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Amazon is selling the 512GB Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra for $1,199.99, a $400 (25%) discount off its $1,599.99 list price. The listing carries a 4.6 out of 5 rating from buyers. The phone features a 6.9-inch QHD+ 120Hz display, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, 12GB RAM, a 200MP main camera with multiple telephoto and ultrawide lenses, a 5,000mAh battery, and runs Android 16 with One UI 8.5 and Galaxy AI/Gemini features.
Multiple Reddit users report that the inner display on Apple's new foldable, the iPhone Duo, cracks when opened, with some cases occurring during initial setup. WIRED says its own review unit has shown no issues after two weeks of daily use, and Apple has not responded to a request for comment.
Digital Wellbeing, Google's built-in Android screen-time tracker, has been installed more than 10 billion times but is rarely opened deliberately because it lacks a home-screen icon and sits inside the Settings menu. The app tracks app usage, unlock counts and notification volume, and offers tools to set time limits, holding a 4.1-star rating across 1.49 million reviews. Some manufacturers, including Samsung and Huawei, ship their own equivalent tools instead, since Google requires makers to include some screen-time and parental-control feature but not Digital Wellbeing specifically.
Samsung sponsored an Instagram video that shows a sliced green apple failing to fold together before cutting to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which it claims is 1.6mm thinner and 53g lighter than Apple's new foldable. The ad ends with the tagline 'Years ahead in Foldables,' timed to coincide with early reports of cracked screens on Apple's iPhone Duo.
An Android Authority writer tested a free app called Bubble Level after finding Samsung's built-in Surface Level tool on the Galaxy S26 Ultra inadequate for checking whether a narrow object, like a TV mounting frame, was level. Unlike Samsung's bullseye-style tool, which measures tilt across two axes for flat surfaces, Bubble Level provides a traditional single-axis spirit-level reading similar to the iPhone's Measure app.
Korean outlet Chosun Biz says Samsung's internal testing shows the unreleased Exynos 2700 chip beating Xiaomi 18 Pro and Pro Max devices (running Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 and Extreme Gen 6) in Geekbench 6.5 and 7.0 multi-core scores, by margins ranging from 15% to 44%. The report also claims the Exynos chip led in two unnamed GPU tests, though specific figures weren't disclosed.
Samsung's first clip-on earbuds, the Galaxy Buds On, go on sale in South Korea on October 27 priced at 299,000 won (about $226). The open-ear design includes TwinBoost speakers, sound-leakage reduction, and Galaxy AI features like head-gesture call answering and voice memo recording. Early buyers through November 30 get two 30% discount coupons for Buds accessories.
A specs comparison lines up the rumored foldable iPhone Duo, with its 5.4-inch cover screen and 7.6-inch inner display, against three Android foldables: Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8, Google's Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and Motorola's Razr Fold. The analysis covers screen size, weight, camera resolution, and water/dust resistance ratings across all four devices.
Testing by SoundGuys found that AirPods paired with a Samsung Galaxy phone retain basic controls like play, pause and skip, but lose customization options such as press-and-hold stem actions, ear detection, Spatial Audio, head tracking, and health features like Hearing Test and heart rate tracking. These settings require an Apple device to configure, and automatic switching between devices only works within the Apple ecosystem since AirPods don't support standard Bluetooth multipoint.
Speculation has circulated that Samsung might rename or replace its One UI software with something called Galaxy OS, but current reporting suggests this is unlikely in the near term. Samsung is actively rolling out One UI 9, which adds improved support for foldables and other device types and has been well received so far.
Android Authority's Robert Triggs tested portrait photography on three flagship phones, examining how each handles skin tones, facial detail and background blur. The Pixel's portrait mode offers a simple zoom-based interface with a default 2x setting, plus finer manual controls for exposure, white balance and blur strength than its rivals provide outside their Pro modes.
Samsung's One UI 9, running Android 17, delivers a smooth experience and timely security patches on the Galaxy S26 Plus, according to an Android Authority reviewer. However, the reviewer says Galaxy AI features like Now Brief and Now Nudge continue to underdeliver, with Now Brief failing to surface news matching the user's stated interests even after customization.