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Android Authority ran a reader poll asking how often people upgrade their smartwatch, offering options ranging from yearly upgrades to waiting until the device stops working. With seven votes recorded so far, 57% said they upgrade only when their smartwatch malfunctions, while 43% said they replace it every three to five years; no respondents chose annual, biennial upgrades, or not using a smartwatch at all.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S12 series with two models, the 12.6-inch Tab S12 Plus and 14.6-inch Tab S12 Ultra, skipping a standard base version entirely. Both tablets run MediaTek's Dimensity 9500 chip, feature 120Hz AMOLED displays with 1,600 nits brightness, IP68 ratings, and up to 23 hours of video playback, and are thinner than last year's models. The Tab S12 Plus starts at $1,199.99 and the Ultra at $1,399.99, with availability from October 7.
A review of Samsung's Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra highlights its 14.6-inch OLED screen, 1,600-nit peak brightness, 120Hz refresh rate, and an under-display fingerprint sensor, all housed in a 5.1mm-thick, 692-gram aluminum body. The reviewer notes the tablet has only a single USB-C port, calling it a limitation for a device positioned as a laptop replacement.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy SmartTag 3 alongside its new Galaxy Tab S12 lineup, priced at $30 for a single unit or $100 for a four-pack. The tracker gains longer Bluetooth range, extended battery life of up to 550 days, ultra-wideband precision finding, a geofencing 'Place Notification' feature, and cross-platform compatibility through the SmartThings app for both iPhone and Android users. Samsung also added a new pet activity monitoring function as a notable feature of the device.
Korean tipster yeux1122 claims Samsung will raise prices across multiple storage tiers and models in the Galaxy S27 series. The reported increase ranges from roughly 100,000 to 130,000 won (about $74-$96), though these figures apply specifically to the Korean market. The leaker also suggests the S27 Pro and Ultra may use pricier UFS 5.1 storage and LPDDR6 RAM.
An Android Authority writer tested three storage-cleaning tools — Samsung's built-in Device Care, Google's Files app, and the power-user tool SD Maid SE — after nearly filling a 256GB Galaxy phone. The cleanup recovered 15GB, less than hoped, largely because the reviewer chose to keep many large personal files rather than delete them.
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus and Tab S12 Ultra tablets. The Plus gets a larger, brighter 12.6-inch display, a thinner and lighter build, a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, and a bigger 10,600mAh battery, now starting at $1,199. The Ultra keeps its 14.6-inch display, 11,600mAh battery and design from last year's model, adding only a new chipset and four-channel spatial audio, priced at $1,399.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy SmartTag 3, a Bluetooth tracker that is 35 percent smaller and 33 percent lighter than its predecessor, with battery life extended to 550 days of normal use or 790 days in power-saving mode. The device drops the SmartTag 2's key-ring cutout in favor of a squircle design requiring an optional case, and adds iOS compatibility alongside new location-history and movement-alert features.
The SMGCommunity group has completed a full decompilation of Super Mario Galaxy, making it the first Wii game to be entirely reverse-engineered. Developer collective Luma's Workshop has already announced an unofficial PC port called AstroCore, which it says will be coded entirely by humans without heavy AI assistance.
Samsung has begun rolling out a new update for the Galaxy S24, S24 Plus, S24 Ultra, and S24 FE globally, carrying the September 2026 security patch that fixes 90 vulnerabilities. The update is roughly 450MB for the standard S24 models and 438MB for the S24 FE, but it does not include the stable One UI 9 build based on Android 17, which Samsung has not yet scheduled.
Samsung has started rolling out its One UI 9 software update, currently reaching the Galaxy S23 series and Z Flip/Z Fold 5 and newer models, with wider availability expected to follow. Users can check for the update via Settings > Software Update, and can schedule automatic downloads for times like charging.
The Interim Computer Museum has taken on a new restoration of Galaxy Game, the 1971 Stanford coin-op version of Spacewar! built by Bill Pitts and Hugh Tuck on a PDP-11/20. The project, prompted by Pitts along with Josh Dersch and Robert Schmuck, has already rebuilt the machine's power supply and gotten the PDP-11 running again, with work now shifting to refurbishing its HP 1300A electrostatic X-Y displays.