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Fairphone has begun selling its Gen 6 Plus directly in the US for the first time, rather than through Murena, running standard Google Android. Priced at $649, the phone lets owners replace up to 12 parts—including the battery, display, cameras, and USB-C port—using just a screwdriver. In a reader poll of over 1,500 responses, 91.5% called the device appealing despite its modest spec upgrades over the base Gen 6.
Nokia and HMD Global released the 300 Charge, a blocky retro-style feature phone priced around $32 with a powerbank function, SD card slot, headphone jack and bright LED flashlight. The device is currently sold only in the Philippines, with no announced release date for the US or other markets.
Artificial Analysis has begun benchmarking small AI models that run directly on mobile phones, focusing on models that fit within 8 GB of memory after quantization, including KV cache at 8K context. The effort combines intelligence benchmarks with real on-device inference data gathered in partnership with Liquid AI, whose measurement methodology Artificial Analysis says it has independently validated.
Verizon's MVNO Visible introduced Visible One, a bundle merging its mobile service with Verizon Fios-based fiber internet under one bill. The base tier costs $55/month for 300Mbps fiber plus standard mobile service, while Visible+ Pro One costs $75/month for 1Gbps fiber and premium mobile with 5G Ultra Wideband and a smartwatch line. Both plans skip added taxes, fees, contracts, and credit checks, but require homes to already have an inactive Fios ONT installed.
Google published a memo detailing enforcement of new per-app memory limits introduced with Android 17, first rolling out on Pixel devices. Apps that exceed the thresholds will be slowed down or terminated, and starting in February 2027, non-compliant apps could face reduced visibility and publishing restrictions on the Play Store.
Xiaomi has released the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max worldwide, featuring a massive 10,000mAh silicon-carbon battery, though European units get a slightly smaller 9,210mAh version. The device supports 100W wired charging, promising a full charge in 80 minutes and all-day power from just a 20-minute top-up, plus 27W reverse charging but no wireless option. It also boasts rugged durability with IP68/IP69/IP69K ratings and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, though it runs a downgraded Snapdragon 6 Gen 5 chip compared to its predecessor.
Google's 2026 Pixel phones ship with an upgraded Gboard voice-typing tool powered by the Tensor chip and a new Rambler input system that cleans up filler words for more natural dictation. The lineup also includes the Pixel-exclusive Recorder app with real-time transcription and speaker labels, plus a Dual Screen Interpreter Mode for Pixel Fold devices that shows translated speech on each person's respective screen.
IDC's August 2026 forecast predicts worldwide smartphone shipments will drop 16.7% this year, a steeper decline than the 13.9% estimate from May. The cause is a severe shortage of NAND and DRAM chips, with component costs up over 300% year-over-year as manufacturers redirect capacity to AI data centers. As a result, average smartphone selling prices have jumped 27.6% to $581, effectively pushing sub-$100 Android phones out of the market.
New real-world images shared on Weibo reveal the unreleased Xiaomi 18 Fold in a dark red color, showing its triple-rear-camera module for the first time after earlier leaks kept the cameras hidden. The design closely resembles Huawei's Pura X Max, and the device is expected to debut with Xiaomi's new in-house XRing O3 chipset sometime in September.
Xiaomi has launched the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max with a 9,210mAh dual-cell silicon-carbon battery in Europe, and a 10,000mAh single-cell version in some other markets. The company claims up to three days of typical use or 37 hours of continuous video playback, alongside 100W wired charging that can fully charge the device in just over an hour.
Google announced that starting February 2027, Android apps and games on the Play Store must comply with new per-app memory limits based on a device's total RAM, with games given more lenient thresholds than apps. Titles that fail to meet these caps risk reduced visibility in the Play Store or being blocked from publication altogether. The rules build on per-app memory limits first tested on Pixel phones under Android 17, now expanding device-wide.
Multiple Pixel users are reporting on Reddit that apps like Google Photos, Spotify, and CapCut are randomly crashing or refusing to stay open, while music apps skip tracks. Reports span devices including the Pixel 9 and Pixel 11, suggesting the issue isn't limited to newer hardware. One user says joining Google's System Services beta and updating resolved the crashes on their device.