GoKawiil
Tech News
Google has issued new guidelines requiring Android app developers to reduce memory consumption, giving them until February 2027 to comply. The move responds to a global memory shortage that has pushed phone makers to cut RAM in entry-level devices, often dropping from 6-8GB to just 4GB. Apps exceeding Google's memory thresholds for dynamic RAM use, bitmap handling, and DEX code will be throttled or force-closed by the OS.
Leaked images shared by Weibo user Peter show what appears to be an engineering prototype of the Xiaomi 18 Fold, a book-style folding phone with a camera island resembling the rumored iPhone Ultra design. The device reportedly comes in a dark cherry color, echoing speculation about one of the iPhone 18 Pro's colorways.
IDC's August 2026 forecast predicts worldwide smartphone shipments will drop 16.7% this year, a steeper decline than the 13.9% estimate from May. The cause is a severe shortage of NAND and DRAM chips, with component costs up over 300% year-over-year as manufacturers redirect capacity to AI data centers. As a result, average smartphone selling prices have jumped 27.6% to $581, effectively pushing sub-$100 Android phones out of the market.
Leaks ahead of Apple's confirmed September 9 event point to a foldable iPhone Ultra launching seven years after Samsung's first foldable phone. Reports describe a nearly crease-free inner display, an ultra-thin body powered by the A20 Pro chip and a vapor chamber for cooling, and a liquid-metal hinge built on technology Apple licensed more than 15 years ago.
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.
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.
Apple is preparing a wave of over ten new products, including its first foldable iPhone, dubbed iPhone Ultra, a long-rumored smart home hub called HomePad, and a refreshed Apple TV 4K. The HomePad, first detailed by Mark Gurman in late 2024, was delayed by Siri AI setbacks but now appears close to release alongside other Home products.
Xiaomi announced price hikes of up to ¥20,000 (about $137) on several Xiaomi, Redmi, and POCO devices in Japan, citing surging memory and component costs. The Xiaomi 17T Pro and multiple POCO X8 Pro and X8 Pro Max configurations see the steepest jumps, some rising nearly 25%, while tablets face smaller increases of ¥2,000 to ¥10,000. The new prices take effect September 1 for Xiaomi and Redmi products and September 4 for POCO models.
The Mecha Comet, a modular handheld Linux computer built by Shoaib Merchant, has secured over $1.19 million from more than 3,300 Kickstarter backers and is now slated to ship in October or November. The device features a 4-inch AMOLED display, dual USB ports, mini HDMI, a SIM tray, hardware kill switches for wifi, microphone and camera, and snap-in open-hardware extensions like a keyboard and gamepad.