GoKawiil
Tech News
A CNET poll of 2,605 US adults found that three-quarters have no interest in purchasing a foldable Apple device, even as rumors point to Apple unveiling its first foldable iPhone, dubbed the iPhone Ultra, at a September event. Analysts expect the device to cost between $2,000 and $2,500, but survey respondents said they'd only be willing to spend an average of $781 on such a phone.
Samsung's latest foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold8, refines the design but still forces buyers to choose between competing priorities like thinness, durability, battery life and camera quality. Rather than solving foldables' core engineering tensions, it shifts which trade-offs users accept.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Apple will raise prices by at least $100 on the iPhone 18 Pro and other devices unveiled at its September event, pushing the Pro model to roughly $1,200. The increase is linked to an AI-driven RAM shortage squeezing supply across phones, laptops and consoles, and follows earlier price hikes this summer on select MacBooks, iPads and HomePods.
An industry tipster claims Samsung and Corning are jointly developing a new self-healing surface coating for the next generation of Gorilla Armor glass, potentially destined for the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The coating would reportedly let the glass recover from everyday micro-scratches on its own, though details on timing, testing, or branding remain unconfirmed.
Android Authority polled over 4,200 readers on the best alternative to Google's new Pixel 11, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 won with roughly 26% of the vote. The budget-friendly Motorola Edge (2026) finished a close second, trailing by just 54 votes, while the pricier Pixel 11 Pro came in third with about 18.5% support.
USB PD, especially its PPS feature, now underpins fast charging on most major phones, including Apple's iPhone 17 and Android flagships like Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra and Google's Pixel 11 series. Qualcomm Quick Charge, once dominant, has largely folded into USB PD compatibility, while brands like OnePlus, Oppo and Xiaomi still rely on proprietary systems such as SuperVOOC and HyperCharge for their fastest speeds.
Several widely-used smartwatches, including Google's Pixel Watch 2, Samsung's Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro, and multiple Apple Watch models, will lose software support in 2026. The devices will continue basic functions like fitness tracking and notifications but won't receive further feature updates or, in some cases, security patches. Apple is reportedly retiring five watch models in a single watchOS release, one of its largest support cuts to date.
Mark Gurman reports that Apple insiders who've handled the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra praise its pocketability, hinge durability, iPad-style app layouts on its roughly 7.8-inch inner screen, and its usefulness as a camera viewfinder. The device, expected to launch soon with a 5.5-inch outer display, is rumored to cost over $2,000 and use Touch ID rather than Face ID, with only a main and ultra-wide camera.
Google unveiled the Pixel 11 Pro Fold as part of its Pixel 11 lineup, offering a slimmer and 19-gram lighter design compared to last year's Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Despite these physical refinements, a hands-on comparison found the changes largely cosmetic, with the device still lagging behind Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra in overall polish and innovation.