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Sony's WH-1000XM5 noise-canceling headphones are currently on sale for $198, a $202 discount that marks one of the lowest prices seen for the model. Several other Sony headphones are also discounted as part of the same sale, though the WH-1000XM5 remains the standout deal despite being one generation behind the newer WH-1000XM6.
Belkin's SoundForm Mini 2 wireless on-ear headphones, designed for children ages 3 and up, are currently discounted 25 percent using the code VERGE25OFF. The base model drops from $29.99 to $22.49, while the version with a zip-up carrying case falls from $39.99 to $29.99 after the code is applied.
Ahead of Apple's expected iPhone 18 Pro unveiling next week, leakers agree on two colors—Dark Cherry/Burgundy and Sky Blue—but disagree on the third option. Fixed Focus Digital claims it will be black with no silver variant, while Sonny Dickson has posted images of SIM tray covers suggesting silver is the third color instead.
A technical review examines the ferrocyanide/ferricyanide redox couple, prized in flow batteries for its stability, kinetics and solubility, and asks why no one has built a symmetric flow battery using it on both electrodes. The piece explains that ferrocyanide reacts with heavy metal cations like zinc or iron to form insoluble Prussian blue compounds, blocking the metal-plating side of such a design, and notes that even chelation workarounds using pyrophosphates lead to poor long-term cycling stability, as shown by degradation data after 100 cycles.
E-commerce SEO firm Productrise found that identical products listed through Google's AI Mode averaged 21.6 percent higher prices than the same items shown via traditional Google Search. The study also found AI Mode listings appeared 49 percent more prominently to users, and nearly half the time recommended a different primary retailer than standard search results.
Xiaomi's mobile division president Lu Weibing posted official renders confirming the Xiaomi 18 Fold will debut in China on September 7, 2026, two days before Apple's expected iPhone Ultra foldable reveal. The device features a 5.38-inch cover display, a 7.58-inch inner screen, a triple rear camera system, and Xiaomi's new XRing O3 chipset, with leaks pointing to a 3.5x optical zoom telephoto lens.
Acer showed off a concept device called Project DualPlay Mini, an 8-inch Windows handheld gaming PC that opens up like a laptop to reveal a backlit physical keyboard, with the screen swiveling inward to complete the transformation. Alongside it, Acer launched the Predator Atlas 7, a smaller 7-inch sibling to the Predator Atlas 8 handheld released earlier this year.
Acer has introduced two new Android tablets, the Iconia X14 and X16, ahead of IFA 2026, both featuring OLED displays, metal bodies, and kickstands in Matte Black. Despite the modern screens, both models run on the aging MediaTek Helio G80 chipset from 2020, paired with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage on Android 16, with a Q4 launch planned and pricing still unannounced.
Acer revealed two small-form-factor desktops aimed at AI workloads. The SFF RTX Spark uses NVIDIA's new RTX Spark superchip, offering up to a 6,144-core Blackwell GPU, a 20-core Grace CPU, and 128GB of memory, though pricing and availability remain undisclosed. The Veriton RI110 AI Mini Workstation runs on an Intel Core Ultra X7 358H processor with an Arc B390 GPU, supports agentic AI tools, joins Microsoft's Copilot+ PC lineup, and is slated for North American release in late 2026.
Acer showed off Project DualPlay Mini, a concept device that folds like a mini laptop with a built-in keyboard and flip-up 8-inch screen, but converts into a standard handheld gaming device when closed. The company says it isn't a shipping product yet, though it would use the same Intel chips found in its newly announced Predator Atlas 8 and Atlas 7 handhelds.
Acer unveiled a fourth-generation Vero 16 laptop at IFA 2026, building on last year's sustainability-focused redesign by making the chassis and internal components easier to remove, repair and upgrade. The company also introduced two new lightweight Swift laptops at the same event, signaling it isn't abandoning its traditional clamshell lineup.
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.