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Tech News
Smartwatches from Apple, Google and Samsung all include a basic flashlight feature that simply maxes out the display's brightness and turns it white. Despite mockery of the feature compared to a phone's dedicated camera flash, it proves genuinely useful for quick tasks like finding a dropped pill, precisely because the watch is already on your wrist rather than buried in a pocket or bag.
A ZDNET tester took Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold to Germany to compare their camera systems side by side. The Z Fold 8 relies on two 50-megapixel wide and ultrawide sensors, while the Pixel 11 Pro Fold pairs a 48-megapixel main camera with a 5x telephoto lens and a 10.5-megapixel ultrawide, giving it a zoom advantage the Samsung device lacks.
Google explains that using Find Hub to mark an Android device as lost will log it out of the owner's Google account and strip all cards from Google Wallet, with an option to show a contact message on the lock screen. If account access isn't possible, users can lock the phone remotely via android.com/lock by verifying their identity and phone number. Samsung devices with SmartThings Find offer a similar safeguard, automatically locking Samsung Wallet and pausing transactions until identity is confirmed.
Samsung is reportedly diverting Display Driver IC components originally set aside for future foldable production to sustain current Galaxy Z Fold 8 manufacturing, according to ZDNet Korea. The move comes as demand for the foldable has exceeded Samsung's forecasts, while supplier UMC's 22nm production line is already running at capacity and unable to expedite output.
Huawei has started taking pre-orders in China for its second-generation tri-fold phone, the Mate XT 2, ahead of a formal launch on September 7. The device switches to an inward-folding mechanism that fully shields the inner display, unlike the zig-zag fold on the original Mate XT that left part of the screen exposed, and will come in 16GB/512GB and 16GB/1TB configurations, including a purple variant with a built-in privacy screen.
ChangXin Memory Technologies, the Hefei-based DRAM maker, has filed suit against the Department of Defense seeking removal from its list of companies linked to China's military. CXMT argues its chips are civilian memory products built to JEDEC standards, and that the Pentagon's classification lacks factual or legal support. The DoD briefly announced plans to delist CXMT earlier this year before reversing that decision.
Android 17 QPR2 Beta 4, released over the weekend, introduces a new Settings menu option letting users control which icons appear in the status bar. The feature can be accessed via Settings > Notifications or Settings > System, offering separate toggles for notification icons and system icons like mute, vibration, and battery percentage.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple considered building a shortened Apple Pencil for its upcoming iPhone Ultra but abandoned the idea. Gurman cites three reasons: awkward ergonomics from side-mounting, tension with Steve Jobs' original stance against styluses, and the risk of the pencil scratching the display.
Multiple Reddit users report that Google Messages is inserting old texts from unrelated conversations into new ones, sometimes attaching them to photos or group chats and in some cases actually delivering them to unintended recipients. The bug spans both Pixel and Samsung devices, occurring regardless of whether RCS is enabled, and follows other recent Messages glitches like broken RCS delivery and duplicated threads. Google has acknowledged at least one report and passed it to its engineering team, but no fix has been announced.
A year after buying the Galaxy S25 Edge outright, a reviewer traded it in for a Galaxy Z Fold 8, citing persistent battery and screen shortcomings that undercut its ultra-thin, lightweight design. Despite flagship specs like the Snapdragon 8 Elite chip and a 200MP camera packed into a 5.8mm body, Samsung has shown no sign of releasing a follow-up model.
An Android Authority writer tested two third-party Android weather apps, Gradient Weather and Breezy Weather, after years of relying on Samsung Weather, Pixel Weather and AccuWeather. Both apps offered strong customization and usability, but the reviewer ultimately favored one over the other after weighing their strengths and drawbacks.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple built and tested a shorter, magnetically attaching Pencil variant designed for its rumored foldable iPhone, expected to launch alongside the device this fall. Gurman notes the accessory isn't expected to ship as a consumer product at launch, citing storage challenges and the fragility of foldable plastic displays.