GoKawiil
Tech News
The US International Trade Commission has launched a Section 337 investigation into Apple, Samsung, and Google following a complaint from BoomCloud 360, a California audio tech firm. BoomCloud 360 alleges the three companies' spatial audio features infringe three of its patents covering gain adjustment, speaker asymmetry compensation, and crosstalk correction.
Amazon is selling the 40mm Bluetooth version of Samsung's Galaxy Watch 8 for $259.99, a $40 cut from its $299.99 list price. The watch runs Wear OS 6 with One UI 8 Watch, offers up to 40 hours of battery life, and includes health tracking features tied to Samsung Health and Galaxy AI.
Amazon has discounted Samsung's 2025 flagship HW-Q990F soundbar system by 33%, cutting $600 off the package price. The bundle includes an 11.1.4-channel Dolby Atmos soundbar along with a subwoofer and rear surround speakers.
USB 3.0's successors were renamed using confusing 'Gen' labels tied to speeds of 5, 10 or 20 Gbps, making printed USB 3.2 labels unreliable indicators of actual performance. USB-C ports add convenience but say nothing about speed, since USB-C devices can still run at USB 2.0 rates. Real-world tests, like Kingston's DataTraveler Max hitting up to 1,000 MB/s versus Samsung's Fit Plus write speeds of just 58.4 MB/s, show huge gaps hidden behind similar branding.
A new McKinsey and SEMI Foundation report projects the United States could be short by as many as 157,000 semiconductor workers by 2030, even as companies like Samsung, TSMC and Intel race to build new fabrication plants domestically. Samsung executive Jon Taylor told CNBC he's worried there simply aren't enough technically trained people entering the field to staff these facilities, including Samsung's $35 billion Taylor, Texas complex set to begin production this year.
Reported battery capacity figures for Apple's upcoming iPhone 18 Pro suggest only incremental improvements over the current lineup, according to leaks circulating ahead of launch. The numbers imply Apple still trails some rivals, including Samsung, on long-term battery durability and capacity growth.
Samsung has begun pushing One UI 9 to the Galaxy S26, S26+, S26 Ultra and the newly released S26 FE, roughly a month after the update first appeared on its Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8 and Flip 8 foldables. The rollout brings AI tools like My FanCam, which automatically crops video to track a chosen person, along with upgrades to Now Brief, Now Nudge, Interpreter, Voice Recorder and Document Scan.
WIRED's roundup of the best Android phones for 2026 includes guidance for shoppers considering models outside the main recommendations, covering display type, screen size, processor, RAM, cooling and refresh rate. It notes that OLED screens are now common even in budget phones, that Qualcomm Snapdragon 7-series or MediaTek Dimensity 7000-series chips or better offer reliable performance, and that 8GB of RAM (ideally 12GB) suits multitasking and AI features.
According to a blogger tracking Chinese social media chatter, Samsung is moving up the release of its Galaxy Z Trifold 2, seemingly in reaction to Apple's incoming iPhone Duo. The move comes despite the original trifold device's lackluster commercial performance, and the new model is expected to carry a similar price tag.
Samsung launched its Switchers ad campaign this week, using real-life celebrity couples and clinical psychologist Orna Guralnik from Showtime's Couples Therapy to frame switching from iPhone to Android as an emotional decision. The six 30-second spots feature pairs like Ciara Miller and Dylan Efron, and Nick Foles and Clay Matthews, and promote Samsung's newest Galaxy Z foldables. The campaign debuted just days after Apple unveiled its own foldable iPhone, the Duo.
South Korean universities including Sogang, SKKU, Korea University and Hanyang University have launched 'contract departments' co-created with SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, blending semiconductor and AI coursework with direct hiring pathways. Students in these programs, such as Sogang's System Semiconductor Engineering track, can receive guaranteed employment at SK Hynix upon graduation, while Samsung-linked programs like SKKU's Department of Intelligent Software require passing a separate company hiring process.
Leaker Lanzuk reports that Samsung is accelerating development of its next tri-fold phone, potentially moving the launch up to late 2026 or early 2027 from a previously expected late 2027 release. The move follows Apple's reveal of the iPhone Duo and strong early sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 lineup, with Samsung reportedly aiming to keep pricing close to the original TriFold's $2,900 tag despite rising component costs.