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Amazon has discounted the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 to $989.99, marking the lowest price since its release and saving buyers $220 off the original $1,199.99 retail price. The device features a 6.9-inch foldable display, a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, 12GB of RAM, and a 4,300mAh battery, along with multiple camera options and new AI features. The deal requires an Amazon Prime membership, which can be trialed for free.
Motorola and Google are investigating a bug that prevents Android Auto from placing outgoing calls when clamshell foldables like the Razr or Galaxy Z Flip are closed. Incoming calls still work fine, and the issue only affects calls initiated while the phone is folded shut. Users say the problem began after Gemini replaced Google Assistant, with reports spanning several months into September.
Flip-phone startup Dumb.co asked applicants for four internship roles to submit handwritten cover letters after receiving a flood of AI-generated submissions that felt impersonal. The company received nearly 900 applications through Handshake, with about 70% including handwritten letters, and 200 to 300 candidates also mailed in physical applications, according to customer success manager Marlee Pelton-Fuentes.
Samsung has begun pushing the stable One UI 9 update, based on Android 17, to the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, S25 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 in Korea. Beta testers are receiving a smaller ~535MB download to move to the final build, while users still on One UI 8.5 get a much larger update package of around 3.8GB. The rollout follows the update's earlier launch on the Galaxy S26 line and is expected to expand to the US soon.
A maker built an installation combining a FLIP (Fluid Implicit Particle) fluid simulation with an electromechanical flipdot display, unveiled at the EMF2026 event. Unable to afford commercial flipdot displays, which reportedly cost tens of thousands of dollars from specialist manufacturers, the creator sourced or built panels through informal networks after being turned down by companies owning existing displays.
Samsung quietly merged its old Bixby button into the side power button starting with the Note 10 series, giving the single button several default functions: short press for screen on/off, long press for Bixby, double press for camera, and combinations with volume buttons for screenshots and the power menu. Samsung allows users to remap nearly all of these actions through phone settings, including on older devices that still have a separate Bixby button.
Amazon is selling the Retroid Pocket Flip 2 for $229, down $40 from its $269 list price, marking the handheld's lowest price yet. The clamshell Android device uses a Snapdragon 865 chip with active cooling and a 5.5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen, enabling emulation up to GameCube, Dreamcast and PS2 as well as lighter Switch and Android titles.
Light is launching a Rideshare feature for its Light Phone III and upcoming Light Flip, letting users request Uber and Lyft rides, view fares and ETAs, and contact drivers directly from the device. The tool runs through a partnership with Tremp, an SMS-based rideshare service, and charges a 10 percent fee with a $2 minimum, though the first five rides in 30 days are free.
Samsung reports that combined US purchases of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are running 30% ahead of last year's Z Fold 7, which itself was the most pre-ordered Fold model ever. The two Fold devices now make up about 80% of total Galaxy Z8 series purchases, with the Z Flip 8 accounting for the rest. Samsung also says roughly 30% of Flip 8 buyers switched from rival brands, most of them first-time foldable owners.
Samsung has issued the final security patch for the 2021 Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3, removing both devices from its official security update list. The Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 have now shifted to a quarterly update schedule, signaling their own support window will close around 2027.
Samsung has pushed four AI features first introduced for the Galaxy S26 lineup—Call Brief, Custom Cards in Now Brief, Now Nudge, and My FanCam—to the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 via a second One UI 9 beta build. These tools were already extended to the Galaxy S25 series and now bring smarter calling context, personalized daily briefings, proactive on-screen suggestions, and automatic video reframing to last year's foldables. The update also patches bugs affecting Wi-Fi, display, camera, and app stability.
Best Buy is selling the 16-inch HP OmniBook X Flip 2-in-1 for $699, a 47% cut from its $1,329 list price. The convertible laptop features a 1920x1200 OLED touchscreen, a Ryzen AI 5 340 processor with integrated Radeon 840M graphics, 16GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD, along with a 65W GaN charger and dual Thunderbolt ports.