold than the product photos make you believe.

I went into the briefing with some apprehension, as I knew the iPhone Duo weighted 254g, which is 15g heavier than the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. As someone who's used Google's foldables extensively, I wasn't keen on another device that was bulky and cumbersome to hold and use. But you know what? That absolutely wasn't an issue with the iPhone Duo; Apple did a fabulous job with the weight distribution, and at no point did I feel like I was using a phone that weighs as much.

The design itself looks good, and I prefer the Night Sky model. The rounded edges make it very comfortable to hold the iPhone Duo, and I like the wider and shorter size — I can see why Android brands are now trying to emulate this design. Because of the positioning of the camera modules, there is some wobble when using the iPhone Duo folded on a table, but it isn't anywhere as extreme as the Z Fold 8. The sides have a glossy finish, which is mildly annoying, as they tend to pick up smudges without any effort.

Then there's the hinge; it has a smooth articulation and doesn't need much force to open. It closes with a satisfying click, and it stays unlocked in various positions, which is a definite plus point. What I like about it is the use of StandBy even when the iPhone Duo isn't charging, and it effortlessly doubles as the world's most expensive desk clock. That said, folding the device at a 90-degree angle makes it easy to put on a table and view content, with one half of the inner panel showing the video and the other half dedicated for controls.

Talking about the 7.6-inch OLED inner panel, this is where the iPhone Duo truly stands out. Apple is using a unique system where it layered panels of ultra-thin glass, and that has led to a creaseless inner screen. What is notable is that I didn't even feel the crease with the foldable fully flat, and this implementation is better than any Android foldable — including the Find N6, which comes closest to what Apple is doing. Also, while this isn't new on Android, I like that the inner panel has an under display camera, essentially making it invisible in day-to-day use.

What I like even better is the nano-texture coating. This is a matte coating over the inner panel that reduces glare, and it makes a huge difference in usability. You still get good brightness levels, and the matte coating makes the iPhone Duo a great choice to read books or view content on the go. Honestly, if Android brands take two things away from this foldable, it has to be the creaseless design and the matte coating.

On that note, the 5.4-inch OLED outer panel isn't as limiting as I initially imagined. You still get plenty of real estate, and it uses the same ratio as the inner screen, so there are no issues with content scaling. Both the inner and outer panels use LTPO tech, so if you're using things like StandBy, it won't consume much in the way of battery.

Another area where Apple nailed the brief is the software. The iPhone Duo has smooth animations when you open and navigate the interface, and UI elements are arranged intuitively. The taskbar is oriented to the right, you get split-screen multitasking similar to Android foldables. While there isn't a mode like ColorOS' floating windows — which lets you have up to four floating windows anywhere — you can easily maximize the real estate on the Duo.

There's plenty to like with the hardware as well. The iPhone Duo uses the same 2nm A20 Pro silicon as the iPhone 18 Pro, and it has similar thermal management. While I wasn't able to test this effectively (I'll do so once I get my review unit), a five-minute gaming session showed that the foldable has power to spare.

The introduction of the iPhone Duo serves as a much-needed catalyst to the entire foldable industry. Coming in at $1,999 and going on sale starting October 23, the foldable costs the same as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, and it is a genuine threat to Samsung and Google. While you'll end up paying closer to $2,700 to get the iPhone Duo outside of the U.S., I can see the foldable having plenty of takers — it is the most exciting iPhone I used in close to a decade.

If you need a headset to use at work, Bose's QuietComfort Ultra Gen II and the Sony WH-1000XM6 are undoubtedly good choices. I prefer the Bose because of its comfort and sound quality, and it is the headset I use while traveling.

But I found out recently that there is a better choice: Jabra's Evolve3 85. It is positioned as a work headset, but it does so much more; I used it for the better part of three months now, and I'm convinced that it is better than what Bose and Sony have to offer. Coming in at $475, it is on the higher end of the scale, but it has meaningful advantages over its immediate rivals.

Let's start with the design. The Evolve3 85 is the lightest headset in its category at 220g, and I immediately noticed the difference. Bose and Sony's headsets are at least 30g heavier, and switching between the QC Ultra Gen II and the Evolve3 85, it's clear that Jabra nailed the comfort. The lightweight design ensures you get a fit that doesn't lead to any fatigue even with all-day use.

The ear cushions have a breathable design, and that extends to the headband as well. Build quality is great, and while it is light, you never get a feeling that it is flimsy — it's built to last. Another positive is the case; the headset folds flat and fits snugly into the bundled case, which is significantly smaller than what you get with Bose and Sony. This is a big deal in and of itself, as the Evolve3 85 doesn't take up anywhere as much room in your bag.

I also like the connectivity on offer. The Evolve3 85 uses Bluetooth 5.3, and I didn't see any issues pairing the headset with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, Find X9 Ultra, X9 Pro, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, iPhone 17 Pro, or the iPad Pro M4. It has Fast Pair, so it's about as easy to connect it to an Android device. There's also USB-C and 3.5mm connectivity if you want to plug the headset in, and my favorite inclusion is a USB-C receiver that lets me use the headset with my Windows machine.

I don't like using Bluetooth with Windows; my Gigabyte motherboard has a Bluetooth modem that's built clearly as an afterthought, because it is flaky at the best of times. As such, the convenience of being able to use a receiver to connect the headset with Windows is just great, and I like that Jabra went with USB-C. You also get USB-C and 3.5mm cables in the box, and I like the attention to detail that the brand lavished when it comes to connectivity.

Connectivity is a big part of what makes a work-related headset stand out, and the Evolve3 85 excels in this area. Oh, and you can easily change the battery itself, should you need to down the line. I like tech that's built to last, and given that batteries tend to degrade over time, they're usually the biggest point of failure in a headset, so it's good to see Jabra addressing the issue.

There are other niceties as well; Jabra's ClearVoice does a good job tuning out ambient noises when you're talking, and it holds up astonishingly well. I use NVIDIA Broadcast to do the same, but ClearVoice is a good enough alternative. On that note, it has dedicated ANC as well, and it does an effective job blocking sounds in your surroundings if you're in a meeting or outdoors. The headset pairs with whichever digital assistant you use on your phone, and there are physical controls.

Sound quality is pretty good, too. Honestly, given how much Jabra positioned this as a work headset, I didn't think it would sound as good as its rivals, but the 32mm drivers do a great job. You get a detailed sound with plenty of bass, clean mids, and a tight treble. It's obviously built for meetings, but the headset is just as effective at extended music listening sessions. In fact, the only problem is that you don't get AptX codecs — it is limited to SBC and AAC.

Another thing Jabra does well is charging tech; the Evolve3 85 includes wireless charging, and I didn't realize just how convenient this is until I used the headset — I now want all of my Bluetooth headsets to have this as standard. There's fast charging too, with a 5-minute charge delivering five hours of power. The headset lasts well over 23 hours of meetings, with regular music listening at 60 hours — double that of Bose and Sony. Basically, you'll only need to charge it once a week even if you use it all day.

You get six mics in total, and they use MEMS solid-state tech, delivering better fidelity and low distortion. I attended dozens of meetings with the Evolve3 85 over Google Meet, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, and the headset did a brilliant job.

While the Evolve3 85 is targeted as a work headset, it is just as great to listen to music or podcasts, and the lightweight design combined with all the extra features gives it a unique advantage you just don't see in this category.

It was when I started running out of storage boxes that I realized I may have too many GaN chargers. I joke that if you casually throw a GaN charger in my home, you're bound to hit another one. Anyway, I have dozens of these things lying around, and having tested just about every major charger released in the last three years, I know what a good charger needs to offer.

So when I got started with the BMX GaNsta 140W (as puns go, the name gets an 8/10), it was clear that the charger ticked a lot of the right boxes. It has three USB-C ports, a USB-A port, foldable blade pins with EU, UK, and AU converters that make it easy to travel with, and 140W power over USB PD 3.1.

Oh, and it gets an LCD panel that shows real-time charging details out of each port, which is a must-have in a GaN charger in 2026. The GaNsta costs $89 as of writing, which is $10 pricier than Anker's charger, and $30 more than the last-gen 160W UGREEN Nexode Pro, both of which also have LCD screens.

The GaNsta is a little smaller than other 4-port chargers, but not enough that you'd notice the difference. Build quality is decent, and I didn't see any issues in the two months I used it. I tested the charger with my Find X9 Ultra, Pixel 11 Pro XL, iPhone 17 Pro, iPad Pro M4, and a dozen or so accessories — including 160W power banks — and it turned out to be reliable in day-to-day use.

I like that each port's power output is clearly labeled, and it takes a lot of the guesswork out of figuring out which port to use. The USB-C1 and C2 ports individually go up to 140W over the USB PD 3.1 protocol, and I tested this using a standalone power meter (Power-Z KM003C). I also like that the area around the ports has a slotted design to prevent scratches; this is a thoughtful design choice that makes a difference.

The LCD screen is the real star of the show. It shows real-time charging details, power going out of each port, and heat levels. The latter isn't quite as useful as you don't normally see thermal issues on a 140W charger, but it's there. And as AI needs to be shoehorned into every product these days, this thermal management feature is assisted by AI (however that works). Anyway, what you need to know is that even with all ports in use, the GaNsta doesn't have any issues with overheating.

You also get emoticons on the panel, and you can easily cycle through the various menus via the button at the bottom.

With four ports available, you get the ability to charge four devices at once. Of course, the total power budget is limited when all ports are in use, and with the GaNsta, you get 125W cumulatively: 65W + 45W + 7.5W + 7.5W. I would've liked to see 65W on both the C1 and C2 ports — like the latest Nexode Pro 160W charger — but that isn't the case.

That said, if you're just going to leave four devices to charge overnight, the GaNsta 140W does a decent enough job. The inclusion of a USB-C to USB-C cable along with travel plugs is a good move, and the size of the charger means you can easily throw it into a travel bag. What I'm not too sure about is the pricing; it is costlier than its rivals, and if you're willing to shell out $89, the new Nexode Pro 160W is a better deal at $99 as it has a retractable cable. If you don't need the built-in cable and like the travel-related accessories, the GaNsta 140W is a good choice.

OPPO is all set to unveil its 2027 flagship, and the brand has confirmed that the Find X9 Pro Max will be powered by MediaTek's latest 2nm Dimensity 9600 Pro platform. It was a good bet that the phone would be powered by MediaTek silicon considering the last two models featured Dimensity platforms, and it's good to see OPPO continuing that collaboration into 2027.

Also, OPPO confirmed that the Find X10 Pro Max will debut globally, which is welcome news if you're interested in a new phone. While the X9, X9 Pro, and X9 Ultra launched outside China, continued availability of OPPO's flagships in western markets was always in doubt, so I'm glad the brand is clarifying global availability of its next-gen phone well ahead of time.

The Dimensity 9600 Pro is interesting in a lot of ways. It is built on TSMC’s 2nm N2P node, and it brings huge upgrades in just about every area. OPPO is touting a single-core uptick of 17% over the Dimensity 9500-powered Find X9 Pro, which is just ridiculous.

The 9600 Pro once again utilizes the all-big-core configuration, and it comes with two 4.55GHz Arm C2-Ultra cores alongside three C2 Pro cores at 4.3GHz, and another three C2 Pro cores at up to 3.1GHz. Cumulatively, they have 61% better energy efficiency, and the G2-Ultra NX GPU has ray tracing and utilizes Arm's new neural engine tech and is 27% faster while consuming 24% less power. And when it comes to on-device AI, the Dimensity 9600 Pro is 51% faster than its predecessor.

Clearly, there's no shortage of power on offer, and that is good news, as the Find X10 Pro Max is touted to have a trio of 200MP cameras. There's also the Laminar Flow Engine, and OPPO says it worked closely with MediaTek to tweak the "underlying rendering architecture and coordinating it more closely with system scheduling, the technology achieves a better balance between ultra-smooth system responsiveness and low power consumption"

I used OPPO's phones the longest this year, and a lot of that has to do with the groundbreaking cameras on the Find X9 Ultra and X9 Pro. There's also the small matter of the software, and ColorOS 16 has a clean design with great fluidity and customizability, and there's no doubt that the Find X9 Ultra is one of my favorite phones of 2026. I'm excited to see what the X10 Pro Max brings to the table, and it doesn't look like we will have to wait too long to see the device in action.

Huawei knows a thing or ten about making a great smartwatch, and the Watch Ultimate 2 is still one of my favorite smartwatches. After releasing the Watch Fit 5 Pro a few months ago, Huawei has now introduced the Watch GT 7 Pro, and it is now available in the U.K. for £379 ($511), and as is the case with every new launch, there are decent launch incentives that bring the cost down to £329 ($443), and the brand is bundling the Huawei Scale 3 along with Huawei Care+ as free gifts when you buy the smartwatch.

The Watch GT 7 Pro has a lot of great features, but I'm starting with the one I like the most: battery life. While the Pixel Watch 5 and Galaxy Watch 9 manage to last just over two days between charges, the Watch GT 7 Pro delivers a week of usage before you'll need to charge it. This is with heavy use involving daily exercise monitoring, always-on panel, and 24/7 health monitoring.

This is the main reason why I continue to wear Huawei smartwatches, and not having to worry about charging the watch every other day is just plain refreshing. You can make the GT 7 Pro last longer by not using the always-on mode, and in that situation, you get around 10 days of battery life.

At the outset, the GT 7 Pro doesn't look too different to last year's GT 6 Pro, and that's a good thing. Just like Samsung and Google's smartwatches, Huawei has a clearly-defined visual aesthetic, and it makes sense to continue the same design language across generations.

You still get a design that stands out quite a bit, and the new color choices give the GT 7 Pro an added dash of vibrancy; I'm using the yellow model, and it looks pretty great. It looks quite sporty, but you can switch out the bands if you need to wear it with a dress shirt.

The GT 7 Pro is sold in a single variant with a 46mm case, and while it is a little heavier at 55g (the Pixel Watch 5 is 37g), I actually like the heft as it makes the smartwatch feel like a regular watch. The build quality is among the best in this category, and the titanium alloy chassis with a ceramic bezel gives the GT 7 Pro a level of elegance that's missing with its immediate rivals. Huawei retained the rotating crown, and it is a good way to navigate the interface and scroll through unread notifications.

The band is much better this time as well; Huawei calls it EasyCross, and the band essentially tucks underneath, and it looks cleaner. The quality of the fluoroelastomer band itself is great, and I didn't see any problems in this area in the two weeks I used the Watch GT 7 Pro.

You get a 1.47-inch AMOLED panel with decent pixel density, and it gets bright — I had no issues viewing the contents on the screen under harsh sunlight. There's 5ATM along with IP69 water resistance, the GT 7 Pro is dive-ready up to 40 meters, and you get dual-band GPS as well as NFC.

Coming to health monitoring, Huawei has all the requisite sensors to monitor heart rate and blood oxygen levels, and it gets ECG, A-fib analysis, emotional wellbeing, and sleep tracking. What I like is that there's now a readiness score that takes all the disparate health metrics and gives you an overall score, similar to what Google does.

The GT 7 Pro has extensive fitness monitoring as well, with Huawei focusing on skiing and cycling this generation. Now, I don't do those activities (there's a distinct dearth of snow in India), but I wore the smartwatch to the gym, and it did a good job with HRV monitoring in HIIT workouts and treadmill runs.

As the smartwatch is running a lightweight RTOS, you don't get the ability to install apps. While this is an issue with other smartwatches, Huawei does a great job delivering most of the things you need, and I particularly like the mini-workouts that are new this year. The idea is that instead of an extensive workout session, you can do small workouts right at your desk, with these targeting 10 key body parts with 30 guided workouts available. Oh, and the panda animations are adorable.

There are no problems in day-to-day use; the GT 7 Pro mirrored notifications to my wrist, and I was able to take calls as well. You get a good selection of watch faces, and Huawei Health pairs with Android as well as iPhones. There's no Google Wallet, but Huawei collaborated with Curve Pay to bring NFC payments to select western markets. This is a good move, and while I wasn't able to test it out (it needs a card issued in these countries), it is a viable alternative to Google Wallet.

Overall, Huawei did all the right things with the Watch GT 7 Pro. It may not have a brand-new design, but the new colors are quite good, and you get a lot of software-focused additions that make a difference. Of course, the battery life continues to be the star of the show, and if you want a full-fledged smartwatch with standout battery life and all the extras, the Watch GT 7 Pro is a great choice.

There's extensive choice if you want to get a pair of decent earbuds. Bose, Sennheiser, and Sony continue to be heavy-hitters in this category (I use my Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen II while traveling), and phone brands also a good job with their earbuds — Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro deliver a vibrant sound with plenty of useful features.

But if you want the best sound quality, you'll need to turn your attention to Noble Audio. The boutique brand is known for its IEMs, and it has ventured into wireless earbuds in recent years. I've heard plenty of great things about the brand, so I was excited to get my hands on the FoKus Amadeus. Retailing for $320 on Amazon, the Amadeus is in the similar price bracket as the Bose QC Ultra Gen II and Sony WF-1000XM6, but what you're getting here is markedly different.

For starters, the design of the FoKus Amadeus is unlike any other earbuds around. Mainstream brands play it pretty safe with their designs, and they're not meant to stand out — that isn't the case here. With a bright red design and a custom shell that's bigger than most earbuds, these are guaranteed to grab attention.

Like the Amadeus name, the red design is an homage to Mozart’s signature tailcoat, says Noble. Build quality is great, and while the size of the shell means the earbuds jut out, I didn't see any issues with comfort. Each bud weighs 7g, and that's in line with other products in this category. The only omission is ingress protection, so I wouldn't suggest using these at the gym. Just like the buds, the case itself is bigger, but the square design makes it easy to take anywhere.

Coming to connectivity, the Amadeus gets Bluetooth 5.4 via Qualcomm’s QCC3091 modem, and there's SBC, AAC, LDAC, and AptX Adaptive. The buds connect to two devices at once, and I had no problems pairing with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, Find X9 Ultra, and iPad Pro M4. There's good ANC as well, and the buds did a great job tuning out the ambient sounds in my surroundings.

Obviously, sound quality is where the Amadeus excels. The sound signature from the 8.3mm dynamic driver is tuned towards musicality, and you get a good bass rumble with clean mids and a nice treble extension. These are particularly great with vocals, and the soundstage is significantly wider than any other earbuds in this category. There's a level of dynamism to the sound that you just don't get with Bose or Sony, and that ultimately makes the Amadeus enjoyable even in extended listening sessions.

Another thing I like is the sheer level of customizability to the sound. Noble uses Audiodo to tune the sound of the Amadeus to your individual preferences. This is done by a listening test that lasts up to three minutes, and then you get a custom EQ that's tailored to your ears. The tech works exceedingly well, and it makes a big difference to the sound. In addition to Audiodo, you get a 10-band EQ and custom modes that let you tweak the sound profile to a granular degree.

Then there's the app; the Noble FoKus app has to be the best of any buds I used. You get a minimal interface without any overt styling (looking at you, Sennheiser), but there's an extensive amount of customizability when it comes to adjusting the sound.

I got good battery life as well. The Amadeus lasted close to eight hours between charges, and each bud has a 65mAh battery. The case provides an additional 2.5 times charge via a 500mAh battery, so you get just around 40 hours before you'll need to plug in the case. There is fast charging that gives you two hours of music with a 10-minute charge, and a full charge takes just over 90 minutes.

I know that's $320 is at the higher end of the scale when it comes to earbuds, and to its credit, Noble Audio didn't omit anything in the FoKus Amadeus. The design stands out quite a bit, but the earbuds are comfortable to wear, and the sound quality is outstanding; if you've used Bose's QC Ultra or any of Sony's earbuds, you will see an immediate difference when switching to these — I did.

Many years and even more rumors later, Apple's first foldable phone is finally official. The iPhone Duo is the company's first stab at a folding phone, and it's not the only new phone Apple launched at its annual September event. We got our first look at the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, too. In a major change of pace, Apple didn't announce the base-model iPhone 18, but there are plenty of new features and improvements to speak of.

Apple stole its fair share of features from Android, but the pendulum swings both ways. There are a handful of features I'd love my favorite Android phones to steal from the iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and iPhone 18 Pro Max. There are even more features Apple included on its new iPhones that are available as niche offerings on Android, but aren't ubiquitous. Here's to hoping these five iPhone features are onboard your next Android phone.

The iPhone Duo's foldable nano-texture display

Apple didn't launch its first foldable, the iPhone Duo, without a crease. It still has one down the middle of the folding display, just like all the Android foldables that came before it. However, it used a clever trick to minimize the crease's visibility during normal use. The folding display is covered by a matte, nano-texture surface. This reduces glare, reflections, fingerprints, and yes, it makes the crease more difficult to spot.

While some foldables have anti-reflective inner display coatings, such as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, none of them have a matte finish. This is new for the iPhone Duo, and it solves a few major pain points of using glossy plastic foldable display coverings. For one, it'll be easier to see in broad daylight and won't pick up those nasty fingerprints. It's also strong enough to support the Apple Pencil. Most importantly, it hides the crease in normal viewing conditions, since light reflections are really what makes the crease appear pronounced.

I've used Apple's nano-texture finish on other products before, like the iPad Pro, and I'm excited to see it on the iPhone Duo. I'd love to see a matte display covering on future Android foldables, too.

Under-display camera

Android phones pioneered the under-display camera (UDC), but then they abandoned it. Samsung had a UDC on the Galaxy Z Fold 3 through Galaxy Z Fold 6, and it helped make the main screen feel more immersive. Now, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra have a hole-punch camera smack dab in the top middle of the right half of the phone. It gets in the way of your content, especially if you decide to rotate the device.

Motorola and Google do a better job with their hole-punch cameras, sticking them in the top-right corner, where they're less intrusive. However, I wish Samsung never removed the UDC from the Galaxy Z Fold lineup, and hope that the iPhone Duo's UDC will spark a revival of the trend. Apple's new UDC can handle 1080p video recording at 30FPS or 60FPS, making it good enough for video calls, which is what the front-facing camera on the folding display will primarily be used for.

At the same time, the UDC is hidden just enough to make the iPhone Duo's folding display feel complete no matter the orientation. That's important for a wide foldable like the iPhone Duo or Galaxy Z Fold 8, because they work just as well in portrait as landscape when unfolded.

Variable aperture

There's another iPhone feature that could revival an old Android one, and this time, it's on the iPhone 18 Pro. The two "Pro" phones have a variable aperture primary shooter that can move from f/1.8 to f/4.0, depending on the situation. Apple did this by adding six laser-cut blades to the 48MP main camera that move to transition between different apertures.

It's controllable by the user thanks to the new Pro controls in the Camera app. The iPhone 18 Pro's main camera supports manual adjustments to lens aperture, shutter speed, and white balance. There's also a histogram that shows exposure levels to help you refine the shot. The hardware is the interesting part, though, as variable aperture allows one camera to do the work of multiple specialized lenses.

Once people get their hands on the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture, it might spark an Android revival. However, we wanted Android to steal the iPhone 17's square CenterStage camera last year, and that hasn't happened yet.

iPhone Handoff

Apple is working with carriers to add an iPhone Handoff feature, and while it's not strictly exclusive to the iPhone Duo or iPhone 18 Pro, it's certainly worth mentioning. The feature lets you use a single phone line with two iPhones at once. A primary eSIM profile is loaded onto one device, and a secondary eSIM profile is loaded onto a companion device. The phone you're using will automatically connect to your carrier's network automatically.

It's a great way to use two iPhones at once. The timing isn't a coincidence — iPhone Handoff lets you use your phone like with an iPhone Duo and a "regular" iPhone simultaneously. I'd love to have something similar on Android. I could keep a primary eSIM on a Galaxy S26 and a secondary eSIM on a Galaxy Z Fold 8, all using the same phone line.

For now, it's limited to T-Mobile in the U.S., and it won't come free with your plan. There'll be an extra fee, similar to adding an LTE smartwatch to your line.

iOS 27 foldable animations

Finally, there's the software. I admit, after seeing Apple's iOS and iPadOS missteps over the past few years, I had my doubts about the iPhone Duo's software. Apple proved me wrong. There are a ton of software tweaks that make me, and others on the Android Central team, more excited to try it than any other foldable. For me, it starts with the dock. Using the extra vertical space on the right side of the iPhone Duo for launching apps and key controls is genius.

The animations are even better. When you open up an iPhone Duo, the cover screen blurs and dissolves into the main screen. It's an intuitive experience that makes the folding transition feel like a transformation rather than a friction point.

Apple did steal some Android foldable favorites for the Duo, like Flex mode, Split view, and Made You Look (called Kid Cue on the iPhone Duo). However, it definitely jazzed the software up, and Android could stand to borrow some of the animations and design features.

Honorable mentions: IP68, Qi2, pen support, and vapor chamber

There are a collection of iPhone Duo features that are available scattered across different Android foldables, but are not found on one device.

Motorola's Razr Fold has an active stylus that works on both the cover screen and foldable display, like the iPhone Duo. Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold has the same Qi2 and IP68 support as the iPhone Duo, and also has a vapor chamber for its chip, but lacks pen input. Honor's Magic V6 has a higher IP69 rating, but lacks Qi2 and a vapor chamber.

You get the idea. If I picked and chose my favorite features from the best Android foldables, I could build an iPhone Duo competitor. But that Android device — one with IP68, Qi2, stylus support, a vapor chamber, a UDC, and a nano-texture display — does not exist yet. That's why the iPhone Duo feels like a complete foldable package for fans, and it's exactly what Android phone makers should copy.

When Dbrand told me it was launching a new minimalist case sub-brand, I was immediately interested. I've loved the company's products for years, and they often come out with new and interesting design ideas, but MNML immediately felt different from Dbrand's usual vibes.

It's such a departure from the company's usual designs that you won't even find the name Dbrand on the case. It's just MNML on the corner, and there's no support for Dbrand skins or any of the usual snarky flair most of us are used to.

You'll also find the prices to be much more minimalist than Dbrand's usual afair. At just $39, these are a bit more palatable than the $50 Ghost cases or the $60+ Grip cases, and they come in four simple colors. The burgundy is my favorite of the four, although I think it looks terrible on an orange iPhone. Better stick to black or tan for a bolder color like that.

Dbrand sent me cases for the Pixel 11 Pro and the iPhone Pro Max 17/18 (since they're the same phone anyway). The "sandstone" texture on these isn't at all like OnePlus's sandstone phones or cases — meaning they're textured but not rough like sandstone usually is — which gives it a nice grip without sanding your fingerprints off by accident.

I also love the clicky covered buttons on the case. It's got all the port cutouts you'd hope to find on a case, plus a perfectly sized lip around the front glass to protect it. I didn't have trouble using gestures with these cases, unlike some rugged cases that have too large a lip and usually get in the way.

These also aren't minimalist in the way Thinborne cases are. They're not super rugged like Dbrand's Tank cases are, but they still add a little bit of bulk to the phone. They're cushy and a few millimeters thin, but they weigh around 40-50g, depending on the phone, which is roughly twice the weight of an aramid fiber case (like Thinborne).

The bright side to the extra "bulk" is that these are more drop-resistant than aramid fiber cases. I purposefully dropped the Pixel 11 Pro on the concrete from about 3ft up a few times to see what would happen. The phone looked untouched, and the MNML case just had a few minor dings on the corners.

Seems to me that these will generally hold up nicely to wear and tear over the life of your phone, making them a great option to grab the next time you're in a Best Buy (so long as you don't care about Dbrand skins).

Dbrand makes MNML cases for 24 phone models across Apple, Samsung, and Google Pixel phone lines. That MNML sub-brand also includes a handful of MagSafe accessories, like a kickstand wallet, slim wallet, and an AirPods case (I guess that's a thing?).

I've been using UGREEN's Nexode Pro chargers while traveling for well over two years now. These charges don't take up much room thanks to GaN tech, and they have all the ports I need. The latest iteration of the product — the UGREEN Nexode Pro 160W Charger with Retractable Cable — adds a retractable cable, built-in panel, and foldable pins, and while it is a little bigger than its predecessor, it the new features provide much better convenience in daily use.

The Nexode Pro 160W charger is now available for $99 on Amazon, and I think that's a reasonable price when you look at everything on offer. I the Nexode Pro 160W for the better part of three months, and I'm outlining three reasons why it is now my go-to GaN charger.

The built-in LCD panel takes guesswork out of charging

While the Nexode Pro 160W isn't the only charger to come with a built-in LCD screen, it makes a big difference in my usage. I connected a lot of accessories and phones to the charger in the last three months, and knowing just how long it takes to fully charge these devices takes all the guesswork out of charging.

The screen also shows real-time charging speeds, including wattage, voltage, and which charging protocol is being used. This is particularly useful for me, as I tend to use phones like the Find X9 Ultra and Vivo X300 Ultra that use their own charging standards. Thankfully, these phones rely on USB PD at up to 50W, and that's what I ended up using. The screen rotates based on the orientation of the charger, which is a nice addition.

The retractable cable is an added bonus

Retractable cables in charging products became a thing around two years ago, and since then, I didn't use a power bank that didn't have it. They're just so useful, and I'm excited to see brands adding these cables to chargers. The retractable cable on the Nexode Pro 160W goes up to 140W, and is ideal for charging phones, notebooks, and power banks.

The cable has four preset lengths, and goes up to 70cm with a full extension. The USB-C connector has a built-in magnet that ensures the cable is attached to the GaN charger when not in use, and after three months of extensive use, I didn't see any issues with the retractable motor.

It has all the ports I need

With three USB-C ports (including the retractable cable) and a USB-A connector, the Nexode Pro 160W has all the ports I need in daily use. The USB-C1 and retractable ports go up to 140W over the USB PD 3.1 protocol, the USB-C2 port hits 100W, and the USB-A port goes up to 22.5W, which is ideal to use with accessories.

It has a total power budget of 160W when using all three USB-C ports — 65W + 65W + 30W — and it's a decent choice if you're like me and need to charge several devices at once. I also like that the plug is foldable; that's the case with U.S.-style blade plugs anyway, but I'm using the EU model, and it's just easier to have a plug that folds — it makes the Nexode Pro 160W just that little bit better as a travel charger.

Overall, the Nexode Pro 160W has all the features I need in a GaN charger, and the build quality combined with the extras make it a good choice if you need a new charger to use at home or on the road.

The new iPhones are finally here. After months of leaks and rumors, Apple officially unveiled the iPhone 18 Pro series alongside its first-ever foldable smartphone, called the iPhone Duo, at its September 9, 2026, launch event.

The iPhone Duo marks Apple's first entry into the foldable phone market, though Android manufacturers have been selling foldable phones for nearly a decade.

And as is usually the case with a new iPhone launch, Apple has brought a bunch of features to its ecosystem that Android users might find pretty familiar. Here are some of the biggest iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro features that Samsung or Google did first.

The iPhone Duo's passport-style design

The iPhone Duo isn't the first foldable phone we've seen, of course. Samsung has been experimenting with book-style foldables for years, while Apple is only just jumping on the bandwagon.

And if you think Apple's shorter and wider passport-style form factor is something new, that's not the case either. Google's first-generation Pixel Fold used a very similar approach, with a shorter and wider cover display that unfolded into a more tablet-like inner screen.

More recently, Samsung has adopted a similar form factor with the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the Xiaomi 18 Fold we saw at IFA 2026 also follows the same wider design. So while the iPhone Duo might be Apple's first foldable, the form factor itself is anything but new.

Stylus support and hidden cameras

The iPhone Duo supports Apple Pencil on both the outer and inner displays, so you can use the stylus to jot down notes, draw, or mark things up on either screen. But this isn't the first time we've seen stylus support on a foldable phone.

Samsung offered S Pen support on its Galaxy Z Fold phones for years before eventually dropping it from its newer models. And even today, you can find other foldables with stylus support, including the Motorola Razr Fold.

Another feature Apple seems to have borrowed from Android foldables is the under-display camera on the inner screen. Samsung used an under-display camera on several generations of Galaxy Z Fold phones before finally dropping it with last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7. However, we're curious to see if Apple's implementation is any better.

Samsung beat Apple to the anti-reflective inner display

Apple's iPhone Duo comes with a 7.6-inch inner display, and one thing Apple talked at length about is its specialized matte nano-texture finish, which, in simpler terms, is an anti-reflective coating.

The inner display on any foldable phone can be quite reflective because of the materials used to make the screen flexible. Adding an anti-reflective coating should reduce those reflections and make things like watching videos or reading content much easier in bright light.

But again, we're not seeing this for the first time. Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, which launched earlier this year, also features an anti-reflective coating on its inner display. Apple's implementation may turn out to be better or more advanced, and we'll have to put both phones side by side to know for sure. But the idea of reducing reflections on a foldable's inner display is great, though certainly isn't new.

Samsung has been doing Flex Mode for years

Unlike the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8, which either stays fully open or snaps shut, the iPhone Duo's hinge can hold the phone open at different angles. This means you can partially fold the iPhone Duo and prop it up to take photos with the rear cameras or just watch videos on one half of the display.

It sounds great, but again, Apple isn't the first to do this. Samsung offers similar functionality on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with Flex Mode and has offered it on previous generations of Galaxy Z Fold phones as well. Samsung has even optimized several apps to take advantage of the partially folded position, so this is another area where Apple is following an idea we've already seen on Android foldables.

The iPhone finally gets proper manual camera controls

Switching our focus (pun intended) to the iPhone 18 Pro models, another new feature this year is what Apple calls "Pro Controls," which essentially brings proper manual camera controls to the iPhone for the first time.

You can now manually adjust things like aperture, shutter speed, white balance, and other camera settings instead of relying entirely on Apple's automatic processing. It shifts the iPhone from being primarily a point-and-shoot camera to giving serious photographers much more control over the final image.

But again, this isn't exactly new. Pro and manual camera modes have been available on Android flagships for years, with phones from Samsung and other manufacturers already letting users manually adjust these settings.

Split screen, App Pairs, Dual View, and more

Finally, the iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro offer plenty of software features we've previously seen on Android smartphones.

The iPhone Duo, for example, finally brings proper split-screen multitasking, letting you run two apps side by side on the larger inner display. You can also save two apps together as an App Pair and quickly relaunch them in split screen later.

There's also Dual View, where the cover display can act as a viewfinder for the person you're photographing while you're using the rear cameras. Again, these are useful additions, but they're features Motorola and other Android foldable makers have offered in some form for years.

So while Apple's implementation might be different or more polished in certain areas, quite a few of the iPhone Duo's headline software features will feel very familiar if you've used an Android foldable before.

And if you haven't used one before, we have a handy guide on why you should buy a foldable and what you can expect.

Apple's foldable iPhone Ultra is expected to launch this week, but Xiaomi is stealing a bit of its thunder by announcing its own mid-size foldable phone first. The Xiaomi 18 Fold was shown off at IFA 2026, but it was secured behind glass, so the general public could only see it (but not touch it).

I was fortunate enough to get some hands-on time with the Xiaomi 18 Fold behind closed doors, and after coming from the high of reviewing the Galaxy Z Fold 8, I was quite impressed with what's on offer here. However, limited availability will hinder its success, and Xiaomi will have to prove that its new in-house XRING 03 chip can keep up with other flagships

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is a wider foldable, similar to the popular Galaxy Z Fold 8, though it has notable design differences. It's shorter and wider than the Z Fold 8, and its corners are much rounder, with a design that looks a lot like the iPhone Ultra leaks.

In my hand, it feels just as compelling as the Galaxy Z Fold 8, with a passport-like size when folded, making the 5.4-inch screen very easy to reach. Unfolded, the Xiaomi 18 Fold looks and feels like a small tablet, with a 7.5-inch display. Both displays have a √2:1 aspect ratio similar to A4 paper, which Xiaomi says is ideal for viewing content in both 16:9 and 4:3, meaning videos and photos, respectively.

The crease is fairly visible, as the display is fairly reflective, but I can hardly feel it when running my fingers across it. Xiaomi says it uses a dual-layer Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) structure for enhanced protection.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is slightly heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold 8, but when I held them side by side, I couldn't really tell the difference. It's also a bit thicker, but that's due to the 6,000mAh silicon-carbon battery Xiaomi stuffed into this phone. Compared to the 4,800mAh unit in the Z Fold 8, Xiaomi already has the upper hand, especially when you account for the faster 67W wired charging and 50W wireless charging.

Turn the phone around, and you'll see where else Xiaomi comes ahead. The phone comes with a triple camera system, with the highlight being the primary 200MP sensor. There is also a 50MP periscope telephoto camera, something that's missing from the Z Fold 8.

I didn't get to capture any camera samples, but I expect good things from the Leica-powered camera system, as we've seen from other recent Xiaomi phones, which produce very natural-looking bokeh and great color reproduction.

The phone is powered by Xiaomi's all-new XRING 03 chipset, an in-house 3nm chip that promises high performance and powerful on-device AI capabilities. According to Xiaomi, the 10-core CPU comprises two Ultra cores, four Premium cores, and four Pro cores for 60% higher performance and 25% lower power consumption compared to the XRING 01.

I could not run any benchmark tests during my time with the phone, so we'll have to take Xiaomi's word for it, at least until we can thoroughly test it ourselves. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is already a powerhouse thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and we can expect the chip in the iPhone Ultra to be quite powerful as well, which puts Xiaomi in a bit of the spotlight, since this is its first flagship with the XRING chip.

Meanwhile, the 16-core GPU "sets a new standard for graphics performance on a smartphone," while the NPU promises "200 TOPS of tensor performance" for "45% faster on-device decoding performance."

Paired with 12 or 16GB of LPDDR6 RAM and HyperOS, the Xiaomi 18 Fold is primed to showcase the best that Xiaomi has to offer within its Human x Car x Home smart ecosystem, which promises to seamlessly connect its various smart devices.

Unfortunately, not everyone will have the opportunity to experience what the XRING 03 is like on the Xiaomi 18 Fold, and that's where my excitement fizzles out a bit. The phone is only launching in China for now, with no word on a global release. The Xiaomi Mix Fold 4 from 2024 was China-exclusive, which isn't very promising, but Xiaomi has also been focusing on expanding its product line in Europe, so there's some hope.

Pricing starts at 10999 yuan (~$1,638.88), which is definitely on the pricier side, especially compared to other foldables. I got to handle the red model, which I really like, although it also comes in black and white. There's also a ceramic version of the phone, which comes in a single configuration (16GB + 1TB) and costs 15999 yuan (~$2,383).

I've always enjoyed using Pixels, and that hasn't changed in 2026. I switched over to the Pixel 11 Pro XL from the Find X9 Ultra, and while Google doesn't have the best cameras or battery life, the 11 Pro XL is meaningfully different to its predecessor — something I realized after two weeks of use.

I have all major phone releases of 2026 on hand, but it's the Pixel 11 Pro XL that houses my SIM card. I obviously like Google's vision of Android, but the 11 Pro XL excels in a lot of other areas, so I'm outlining five reasons why the phone is now my daily driver.

There's a lot to like with the software

I'm not a big fan of AI in general, and Google's insistence of shoving AI-assisted features into every nook and cranny of its software is a bit tedious. That said, Proactive Intelligence does a good job providing contextual information, and Rambler in particular has made me use voice dictation again — I like just how easy it is to take notes. There's no doubting that the Pixel 11 Pro XL has the best on-device AI suite of any phone.

Even if you don't plan on using any of these AI features, there's a lot to like with the software. The interface is clean and modern, and you get extensive customizability when it comes to styling it to your tastes. I get that not everyone's a fan of the Material you aesthetic, but I like the vibrancy of the UI, and it's great to see Google constantly roll out new features.

The hardware is actually good

It's annoying that Google's Tensor efforts have focused so heavily on the NPU that it ignores baseline performance, but the Tensor G6 is better than previous models. It still isn't quite as fast as the latest-gen Qualcomm and MediaTek rivals, but it is better in day-to-day multitasking, and there is a noticeable difference in the overall fluidity. The G6 still struggles with visually-demanding games, but in all other scenarios, it is a pretty reliable platform.

The 6.8-inch OLED panel, on the other hand, is one of the best around. It has great colors and gets brighter than most phones I used in 2026, and it held up astonishingly well in India's punishing heat. The 11 Pro XL doesn't have high PWM dimming — unlike Chinese phones — so if you're sensitive to it, you should get the Find X9 Pro or Vivo X300 Pro.

Cameras are better than I thought

While earlier Pixels had the best cameras, that hasn't been the case for a while now. Thankfully, the Pixel 11 Pro XL makes amends in this area, and the new sensors combined with camera tuning tweaks deliver much better photos and videos.

Image quality in general is better than last year, and while the 11 Pro XL may not be as good as the Find X9 Pro or Vivo X300 Pro, it stands above the S26 Ultra and iPhone 17 Pro. I like Camera Looks a lot as it gives me plenty of flexibility in tailoring my photos.

Magic Capture in particular is a standout addition; it does a great job producing clean photos of fast-moving subjects, and I used it extensively in the last two weeks. While it isn't new, Add Me is a feature that gets a lot of usage.

Qi 2 continues to be a big deal

I only started using Qi 2 in earnest last year, and a lot of that had to do with the Pixel 10 Pro XL. I don't use cases in general, so to have Qi 2 magnets integrated into a phone body made using the tech all the more easy, and it's great to see Google continue this in the Pixel 11 Pro XL.

While 25W charging isn't a lot — particularly when there are phones that charge at 80W — the convenience is hard to counter. There are so many sleek Qi 2 power banks these days that I always have one on hand to use with the 11 Pro XL when I'm outdoors.

The battery life in general is good enough that I don't need to charge the phone before the end of the day, but if I'm shooting outdoors and need to top up the battery, this comes in handy. Also, it's just easier to plonk the 11 Pro XL on a Qi 2 charger on my desk (like the Nomos 245W) than plugging in a cable.

It's great to hold and use

I like Google's hardware design, and the Pixel 11 Pro XL looks clean and elegant. The new camera bar is modern, and it doesn't jut out too much from the body. Best of all, there's no wobble when using the 11 Pro XL on a table (take note, Samsung).

But in classic Google fashion, the brand doesn't have all colors in all storage sizes (outside the U.S., at least), so I got the 512GB variant in Obsidian. I much prefer the look of the Canyon model, and if you're considering getting the 11 Pro XL, that is the color to buy.

The phone has similar dimensions to its predecessor, but it is a little lighter, and the tweaks to the design make it easier to hold and use. Day-to-day durability is excellent; the phone took six tumbles — two onto a tiled surface — and came away unscathed.

I didn't use the Pixel 10 Pro XL as much as previous Pixels, and that's because other brands made bigger strides this year. Chinese brands have much better cameras — the Find X9 Pro, X9 Ultra, Vivo X300 Pro, and X300 Ultra are on another level — but the software wasn't anywhere as good to use as a Pixel. That isn't the case in 2026; ColorOS and OriginOS have gotten a visual makeover, and they combine a modern UI with extensive customizability and fluidity; they no longer feel like second-best software.

That's one of the reasons the Find X9 Pro and X9 Ultra became my most-used devices of 2026. Having said that, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is still better when it comes to the software, and I like that the cameras are no longer the limiting factor. I'm not saying that the phone is without issues; the battery doesn't last two days, and you don't get anywhere as much power as Chinese phones that use Qualcomm and MediaTek silicon. In spite of all that, the Pixel 11 Pro XL is a great choice if you value clean software and cameras that are fun to use.

IFA 2026 is back, and as expected, there's a lot to see on the show floor at Messe Berlin. IFA is traditionally more focused on consumer electronics, such as smart home devices, more than mobile products like smartphones.

However, there were a few mobile devices scattered about the show, including phones and wearables, as well as a bevy of accessories that managed to catch my eye. Here are some of the coolest things I've seen while exploring IFA 2026.

Xiaomi's whole thing

Xiaomi's IFA debut was a big one, with the company showcasing its family of products across a massive space spanning 3,300 square meters. The company showed off how its family of products can work together using HyperOS and AI, allowing you to seamlessly move across devices as you navigate your home and even your car.

But beyond that, the company also showed off a cool humanoid robot that walked around its space for photo ops. The company says it's exploring the use of humanoid robots to enhance its manufacturing, stating that it has already seen a massive improvement with tasks like nut tightening in its Auto Factory.

But the thing I was most interested in was the one item attendees couldn't get their hands on: the Xiaomi 18 Fold. The device was secured behind glass in a striking red color, showing the device both closed and open. It has a wider foldable design, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, although with rounder corners, which is a design cue we're expecting on the rumored iPhone Ultra.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold has a triple-camera system and is powered by the company's in-house XRING 03 chip, enhanced for on-device AI. The full launch is just days away, on September 7, so we'll learn more about this exciting phone soon.

Move over, Robot Phone

I often ignore ruggedized phones because they serve a particular market segment I'm just not very interested in. However, the RugOne Xsnap 7 Pro from Ulefone does something unique that caught my eye.

Unlike the Robot Phone, which has a very cool robotic gimbal camera, the Xsnap 7 Pro has a detachable camera that can be used as a remote action cam. Ulefone had a number of accessories on display that the camera could be attached to, including a tripod, a selfie stick, a clamp, and more. And when you're done being adventurous, you can easily snap the camera back into place, where it's paired with a 50MP and 64MP camera system.

The phone is powered by a respectable MediaTek Dimensity 8400 and is IP69K-, IP68-, and MIL-STD-810H-certified for high-grade durability. It's clear this is for a certain type of consumer, which I am not, but I can't help but want this phone.

Smart rings that vibrate and much more

I'm a big fan of smart rings, but the small form factor brings some limitations. Fortunately, some of the latest smart rings from Circular seem to be addressing some of them, with both rings featuring vibration alerts.

This is actually something Circular has featured in previous versions of its smart ring, but it was unfortunately omitted from the Circular Ring 2. Now it's back with the Circular 3 series, which can vibrate for wake-up alarms, health alerts, bringing exercises, and more, all while being nearly as slim as the Oura Ring 5. They also feature NFC payments, which is a feature I would love to see on more smart rings.

The Circular Ring 3 Slim is the thinner of the two and, as a result, misses out on some advanced health-tracking features found in the Circular Ring 3 Pro, such as blood pressure trends. However, it still gets haptic feedback, which is impressive on such a small form factor.

The Circular Ring 3 series is bound to give the Oura Ring 5 a run for its money when it arrives in 2027.

Your next AI running glasses

I checked out BleeqUp's first smart AI glasses at last year's MWC, and this year the company has a new pair with welcome enhancements that make it an even more enticing alternative to the Oakley Meta Vanguard.

Compared to the BleeqUp Ranger, the new Rover glasses feature an updated 3K60 resolution with HDR and improved low-light performance. Interestingly, the camera can tilt up or down, offering greater versatility in your sports shots.

There's also more AI integration for things like emergency recording, proactive safety alerts, and for sports monitoring to track things like your breathing rhythm and provide activity summaries.

Finally, there's better waterproofing, double the internal storage, and support for BleeqUp's accessories like the remote control and battery extender.

Tecno bezel-less concept

Tecno is no stranger to showing off cool concept at trade shows such as this (remember that cool modular phone?), but the bezel-less concept phone feels like a product I could actually see it bringing to market. At first glance, it looks and feels just like a regular phone, but turn it on, and you'll notice just how immersive the viewing experience is.

It's really just display and frame, and while my hands-on time was short, it feels like a phone made for a not-too-distant future.

The back is also really interesting, sporting a unique design with a 3D-like effect that thoroughly impressed myself and other onlookers almost as much as the bezel-less display.

The only portable projector you'll need

The Aurzen Zip Pro took what I loved about the original Aurzen Zip and supersized it. It's still one of the coolest portable projectors I've seen, and it's not much larger than the original, while still remaining easy to fold up and carry. It also weighs as much as two flagship smartphones.

It has better picture quality with a higher 1080p resolution, enhanced color, and 4-point keystone correction, so the picture should look great no matter where you throw it from. Plus, it features a small top display you can use to control the device.

It also has longer battery life, although at 2.5 hours, you'll wanna keep it plugged in for any "Lord of the Rings" marathons. But if you do need a charge, it now supports 65W charging speeds, which is pretty nice for on-the-go charging.

This is the droid you're looking for

There's always someone showing off some cool robot thing, and PrimeBot Q1 managed to steal my heart. It's a cute toddler-sized robot that you can talk to or control using your Android smartphone, and thanks to high-torque QDD joints, it moves very quickly for things like dancing (which it does surprisingly well).

I also watched as someone grabbed the Q1's hand and guided it around the show floor, as if it were an actual child you didn't want to lose in the hustle and bustle of a grocery store. My heart immediately melted at the sight of this.

The PrimeBot Q1 is also customizable, so you can either take it as is or dress it up to look like a Gundam, Power Ranger, and so much more.

For now, availability is limited to China, but it's set to come to Europe in 2027. Here's hoping it also makes it way to the U.S.!

We're still hot on the heels of Honor's very impressive Robot Phone, which comes with a robotic gimbal camera that folds out of the back of the phone. It's hard to imagine any company following up with something just as bold, but Ulefone definitely did its thing at IFA 2026 when it showed off the RugOne Xsnap 7 Pro.

At first glance, it looks like your typical ruggedized Android phone, complete with a very bulky, yet tough build. However, turn it around, and you'll see why this phone is so unique: it has a detachable action camera magnetically embedded into it.

Few things at IFA made me stop and gawk, and this was definitely one of them.

The actual camera module is no bigger than something like the DJI Osmo Nano camera, although its specs might seem a bit underwhelming by comparison. According to Ulefone, the camera can be used for up to 40 minutes per charge and supports 2.7K resolution at 30fps. With these specs, it may not be the most functional GoPro alternative, but it should get the job done in a pinch.

The Xsnap 7 Pro was also surrounded by several different accessories, all of which you could use as attachments for the action camera. This included two tripods, two clips (one attached to a hat), and an extension rod, highlighting the different ways you can use the action camera.

Ulefone says the Xsnap 7 Pro was built with several different types of consumers in mind, including content creators, vloggers, outdoor sports enthusiasts, explorers, and "tech trendsetters."

The camera can function underwater and provides a live preview on the phone up to 50 meters away. It has 64GB of built-in storage, features such as distortion correction and full-sensor recording, and can sync footage with a phone app.

Speaking of the phone, it actually has some pretty decent specs. It has a 6.67-inch FHD+ 120Hz AMOLED display and is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8400 with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which feels like plenty if you're planning to shoot a lot of video. In addition, the Xsnap 7 Pro also has a fixed 50MP primary camera and a secondary 64MP Night Vision camera (sorry to those looking for an ultrawide sensor).

Keeping the lights on is a massive 9,300mAh battery that can also help charge the action camera. That's good too, because given the camera's battery life, you'll definitely need to make use of all that capacity.

Of course, the phone is also very tough. It is certified for IP69K and IP68 water and dust resistance. Plus, it is MIL-STD-810H compliant, so it should be able to take a beating.

The RugOne Xsnap 7 Pro launches on Kickstarter on September 7, available at an early-bird price of €799. However, when it launches globally in October, it will retail for $999, which honestly doesn't sound too bad when you consider you're basically getting two products in one.

Rumor has it that Apple will announce the iPhone Ultra at its upcoming September 9 event, making it the first iPhone to sport an "ultra" moniker. We're not expecting it to push the boundaries of battery technology or camera prowess, but it is slated to do one big thing that no other iPhone has (intentionally) done: fold in half.

This is going to drive a huge boost in sales for foldable phones, a category that has consistently grown since the first models arrived in 2019, but hasn't seen a particularly massive tentpole release like this one yet. Of course, as with anything Apple makes, you'll only get what Apple gives you, and rumor has it that Apple is announcing only one size and shape this time around.

But Android foldables, which have been around for eight years now, have had time to develop and branch out. Android offers a substantial choice of manufacturers, shapes, sizes, and capabilities that Apple simply can't offer. If foldable phones are looking like your next big purchase, here are many reasons you should choose an Android-powered one.

What is a folding phone and how do they work?

Folding phones usually come with two displays: an inner display and an outer display. The inner display is made of special ultrathin glass that can bend (unlike normal glass) and is reinforced with a preinstalled screen protector. The phone's frame is split into two halves connected by a specialized hinge, allowing you to open and close the phone.

The foldable inner display is a special type of flexible OLED panel that's built to bend, too. A specialized hinge holds everything together, keeping dust and water out of the phone. It's a true marvel of engineering, and some foldables are even extremely durable, as proven by my Honor Magic V6 torture test.

Both the inner and outer displays work the same way a regular smartphone touchscreen does. You can open apps on either of them, allowing you to choose the size of the "canvas" you want to view them on.

What types of folding phones exist (and why would someone want one)?

The leaked image of the iPhone Ultra above shows what's known as a book-style foldable. When a book-style phone is closed, its size and shape are similar to those of a standard smartphone, so all your favorite apps look and feel nearly identical to those on your existing smartphone.

Opening a book-style phone doubles its size, turning it into a small tablet that lets you get more done without switching to a laptop or other computer. I work on the go quite a bit, and a folding phone makes it easy to get most of my work done efficiently. I rarely watch videos on my phone, but when I do, the extra-large inner display is a real treat.

Because of the large size, multitasking is one of the best features of a book-style foldable. You can run two or three apps side by side on these phones, and even put apps in floating windows, like on a laptop OS. Plus, the taskbar on the inner display makes it feel even more like a multitasking beast, similar to a laptop OS (like Windows or macOS).

Book-style foldables come in many sizes and shapes, though most are slightly taller and narrower than your average smartphone when closed. Google began its foldable journey with a shorter, wider model, but made the next three entries a bit taller.

Meanwhile, Samsung just introduced its first shorter, wider model (the Galaxy Z Fold 8), and Apple's iPhone Ultra is rumored to use this same size and shape. Shorter, wider models are best for video content and feel a lot like holding a small TV when unfolded.

Apple's iPhone Ultra is said to come in just one shape and size, while Android foldables offer tons of different sizes, shapes, and form factors. You can even get tri-fold foldables!

While book-style foldables get the bulk of the attention, flip-style foldables were better sellers for a few years. Phones like the Motorola Razr 2026 series look like a slightly taller normal smartphone when opened, then fold into a perfectly pocketable half-sized phone when closed.

These phones solve the issue of overly large phones while still giving you the flexibility to use a small screen for things like notifications and messaging, then a larger screen when you need it. We generally recommend Motorola's Razr flip phones over Samsung's Z Flip line because Motorola's outer screen is more capable, and the company's designs are far more interesting.

Flip phones are also wonderful for photos and videos thanks to their shape. It's easy to bend a flip phone at a 90-degree angle and use it as a "tripod" to take group photos. You can also use this same shape and hold it sideways to take video like a classic camcorder.

Do folding phones have any downsides?

Folding phones offer unique form factors and ways to interact with your favorite apps, but not everything is a win-win. When shopping for a book-style folding phone, the first thing you'll probably notice is the price. Yeah, there's quite a bit of sticker shock here, and that's mainly because this is a two-in-one device. Think of it as buying a phone and a tablet at the same time, and you'll understand.

Flip-style phones are typically priced the same as traditional flagship phones but tend to have one fewer rear camera. Even Motorola's Razr Ultra line doesn't have a third camera on the back, despite the higher price.

Both flip and book-style foldables are often a bit less powerful than top-tier traditional flagship smartphones. The problem is that there's not as much space in these phones for cooling, since they have to be thinner than a traditional phone to avoid feeling like a brick when closed.

Lastly, durability. Folding phones got a bad rap pretty early on when the original Galaxy Z Fold's inner display would spontaneously break, but those problems have generally been solved. There's always a chance the folding glass could break, but these phones have undergone so many years of evolution and hardening that such a failure is almost unheard of.

Stores like uBreakiFix readily have parts to repair them, and phone companies offer warranties and other insurance programs that help cover any potential issues. As someone who has reviewed dozens and dozens of folding phones over the past seven years, I've never seen a phone break in person.

My wife has also been using flip phones for the past four years, and the only time one of hers broke was after being dropped with the phone unfolded. Considering how many traditional smartphones break every day from drops, there's no reason to suggest that these phones are any less durable with regular use.

Tecno continues to wow us at every trade show with some very interesting smartphone concepts. At IFA ShowStoppers 2026, the company unveiled its new Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone, which sports a 0mm bezel. I had a short hands-on with the device, and I immediately want every phone to sport this technology.

Smartphone bezels have continued to shrink over the years, particularly on flagship smartphones. However, they seem to only get so small, and companies have retained some amount of bezel around the display, and it seems that no matter how small they get, someone is always gonna hit the socials to complain about the size of bezels.

For Tecno’s concept phone, the company implemented “advanced internal stacking, structural re-engineering, and novel screen packaging.” The result is a very immersive display experience that almost looks too good to be true. There’s no bezel; it’s only display and frame.

I only got to handle the device for a short time at ShowStoppers, but it was the first time I felt like a concept phone might not be too far off from becoming reality. Tecno told me that, for now, it’s only in the concept and prototype stages, but as someone who doesn’t mind bezels, I really hope bezel-less phones become a thing.

But wait, there’s more

And just when I thought I was done with the Next-Gen Bezelless Concept Phone, I turned it around to get hit with something almost as interesting. The back of the phone features a unique design with a type of 3D effect that looks truly mesmerizing. The design truly pops out at you, and you almost feel like you can touch it.

I stood there gawking at the effect, which I unfortunately can’t really capture on camera. I wasn’t the only one; others who picked up the bezel-less phone were just as amazed by the rear design, which tells me Tecno is really onto something.

This isn’t the first time Tecno has experimented with different effects on its rear glass panels. At MWC 2025, the company showed off a handful of device concepts with different effects, including color-changing photochromic cellulose, e-reader-like Display Electronic Slurry (DES), and ultra-fine optical fibers and LED lights.

Even if Tecno doesn’t produce a phone with a bezel-less display, I would at least love for it to bring more of this to its production phones.

Baseus knows how to make great charging and audio accessories, and the brand is going all-out ahead of the iPhone 18 Pro launch. The Dark Cherry collection includes five products that are debuting in a bold new cherry red colorway designed to match the Dark Cherry variant of the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro.

The highlight of the new collection is the PicoGo Pro AH22, the smallest 100W GaN charger with three USB-C ports. It comes with a built-in panel that shows real-time charging details, and it is now available for $59 on Amazon.

There's also the PicoGo AM52, a 25W Qi 2.2 power bank with 10,000mAh battery that's available for $79, and the ultra-thin PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh power bank that costs $69. The Bose-tuned Inspire XC1 earbuds get the Dark Cherry makeover as well, and they're $149. Rounding out the list is the 100W USB-C to USB-C cable, and it costs $12.

Baseus has an exclusive deal for AC readers that is live now and runs until October 31, 2026:

• Baseus PicoGo AH22 100W GaN Charger: $39.99 with code BSAH22AC (34% off)
• Baseus PicoGo AM52 25W Qi2.2 10,000mAh Power Bank: $41.29 with code BSAM52AC (48% off)
• Baseus PicoGo Air 5,000mAh Ultra-Slim Power Bank: $41.99 with code BSAM71AC (40% off)

Baseus 100W PicoGo Pro AH22: This is the GaN charger you want

I used the PicoGo Pro AH22 as my go-to charger for the last month, and there's a lot to like. It is noticeably smaller than other 100W chargers I have on hand, and it still has three USB-C ports. The smaller size and the vibrant color makes it a great choice for travel (it's going straight into my tech bag), and I like that it has a built-in screen that shows real-time charging details, time left to charge, and what protocol a connected device is using.

It has three charging modes — Smart, Gentle, and Turbo — and the Smart mode is useful while charging several devices at once. The Gentle mode is what you need for overnight charging, and Turbo prioritizes the C1 port to 100W.

There's intelligent device recognition, and I like this feature a lot. Baseus also added a set of fun effects that show up while charging. The individual USB-C ports go up to 100W, and with all three in use, you get a 95W power budget. I used it with my Pixel 11 Pro XL, Find X9 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, iPad Pro M4, and a few dozen accessories, and the charger did a great job.

Baseus PicoGo AM52 25W Qi2.2 10,000mAh Power Bank: Charge anything with ease

The PicoGo AM52 isn't a new product, and I've been using the power bank for the better part of a year. The Qi 2.2 tech allows it to charge phones at 25W, and it's great to use with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL.

There's no doubt that the cherry color looks much better than the standard grey model I've been using all this time. The 10,000mAh battery is able to charge the iPhone 17 Pro and Pixel 11 Pro XL to full, and it has a built-in USB-C cable if you need to plug in other devices, going up to 45W.

Baseus PicoGo Air AM71 5,000mAh Power Bank: The thinnest power bank

The PicoGo Air AM71 is a 5,000mAh magnetic power bank, and it is one of the thinnest I've used yet. It doesn't have 25W charging, instead using the standard Qi standard to deliver a 7.5W charge. There is a USB-C port that gets you 22.5W, and the power bank recharges at 20W.

While I'm not a huge fan of ultra-thin power banks, I will admit that the AM71 has unmatched portability. It's just 0.3 inches and weighs 105g, and is easy to slot into a bag or trousers — I have one in my tech EDC bag. The 5,000mAh battery isn't enough to charge a phone to full, but it will get your iPhone 17 Pro Max to the halfway point. This is down to energy conversion, and is true of all power banks.

Baseus Inspire XC1: Bose sound for less

I like the Inspire XC1 because of the open ear design, and they're a good choice if you have issues getting a good fit with regular buds. The cherry color makes these buds stand out a lot from the regular model, and they definitely get a lot of attention while outdoors.

The Bose-tuned sound quality is terrific, and the buds have meaningful bass along with a clean mid-range and good treble. They're pretty great with calls as well, and have LDAC and IP66 ingress protection. I get over seven hours of battery life between charges, and that's more than adequate in daily use. The only point of contention is that the cherry variant is $149, which is a sizeable increase over the $99 that the regular model costs these days.

Baseus FrostCool: A reliable 100W USB-C cable

I have a lot of these cables in the house, and they're reliable in everyday use. The cherry color is the only difference here, and other than that, it's the same cable: it can deliver a 100W charge over USB PD, is 6.6ft in length, and the braided design is built to last.

Baseus is going all-in on Dark Cherry, and I like that the brand has an entire range of accessories available in the new colorway. While there's a little bit of a wait before we know all about the iPhone 18 Pro, you can get a head-start by grabbing the accessories you need.

UGREEN just announced its first line of smart home products, including a trio of cameras (two outdoor, one indoor), a smart speaker, an ePaper smart frame, and an AI-powered NAS to keep everything safe and local.

If there's one thing you need to know from all this, it's that UGREEN has put a lot of thought into this product. From the incredibly easy-to-use hardware design to the cables themselves, the app's features, and the entire UGREEN HomeAgent family is a marvel of planning and execution.

I received the UGREEN HomeAgent HA100 NAS, SynCare PoE Cam OD600 Pro, and SynCare Indoor Cam ID500 Pro ahead of UGREEN's Boston-based event and got to spend some time with these products for this hands-on report. UGREEN is launching the HomeAgent HA100 crowdfunding program on September 4, including a 50% discount for early backers until October 27.

You've never used a NAS like this

As someone with 15 years of professional IT experience, I've spent plenty of time with big ol' NAS boxes in server racks. Usually, they're a pain in the butt to set up, and while they're mostly a set-it-and-forget-it affair, they're rarely designed to be user-friendly. A home NAS has to be very different from this approach, and it's clear UGREEN went back to the drawing board for the HomeAgent HA100.

Everything here is as self-explanatory and user-friendly as you can imagine. I specifically did not read the manual just to see if I could figure it out, and I was able to get the entire package set up in less than 5 minutes once I unboxed everything. A bevy of ports lines the back of the unit, located right underneath the cooling fan with a nifty magnetic filter that's dead easy to remove and clean.

Underneath the simple magnetic lid is a storage bay for three HDDs of your choice. Standard 3.5" models pop in with no screwdriver needed, while a 2.5" drive will need one of the small brackets included in the box. The drives pop in with a satisfying click and are removed with a simple button on top. They can even be locked into place with an included "key," which can be swapped out with a butter knife if you happen to lose it.

My unit shipped with an AI Accelerator unit already installed, but UGREEN sells models without this compute module for a lower cost. Adding an M.2 SSD is a little trickier since you'll have to flip the unit over and install it below, then add some thermal tape to keep things cool, but I imagine most people won't need M.2 performance anyway.

The front of the unit sports a touchscreen that only requires you to select a language to move forward. The unit is paired with the UGREEN NAS app and just requires you to select it from the list of LAN models found on your network. Since this NAS is hardwired to my router, it was as simple as opening the app on my phone and tapping the HA100 in the list.

UGREEN's HomeAgent line supports all Matter-compatible smart home devices, with Zigbee compatibility coming soon. It's also got full voice command support via UGREEN's Uliya agent, which is built into the NAS and can be used immediately since the NAS has microphones and speakers on the unit.

My NAS is located behind my couch, so it's easy to ask Uliya to toggle my lights and switches without having to worry about adding the dedicated speaker to my house, although I may end up getting a secondary speaker for the bedrooms.

Central to this unit's purpose is the all-local-all-the-time philosophy. That AI Accelerator unit is a mini computer that acts similarly to something like Gemini, albeit much more focused than a normal LLM. This one is made specifically for smart home control and to intelligently manage your media.

On the smart home side, it can keep track of familiar faces, understand the difference between a dog and a package, alert you if your chickens get in the front yard (yes, that's a problem for me), or even wake you if your baby starts crying in the middle of the night. I'll need time to assess how well each of these works, but it certainly sounds a lot like the smart home I've long dreamed of.

And with the pictures and video you can store on the NAS (both from smart home cameras and your smartphones), the AI Accelerator will group events, places, people, and other categories similarly to Google Photos, all without requiring you to pay a monthly fee to store data or for processing.

To say I'm extremely excited about these products is an understatement. From the looks of things so far, this does everything I've wanted a smart home to do and then some. Local control and storage are particularly attractive to me, especially since I stopped using Eufy years ago after all those old scandals.

Now, I've got a proper replacement solution that includes all that awesome local processing, plus the ability to control all my other smart home products using just my voice (thank you, Matter), all without requiring an internet connection. Pinch me, because this feels too good to be true, yet here it is in my living room.

Ugreen has a full roadmap for additional upgrades, including Zigbee device compatibility, a suite of additional voice commands the company is building, and more, which it'll be building out as the crowdfunding project continues through the end of the year.

Samsung didn't change too many things with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but a key area of differentiation is silicon-carbon battery tech. This is one of the reasons how Samsung managed to slot in a bigger 5,000mAh battery in the foldable while retaining a similar svelte design as the Z Fold 7. In fact, all of Samsung's latest foldables use silicon batteries, but it's the Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra where the difference is immediately noticeable. I asked Samsung a list of questions around its implementation of silicon-carbon tech, and it is interesting to see how the brand is going about integrating the tech into its latest foldables.

As a refresher, a silicon battery has a small mixture of a silicon-carbon material in the anode, leading to an increased energy density. The amount of silicon content in the anode varies by brand, and Samsung didn't share how much it is using in its foldables. To give you some context, most brands use around a mixture of 10% silicon by weight in the anode, with some — like Xiaomi's Redmi Note 17 Pro Max that has a 9,210mAh battery — going with a slightly higher 16% silicon ratio to provide greater energy density.

Why don't brands just use an anode that's entirely made out of silicon-carbon? That's because while silicon has much better energy density — ten times as much as graphite — it undergoes expansion and contraction during charging, something you don't want in a phone battery. As there is a greater risk of long-term stability or battery swelling with extended use, it is mixed with carbon to deliver a mechanically stable structure while offering better electrical conductivity.

Brands are being (justifiably) cautious of the tech, and a Samsung spokesperson said the brand "reengineering the battery system" to facilitate the use of silicon-carbon in the anode, and to ensure that the higher-density batteries it is using this year are just as safe to use as traditional lithium-ion batteries:

"On the anode side, a thin carbon coating helps manage the reactivity of silicon-carbon particles, helping mitigate sudden volume changes during charge and discharge and supporting long-term stability," said Samsung. "On the cathode side, coating and doping help maintain surface stability and structural integrity, even under higher voltage conditions."

Another thing to consider is long-term durability, and Samsung says it added "additives" to the electrolyte to "help form a protective layer on the silicon surface, reducing silicon reactivity and supporting long-term cell stability."

Samsung also made tweaks to the separator — a polymer sheet that sits between the cathode and anode — which has a "high-porosity structure" to "improve ion movement while maintaining strength and thermal stability."

What's interesting is that Samsung is using different battery architectures for its foldables. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra use a "dual-path charging architecture that distributes power more efficiently across the battery system, enabling faster, more stable and reliable charging while improving heat management." This system enables 45W charging on both devices, but with the Flip 8, Samsung "separately optimized for the unique spatial and thermal requirements" of the compact foldable, so it has a battery size and charging tech that's unchanged to last year.

With Samsung just getting started with silicon-carbon batteries, it's understandable that it is playing it safe. While foldables like the Razr Fold, Vivo X Fold 5, and the Find N6 come with 6,000mAh silicon batteries, the Z Fold 8 Ultra has a much more modest 5,000mAh unit. It is still considerable progress from last year, and I'm glad to see Samsung leveraging this tech — I can't wait to see how it evolves with the Galaxy S27 next year.

For the past week, I've been spending the bulk of my gaming sessions using the Razer Prio, a new pocket-sized mobile controller from the iconic brand. I'm extremely picky about my mobile controllers and rarely ever like smaller ones. The GameSir Galileo G8 is my favorite to date, and that thing is a hefty chonk.

But the Razer Prio has convinced me that smaller can be better when it's done right. I've complained about Razer's smaller controllers in the past — the Kishi V2 was particularly annoying to me because of the Switch-like joysticks — but Razer has defied my expectations by creating a tiny controller that not only feels good to use but also fits perfectly in my pocket.

And while the controller looks similar to a Nintendo Switch-style one when connected to a phone, its unique design lets it fold down to half the size, protecting the buttons and joysticks in a very Game Boy or Nintendo DS way. Here's what you need to know about Razer's new $99 controller.

Nailing the basics

Going into this review, I was skeptical. I'm extremely particular about joysticks on controllers, and Razer didn't have the best track record there in my experience. Not only are the Prio's joysticks impressive in their own right, but they're downright miraculous considering what the competition pulled off at this size.

They felt every bit as good running around in The Witcher 3 Remastered (on GeForce Now) as they did catching victory royales in Fortnite. I've never used a controller of this size that worked this well for this many genres, especially shooters. Small, short joysticks usually mean poor precision, but Razer did something different here, and it shows.

The company says these are "contactless" capacitive sensors. I can't recall ever using a controller with this style before, but I've been quite happy with the feel. Razer ensures that these are drift-free, which is always great to hear.

All the buttons feel great, and this uses a real D-Pad with separate directions, not one of those weird circular ones I hate. Despite their diminutive size, the face buttons are all easy to press and feel good. They're extremely quiet and barely make any noise, even when button mashing.

The bumpers on the top of each side are simple, standard buttons, while the triggers are analog and have a surprising amount of travel. This gives you more precision in games where that sort of thing matters (racing games, for example).

You'll also find standard start, menu, home, and Razer Nexus buttons for launching Razer's app. This app acts as a launcher for all your games and supports PC streaming via Razer's software. You can also customize many aspects of the controller, although my pre-release review unit didn't have this functionality enabled yet.

And what good is a travel controller if it takes up a ton of room in your bag? I've faced this issue with my other favorite controllers and had to go without them before, but that'll never happen again, thanks to the Prio. This thing fits very comfortably in a pocket and is about the size of a standard wallet.

Plus, it weighs next to nothing in your hand compared to other controllers. My favorite controller, the GameSir G8 Galileo, weighs 252g. The Razer Prio is just 101g. Yeah, it's a huge difference. I've got moderate-sized hands, but this controller still felt comfortable to use for a long time without cramping. Folks with large hands might not have such a positive experience, though.

The Prio's unique rubber band swivel at the back ensures a nice, tight fit around your phone without adding weight. Again, I was skeptical of this design going into the review, but it proved me wrong. It also helps that Razer ships this with three different sizes and shapes of rubber pads in the box for wider phone support.

If you're a gamer who never takes the case off your phone to play, don't worry, because this controller will definitely work with your existing case. I tested this with a Dbrand Tank case on a Pixel 10 Pro since it's the thickest case I have, and it fit right in once I removed the Prio's rubber pads.

The design's downside is that it doesn't support phones with particularly large camera islands (like the Honor Magic 8 Pro), and book-style foldables (like the Galaxy Z Fold 8) won't fit when the phone is folded closed. The main culprit here is the interlocking tabs that keep the case locked when closed, but get in the way of large camera islands or thicker phones.

Since this controller is USB-C, it doesn't need to be charged or paired; just plug it in and game. You don't even need the Razer app if you don't want it! The downside is that there's no passthrough charging support and no way to even add in a MagSafe battery, so make sure you charge before you play.

All in all, this is a very impressive travel controller that will stay in my travel bag for the foreseeable future.

While Google provided a modicum of upgrades with the rest of the Pixel 11 models this year — the Pixel 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold have new camera modules, brighter OLED panels, and faster charging — the standard Pixel 11 is basically unchanged to its predecessor.

So, I'll make this easy: don't buy the Pixel 11 if you're using a phone that's less than two years old. Most of the new features revolve around the software, and those will trickle down to older models anyway, so you're not getting a whole lot that's new with the Pixel 11.

Yes, the new Tensor G6 is a little faster, but it is still hobbled when it comes to gaming, and in my usage, I didn't see much of a difference between the Pixel 11 and Pixel 10. There is better fluidity on the Pixel 11, but that alone doesn't justify an upgrade. Annoyingly, you still don't get decent thermal management on the device — that is limited to the Pro models.

I like the Hibiscus color that Google introduced this year, and the Pistachio model is similarly vibrant. The overall design hasn't changed, but the camera bar looks a little cleaner this year, and it is a little better to hold. On that note, I like the size of the Pixel 11; the 6.3-inch OLED panel gives you enough real estate, but it's much better to use one-handed.

The base Pixel 11 now comes with 256GB of storage, but you're paying $899 — $100 more than last year — so it evens out. There isn't a whole lot new with the battery either. The Pixel 11 has a slightly bigger 4,985mAh battery, and it uses the same 30W USB PD charging tech. There's 25W Qi 2.2 integration this time, and this is a decent benefit to using modern Pixels — you don't need to use a case to charge the phone with a Qi 2.2 charger.

It has the same trio of cameras as last year, including a 48MP main camera, 13MP wide-angle, and 10.3MP tele lens with 5x optical zoom and OIS, and it takes slightly better photos thanks to a new ISP and tuning changes, it isn't a huge difference to the Pixel 10. Google's new Camera Looks feature gives you greater control in customizing the look and feel of the resultant photos, and I like it quite a lot.

The Pixel 11 only makes sense if you're using an older phone and want to upgrade this year, or if you have a carrier deal that gets you the phone without paying an additional fee. Outside of that, I don't see a need to buy the device.

If anything, the Pixel 10a is a better choice if you just need a phone that nails the basics, and you don't necessarily want a dedicated tele lens. There's a reason the Pixel A series sells a lot more than the numbered devices; you're getting a lot of the same features at roughly half the price, and there's no way to beat that kind of value.

It has been a year of iterative updates for book-style foldables (as my Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra review points out), and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold is no different. Google went with a slightly thinner design and shaved 19g from the weight, but it did so by decreasing the battery size. Then there's the price: the Pixel 11 Pro Fold starts at $1,899, a $100 increase over its predecessor.

There are some upgrades though. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is powered by the new Tensor G6, it is faster in daily use, and the foldable finally has a new main camera; in my limited testing, it took better photos in just about every scenario.

Ultimately, does the Pixel 11 Pro Fold do enough to justify an upgrade? I think so. I used the Pixel 10 Pro Fold extensively over the course of the last year, and the 11 Pro Fold addresses several pain points. It's easier to hold and use, takes better photos, has better durability, and while I was initially worried about the smaller battery, the phone managed to last just as long as the 10 Pro Fold, so this hasn't proven to be a problem.

I'm highlighting the things that stood out in my week-long usage of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. This should give you a better indication as to what you're getting with Google's latest foldable, and whether it's worthy of an upgrade.

Intelligent software

While Google's claims of delivering an Intelligent OS are nebulous at best, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes with plenty of new software tricks that make a difference. Gemini Intelligence has a suite of decent features, and Rambler is my favorite — it takes your dictation and polishes it into structured text, and it made me want to actually use voice dictation.

Bubbles multitasking is great, and the floating windows mode provides greater flexibility when using the inner panel. The UI in general is clean and uncluttered, and I like the customizability of the quick tiles, ability to tweak colors throughout the interface, and all the unique software extras that come as standard on Pixels, like Now Playing. Another thing Google got right is the fluidity; the 11 Pro Fold feels better than its predecessor when using both next to one another.

Better durability

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is heavier than other foldables, but the upside is that it is built to last. With an IP68 rating, you're getting a device that's guaranteed to withstand dust and water ingress, and that is a big deal.

Notably, the 11 Pro Fold is the only foldable in the U.S. that delivers this guarantee — the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Moto Razr Fold get IP48, and while they do a good job against water, they don't prevent dust from getting into the hinge.

I know just how well IP68 resistance holds up in real-world use, and there's no doubt that the added durability absolutely makes a difference when using it at the beach or near the pool.

It's magnetic

Battery life is in line with the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, even though the 11 Pro Fold has a smaller 4,800mAh battery. Annoyingly, you get the smallest battery of any book-style foldable, and I really want Google to do better in this area.

The 11 Pro Fold lasts an entire day with medium use, but I had to plug in the foldable by the evening on most days. Thankfully, this is where the built-in Qi 2.2 tech makes a big difference. The 11 Pro Fold has 25W Qi 2.2 charging, and as the magnets are integrated into the chassis, you don't need any accessories to use a Qi 2.2 charger or power bank — unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Bright spots

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold gets brighter than previous generations, and the inner and outer OLED panels are among the best you'll find in this category. There are no issues with either screen when it comes to brightness or color vibrancy, and the slightly wider 6.5-inch cover panel is a delight.

The only problem with the inner screen is that there's no anti-reflective coating, so you will notice glare while using it outdoors. This is something the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra does a lot better, and Google needs to go the same route next year.

Usable cameras

In my opinion, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold doesn't do much to justify the Pro moniker when it comes to the cameras. Vivo's X Fold 5 and the OPPO Find N6 are still my go-to choices if you need a foldable with great cameras, but these aren't available in the U.S.

The 10 Pro Fold measures favorably against the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Moto Razr Fold, but it's annoying that Google chose to limit its latest camera tech — like Instant Night Sight and 120x zoom — to the Pixel 11 Pro and 11 Pro XL. The way I see it, the 11 Pro Fold is the costliest device in Google's portfolio, so it should get the best cameras, but that's clearly not the case.

Ultimately, deciding to get the Pixel 11 Pro Fold comes down to preference. I like it better than the Z Fold 8 Ultra and Razr Fold because of the software and durability, but there's no doubting that they are faster, last longer, and lighter. The 11 Pro Fold may not be the best foldable if you go by the numbers, but it is the one that I enjoy using the most.

Android 17 is still fresh, and Nothing is already rolling out its first major Android 17 update to Nothing Phone 3 customers who enroll in the open beta. I got to try out the beta update ahead of the public launch, so you know what to expect as your Nothing Phone 3 downloads it. Head to Nothing's official website to sign up.

Nothing OS 5 focuses on five pillars: design, personalization, performance, Essential AI tools, and, of course, Android 17. Both the lock screen and home screens get a visual refresh with (you guessed it) a new frosted glass look. This look is optional, and I had to enable it specifically after the update, but it adds yet another style to Nothing's repertoire of customizable styles in its OS.

This also includes a new system-wide font, more lock screen customization (including a better depth effect, new clock faces, widgets, etc.), wallpaper-adaptive colors, and finally a way to batch edit things on your home screen. I particularly enjoyed the new "Away Time" widget, which shows how much of the day you didn't spend on your phone via a fun visual timeline.

Quick Settings can now be split, if you prefer that sort of thing, giving you full-screen notifications or Quick Toggles, with a convenient left/right swipe to move between them. Speaking of convenience, Glyph Timers can be started right from the new home or lock screen widget, which I find pretty handy.

Bluetooth controls have also been simplified, with additional controls added to the pop-up in Quick Toggles, so you don't have to hop into settings just to perform basic Bluetooth tasks.

Essential Apps finally has a proper app that ships on Nothing OS 5, so you can vibe code your next favorite widget straight from your phone without having to use a computer. Likewise, the Glyph interface now has its own app that lets you quickly jump into Glyph customization (and Glyph Toys!).

One of my absolute favorite new additions is the new AI privacy indicator, which adds a new yellow icon in the top-right of the status bar any time AI is processing data. This should more readily help identify when your data is leaving your phone to be processed in a data center, and it works perfectly in conjunction with the AI usage graph.

Essential Voice got a nice speed boost in this release, with substantially faster voice processing once you're done (it's pretty close to instant now). Nothing says you're supposed to see results in real-time as you speak, but I didn't see that in my pre-beta release. This build was missing just a few things, so it's possible this one wasn't quite ready yet.

And I can't forget the new Essential Key customization, which lets you enable an accidental-press feature, switch the functions between translate and transcribe, or disable it altogether. That first one helps cut down the number of accidental button presses to zero, which is a godsend.

You'll also find a number of new options for Essential Space, including Smart Collections (to group together relevant content), plus a new Model Context Protocol that lets compatible AI platforms access data from your personal Essential Space.

All of this is in addition to the normal Android 17 upgrades like the updated 3D emoji, iOS-to-Android QuickShare upgrades, and more, plus performance and animation upgrades. The new homescreen design and Micrographics clock face won't be rolling out until the Nothing OS 5 general release in October, but you can test everything else out on your Nothing Phone 3 right now by enrolling in the beta.