At IFA in Berlin, Xiaomi unveiled a new passport-shaped foldable phone positioned as a rival to Apple's rumored folding iPhone, alongside three Mijia-branded home appliances: a Cryo Fresh refrigerator with air circulation and nano blue light sterilization, a Tri-Drum Washer Dryer Pro claiming 35% better energy efficiency, and a high-power Conditioner Turbo Pro. The launch marks Xiaomi's push to bring its broader Mijia ecosystem brand into European markets, building on smart home products already sold there.
Florida International University researchers tested the Apple Watch Series 8, Fitbit Sense 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Forerunner 955 against a Cosmed K5 metabolic device and ECG chest strap during controlled workouts with 58 participants. All four smartwatches overstated calorie burn, with margins of error ranging from 15% to 25%, meaning a reported 200-calorie burn could really be closer to 160-174 calories. Apple Watch was the most accurate, while Samsung and Garmin overestimated more, and Fitbit had enough tracking glitches that some of its data had to be excluded.
According to leaker Roland Quandt, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy A18 will offer 128GB and 256GB storage configurations and come in Light Blue, Black, and Silver colorways. The leak follows earlier CAD renders in July that showed the phone's design staying close to its predecessor's look.
Amazon is selling Samsung's newly launched Galaxy Z Flip 8 for $1,049.99, a $150 cut from its $1,199.99 list price. The clamshell foldable features a slimmer build, a 6.7-inch inner screen, a larger 4.1-inch FlexWindow with added AI capabilities, Samsung DeX support, and a 4,300mAh battery.
Amazon has issued its first discount on the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, lowering the price from $2,099.99 to $1,799.99, a 14% reduction. The Ultra is Samsung's premium foldable variant, featuring a larger 6.5-inch cover display, 8-inch main screen, Snapdragon flagship chip, roughly 5,000mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera.
Samsung has widened its Android 17-based One UI 9 beta rollout beyond its latest flagships to include the older Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6, plus the mid-range Galaxy A57, marking the first A-series device to get the test build. The update carries the August 5, 2026 security patch and is currently live in South Korea and India, with plans to expand to Germany, Poland, the UK and the US.
Korean outlet Money Today, citing tipster Jukan, claims Samsung plans to sell a Galaxy S27 Ultra variant powered by its in-house Exynos 2700 chip in select markets, alongside a Snapdragon version reserved mainly for the US. This would mark the first time since the Galaxy S22 Ultra that the top-tier Ultra model has shipped with an Exynos processor, with the same dual-chip split reportedly extending to the new Galaxy S27 Pro model.
Multiple Samsung account holders report on Reddit and Samsung's own community forum that their accounts were suddenly deactivated, with Samsung citing vague security reasons. Some users regained access after contacting Samsung's phone or chat support, while others remain locked out. One theory ties the suspensions to email aliases using '+' or '.' characters, but Samsung has not confirmed a cause.
An Android Authority roundup argues that buyers considering the newly US-available Fairphone Gen 6 Plus ($650) might get more for their money elsewhere. It highlights the HMD Skyline as a nearly as repairable but cheaper (~$400) alternative with a better camera, bigger battery and faster display, alongside four other Android phones recommended for shoppers willing to trade some repairability for extra performance and features.
Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Book6, a 14-inch Windows laptop starting at $799, built around Intel's new Wildcat Lake chips and aimed at everyday computing rather than premium workloads. The base model ships with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage, with configurations available up to 16GB and 1TB, and Samsung claims up to 25 hours of battery life from its 61.2Wh battery.
A China 3C regulatory filing spotted by tipster Abhishek Yadav suggests Samsung's Galaxy S27 will retain 25W wired charging, while the Galaxy S27 Plus stays at 45W. These figures match what Samsung has offered since the Galaxy S20 and S22 Plus respectively, showing no generational improvement. The devices are however tipped to gain MagSafe-style wireless charging via built-in magnets.
Samsung has begun rolling out the first One UI 9 beta build, based on Android 17, to the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, and S24 Ultra. The update, confirmed live in the US, India, and South Korea via the Samsung Members app, weighs around 3.6GB and includes a security patch dated August 2026 along with new personalization and productivity features.
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