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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.
A hands-on review of Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 finds that its new 4:3 aspect-ratio inner display finally reduces the black bars that plagued earlier foldables during widescreen video playback. However, the reviewer discovered they preferred using the device unfolded in portrait mode for reading and typing, only to find the inner selfie camera cutout repeatedly interferes with that experience.
Smart ring maker Oura is said to be planning a U.S. IPO as soon as next month, aiming to raise up to $3 billion at a valuation exceeding $16 billion, according to Bloomberg. That figure would nearly double the $10.9 billion valuation the company received in its September Series E round, with existing investors expected to sell a significant portion of shares in the offering.
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.
Samsung has introduced My FanCam, a Galaxy AI feature that lets users crop and follow a specific person in a video after it's already been recorded, rather than adjusting the frame live like Auto framing does. Because it works after the fact, users are advised to shoot wider scenes so the AI has more room to track and reposition the subject.
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.
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple is likely to raise iPhone 18 Pro prices by roughly $100, bringing the base model to about $1,199, rather than the steeper $1,299-$1,399 some analysts predicted. That would mirror recent $100 price hikes from Samsung and Google on their flagship phones amid rising memory and component costs.
Apple, Samsung, and Google are ending update cycles for a number of their established smartwatch lines, meaning those devices will no longer receive the same software attention going forward. The move affects wearables many consumers still actively use, even if the hardware itself keeps functioning.
Dutch manufacturer Fairphone is now directly shipping its 6+ smartphone to US consumers, unlocked and compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile networks. Priced at $649, the device emphasizes repairability and ethically sourced materials while delivering performance the reviewer describes as above midrange, though short of true flagship levels.
New leaked images from tipster Ice Universe show Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra sporting a wide rectangular rear camera plateau similar to Apple's iPhone 17 Pro. Otherwise, the leak suggests the phone keeps the same dimensions, display size, left-side S Pen slot, and speaker placement as the current Galaxy S26 Ultra. The rest of the S27 lineup—Pro, Plus, and standard models—is expected to get only minor design tweaks.
Walmart has launched early Labor Day sale pricing across tech categories, including discounts on Apple and Samsung products. ZDNET compiled a list of standout deals after comparing retailer listings and pricing data ahead of the holiday shopping period.
Samsung presented plans at Hot Chips 2026 to rethink High Bandwidth Memory design by fabricating the base die on a 4nm logic process instead of a DRAM node, starting with HBM4 and HBM4E. This logic-node shift reduces power consumption and frees up unused base die area, which Samsung is now exploring ways to use, including a first phase that would integrate the memory controller directly onto the base die.