GoKawiil
Tech News
Counterpoint Research reports that global smartphone retail prices have risen 15% in 2026, driven by rising component and memory costs, but US prices have climbed only 5% on average. Price-sensitive markets like India, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East/Africa have seen much steeper increases of 16-21%, while Europe and China saw 7% and 10% hikes respectively.
Motorola showed off the Moto Watch Ultra at IFA 2026, marking its first Wear OS smartwatch since the Moto 360 in 2019. The device features a large 46.26mm stainless-steel case reminiscent of Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, but weighs only 51 grams, and retains Polar-powered fitness tracking alongside a rotating crown control scheme borrowed from Motorola's earlier Moto Watch.
Amazon is currently selling the unlocked 128GB Samsung Galaxy S26 FE for $699.99 with a free $200 Amazon gift card included. The device is Samsung's new lower-cost Fan Edition phone, available in Graphite, Pistachio, and Blueberry, and comes with Galaxy AI features and Samsung ecosystem support. The promotion is expected to end once the phone officially launches tomorrow.
Amazon is running a Labor Day sales event through Monday, September 7, 2026, offering discounts of up to 46% across PC hardware categories. Deals span SSDs, gaming monitors, laptops, headsets, keyboards, mice, webcams and networking gear like mesh routers and switches.
Best Buy and Amazon are both selling Samsung's Q990F soundbar bundle for $999.99, down from its usual $1,300 to $1,600 price range. The package includes a 48.5-inch 11.1.4-channel soundbar, a wireless subwoofer, and two wireless rear speakers.
Samsung's Galaxy Watch 9 has become the first Galaxy smartwatch to support seamless updates, according to users who spotted the change during its first firmware update carrying the August 5, 2026 security patch. Instead of forcing the watch offline during installation, the roughly 193MB update downloaded and installed in the background while the device remained usable. Samsung did not announce the feature in its specs or changelog; it was discovered by users during installation.
Multiple Galaxy Watch Ultra owners on Reddit and Facebook say the faceplate and bezel have spontaneously separated from the watch frame without visible damage. Some users report Samsung quoted repair costs near $300 through uBreakiFix, even though the devices were reportedly still under warranty. Similar bezel-lifting complaints surfaced roughly a year ago involving the first-generation model.
An Android Authority writer describes switching from Samsung's built-in Edge Panels to a free third-party app called Panels, which adds a customizable sidebar launcher accessible via a swipe from the screen's edge. The sidebar includes three swipeable sections for apps, shortcuts like contacts and quick settings, and interactive widgets, with the option to add more pages as needed.
Florida International University researchers tested the Apple Watch Series 8, Fitbit Sense 2, Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and Garmin Forerunner 955 against a Cosmed K5 metabolic device and ECG chest strap during controlled workouts with 58 participants. All four smartwatches overstated calorie burn, with margins of error ranging from 15% to 25%, meaning a reported 200-calorie burn could really be closer to 160-174 calories. Apple Watch was the most accurate, while Samsung and Garmin overestimated more, and Fitbit had enough tracking glitches that some of its data had to be excluded.
According to leaker Roland Quandt, Samsung's upcoming Galaxy A18 will offer 128GB and 256GB storage configurations and come in Light Blue, Black, and Silver colorways. The leak follows earlier CAD renders in July that showed the phone's design staying close to its predecessor's look.
Amazon is selling Samsung's newly launched Galaxy Z Flip 8 for $1,049.99, a $150 cut from its $1,199.99 list price. The clamshell foldable features a slimmer build, a 6.7-inch inner screen, a larger 4.1-inch FlexWindow with added AI capabilities, Samsung DeX support, and a 4,300mAh battery.
Amazon has issued its first discount on the newly launched Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, lowering the price from $2,099.99 to $1,799.99, a 14% reduction. The Ultra is Samsung's premium foldable variant, featuring a larger 6.5-inch cover display, 8-inch main screen, Snapdragon flagship chip, roughly 5,000mAh battery, and a 200MP main camera.