Honor will soon unleash its latest flagship phone, with the rear camera being the main focus for the refresh. However, before the Magic 9 Pro Max and its Arri-developed cam arrive during a launch event in China on 28 September, another device is coming from the brand with an alternative headline feature.

The Honor X9e Pro will launch next week, prior to its even more capable stablemate. And while it too will have an impressive camera (on paper at least), it's the 11,000mAh battery that's garnering the most attention.

According to Wiser.My, it will be officially announced on 24 September 2026 and it'll see a generational bump in battery size. The last model came with an 8,300mAh cell, but the replacement will offer one of the largest batteries Honor has ever crammed into a handset.

For context, the 11,000mAh battery has at least twice the capacity of the one in the new iPhone 18 Pro Max. And Apple claims that can last up to 29 hours. If the Honor phone's optimisation is spot on, you can therefore expect the X9e Pro to last three days between charges (with reasonable use).

In addition, Honor is including 80W SuperCharge wired fast charging, as well as 27W reverse charging, so you can use the phone as a remote charger for a different device.

There is a catch, however. As things stand, it looks like the Honor X9e Pro is destined for the Malaysian market exclusively – it will launch there next Thursday. There's currently no indication that it will arrive in the UK, US or Europe as well.

Still, Honor tends to test its technologies in some devices before rolling them out to others, so maybe we'll see much bigger battery sizes in more universally available models soon.

We can but hope.

Oppo is preparing to launch one of the most ambitious smartphone cameras to date, packing in three 200-megapixel sensors.

It will announce the Find X10 fully later in September as flagship phones move into their next chapter, but some details are starting to be revealed – for both the Find X10 and Find X10 Pro Max – with many coming from Oppo itself.

For example, thanks to a series of posts from Oppo's Zhuo Shijie on Weibo, we now know a lot more about what to expect from the cameras.

The big takeaway is that the Oppo Find X10 Pro Max will use three 200-megapixel cameras, developed with Hasselblad. The primary camera will have an f/1.5 aperture, the ultrawide will have an f/2.2 aperture and the telephoto camera – also packing a 200-megapixel sensor – will have an f/2.1 aperture, with CIPA 7.5 stabilisation.

There's also talk of a new colour sensor, offering improved dynamic range. All-in, it should be a photography powerhouse.

Supporting OpenGate capture, videographers will be able use the entire sensor for 4:3 video, and it will be compatible with the Blackmagic Camera app and offer O-Log2 and Dolby Vision capture. While these features will be beyond most normal users, it takes the video options to a new professional level.

All three cameras will support 8K and there's going to be a full range of accessories available, with a real focus on photo and video capture.

The regular Find X10 will have two 200-megapixel cameras with different lenses, the main with f/1.6 and the telephoto with f/2.6, while the rest of the phone will likely be similar.

It's been confirmed that there will be an 8,000mAh battery in both models, while the bezel around the display has shrunk to 0.99mm.

Also, thanks to a leak from Digital Chat Station, we can add the expectation for the Dimensity 9600 Pro – the new 2nm chip from MediaTek – plus 80W wired and 50W wireless charging added to the picture.

In China, the Find X10 is already available for pre-order, and the timing of the launch is likely to coincide with the reveal of that new core hardware. The MediaTek 9600 is expected to be revealed on 15 September, while next-gen Snapdragon hardware is expected on 22 September.

We've previously reported that a new Honor phone will be revealed within the same timeframe, and we'd expect Xiaomi to unveil the Xiaomi 18 Pro as the first device available with the new Snapdragon hardware.

Most of these phones will be launched in China first, but availability for the rest of the world is likely to come from February 2027 onwards.

Apple introduced variable aperture as the highlight feature of the new iPhone 18 Pro, underlining that the camera is still a hugely important part of a smartphone. You don't need to tell Honor that though, as it has started teasing its next flagship phone with some new camera features of its own.

Introducing the Magic 9 Pro Max, which is due to be officially launched on 28 September in China, Honor is leaning into its partnership with Arri – a veteran of the cinema industry. Its camera systems were used for films like The Revenant, 1917, Gravity, and more.

The pairing first came to light with the development of Honor's Robot Phone, but it seems that Arri's experience will also benefit the 2027 flagship phone too.

The Honor Magic 9 Pro Max was shown off at the Venice International Film Festival, with Arri branding on the back of the device in the camera array, while it has also been teased on Weibo.

Although the phone physically has adopted the rear segmentation that was ushered in for the iPhone 17 Pro, using a separate rear panel and huge camera island, the layout of the camera's lenses seems to have drawn inspiration from an old Arriflex camera.

The result is a massive round blob of camera sitting next to two other lenses. It's bold, but I have to say I kind of like it. Looking closer, it seems that much of that larger surround is just there to decorate the telephoto.

From the video on Weibo we learn a little more about Honor's accessories for this camera, with what looks like a clip on cover to support a larger telephoto extension – the sort of thing we've seen from Vivo with the X300 Ultra or the Oppo Find X9 Pro.

We know that the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max will have three cameras developed with Arri, and what it looks like. And we also know there will be a fetching green colour. That's about the end of the official information that we currently have.

So let's move onto speculation: the timing of the launch suggests that it will be equipped with Qualcomm's next-gen Snapdragon hardware, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 – or the rumoured "pro" version of the chip that might also appear.

That hardware is expected later in September and typically Chinese brands immediately announce new phones using it straight after launch.

A wider global launch is likely to follow, probably around February 2027.

An additional leak from Digital Chat Station suggests that the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max has an 8,800mAh battery, which is absolutely huge.

Elsewhere, a video of the new phone has also been shared, which appears to be official, showing the design a little more, while there seem to be plenty sharing the design online already, likely part of Honor's teaser campaign.

Included around the lenses of the camera, it's revealed that there's a 200-megapixel cam, with a 1/1.28in type sensor and 3 degrees of OIS, while it also says there will be a 200-megapixel, 1/1.4in sensor with 4 degrees OIS – it's not clear which cameras the details apply to, but it's likely to be the main and the telephoto.

All will be revealed on 28 September, but it looks like the Honor Magic 9 Pro Max is going to be a serious phone. Especially for fans of photography.

Motorola could be the next brand to release a wider folding phone, looking to quickly shift its strategy from flip to fold.

It launched its first book-type folding phone in 2026, the Motorola Razr Fold, having first re-entered the folding phone phone market in 2019 with the rebirth of its iconic Razr line.

While Samsung has led the charge in larger format devices, Motorola has been reluctant to move from flip to fold – and has seen success with its Razr models in some markets, particularly the US.

But as Apple has just announced the iPhone Duo, its £2,000 folding phone, Motorola hasn't missed the chance to point out that it's been in the folding phone game for a long time, and highlight its "next move".

Posting on social channels, the brand has run with the tagline "New in their hands. Iconic in ours", leading with the V3 Razr from 2004, before jumping to the 2019 version and then through iterations of the flip phone until the 2026 Razr Fold.

At that point something interesting happens, because a silhouette of a device appears which is a fold style, but shorter, looking like an obvious tease for Motorola's next folding phone.

With Apple joining the folding phone market, it's likely that everyone in the folding phone segment will adopt the format.

Samsung launched its wider folding phone in July 2026 – the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – while Huawei was there slightly earlier with the Pura X, and Xiaomi is also entering the fray with the Xiaomi 18 Fold.

Motorola, having just made the transition to a larger folding device, doesn't want to be left behind.

Samsung currently dominates the global market for folding phones with a 40% share, according to recent Counterpoint research. Huawei – thanks to its profile in China – took 30% of the share in 2025, Motorola, Honor and Google all had a slice of the pie.

It's expected that Apple's entry into the folding phone market will not only drive a lot of attention to folding phones, but reinforce the advantages of a wider device, rather than the larger-format devices that open with an almost square display.

With expansion expected across the segment, brands will want to make sure they have an iPhone Duo alternative to benefit from the wave of enthusiasm that's likely to come.

It's not clear when Motorola might launch this new phone. Typical launch windows – like Lenovo Innovation World that just took place in Berlin – have passed. It's likely then that Motorola will cast its eye on CES 2027.

In 2026, Motorola showcased the new Signature and Fold models in Las Vegas, before releasing them a few months later.

The internet got itself into a tizzy over the past few days, when users started sharing stories about how the screen on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 flexes at the corners.

This all started with fairly innocent questions about whether others found that the corners could be pushed inwards slightly. As is often the case, some pile-in with confused information (one referring it to the Galaxy Z Fold 7, which was a completely different design), while others provided useful information – such as confirming how the glue was applied from the JerryRigEverything teardown.

Reddit went down the same rabbit hole, before Samsung came forward to detail that it's a design feature, not a flaw. That hasn’t stopped the sensationalist reactions on X, with people claiming it's a quality control issue and highlighting that Apple will do better. But that's the internet folks.

According to Samsung, talking to Business Post (via 9to5Google), it's an intentional flexibility designed to protect your device from damage if something does get caught in the corner.

Samsung said in a reply to one user: "When you press the outer corners of the foldable main display on the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Fold 8 Ultra, there is a slight indentation. This means that the main display of the foldable product features a cushioning structure applied to the outer corner areas for durability and protection."

The reply goes on: "This is a normal design feature applied to protect the display and enhance durability, and it does not affect the product performance, so please use it with confidence."

That, it seems, is much to the disappointment of many online who thought they had found Samsung's fatal flaw with its popular new device.

While many were suggesting that Apple wouldn't have the same "flaw", we're now only hours away from the launch of the "iPhone Duo", which is the expected name of the folding iPhone.

We're just hoping it's more successful than the Surface Duo that seems to be the inspiration for its name.

Nothing has put out a call for its Community Review Program, which is where fans of the brand can play their part in testing and reviewing its products.

There's a whole range of stipulations about what you'll have to do, but it's basically a reviews programme where you'll have to share those impressions through your own channels as part of the Nothing community.

It's made perfectly clear that you'll have to agree to an NDA – non disclosure agreement – and you'll be given dates when you can share your thoughts and findings.

For those dreaming of being an influencer, this could be the opportunity: you'll be sent a Nothing device, you get to test it and then you can create the content. For you it's a bit of fun – you'll have to return the phone as it's only a loan – while for Nothing it's a bit of community engagement and free marketing.

Nothing has outlined some specific types of people it's interested in, saying that those interested in 3D animation, graphic design, music and sound products, or product reviews are encouraged to apply.

The announcement is topped by Lanturn, originally appearing on a teaser a few days ago. It's not clear if Lanturn refers to a product or just to the Review Program itself, but the appearance has set speculation running.

Some community members think that it refers to a premium Nothing watch, while others pick up on the symbology and think that it refers to the Glyph interface because of the light. Others see the electric type Pokémon as some sort of battery or charging device.

Nothing has already had a busy year and the company has publicly said that it will have a wider selection of phones in 2027, which could include a new flagship phone, the Nothing Phone (4).

We've had the Nothing Phone (4a) and (4a) Pro, as well as the Nothing Phone (4b) this year – alongside new earbuds.

Rumours persist that there's a Nothing Watch in the making, with previous watches limited to the CMF brand.

While the upcoming launches aren't clear, those selected for the Review Program will get access to devices in advance, for a chance to have a say and directly impact on the direction that Nothing is moving.

Folding phones are big news right now, with one expected to be announced in Cupertino on 9th September. But it’s not the only folding phone being announced. Today Xiaomi has unveiled its new flagship folding device, the Xiaomi 18 Fold, and it might just give Samsung and Apple a run for their money.

I got an exclusive hands-on with the device at the IFA show in Berlin and was seriously impressed. Finished in a bright red (also available in black, white and ceramic), the 18 Fold is passport-sized with a 2:1 ratio and unfolds to reveal a 7.58-inch tablet-like screen, much like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and, as the Apple device is rumoured to.

Measuring 117.8 x 83.6mm folded, it’s slightly shorter and wider than the Samsung and a little thicker, but the differences are negligible. I really liked the roundness of the corners and the fact that you can open it with one hand (at a stretch).

Both the internal and external screens on the Fold 18 are Xiaomi Hyper RGB panels with 4,000 nits peak brightness and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. There’s Xiaomi Shield Glass 3.0 on the outer screen and back panel to add strength and drop resistance, while the frame is an aluminium alloy.

The 18 Fold also boasts a Leica triple-camera system with a 200MP main camera and a 50MP periscope camera for a 3x zoom (80mm equivalent) or a sensor crop to allow a 6x (160mm equivalent). The cameras are lined up horizontally across the back of the phone in a chunky bump, similar to rumoured iPhone Fold designs.

Xiaomi’s new folding phone and its tablet, the Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max, are both powered by the latest XRING 03 system-on-a-chip (SoC), the company’s second in-house developed chip. This combines a 10-core CPU with a 16-core GPU and supports the latest LPDDR6 RAM. It promises 60% higher performance and 25% lower power consumption than the previous version.

For power, it uses a 6000mAh silicon-carbon battery, though the precise usage time was not revealed. It does support 50W wireless changing though, along with 67W wired.

The HyperOS allows multi-window operation, with both a two-way split on each side of the fold and a three-way split if you really need to see more apps. From my quick play with the phone, not every app allowed this but there are some useful hand gestures to pull the apps into the split-screen view.

What I really like about this phone – as I do the Samsung – is that it offers something in between the larger devices and the smaller flip models. It feels more compact in the hand, yet still offers that giant screen when unfolded, and in a more useful ratio. I also like that the outer screen is fully functional, so for day-to-day tasks you can use the phone folded.

The downside is that while the Xiaomi 18 Fold looks to be hugely appealing, it’s currently only available in China. There’s no word on whether this will come to the UK and Europe in the future, but at this stage I would guess not.

Prices in China for the 18 Fold start from 10999 Yuan, which is around £1200, €1400 or $1650. If this did make it to Europe, I would expect it to be closer to €2000 or £1700, but that would still be competitive.

If you thought that smartphones were getting a bit samey, you're right. But the Ikko MindOne Pro wants to offer something different with its square body and flip camera.

Rather than packing cameras into the back and front of the phone, it just has one rotating camera that will act as both. It's designed to give you a better selfie experience from the 50-megapixel camera.

Ikko, the company behind the MindOne Pro, pushes this as a card-sized "AI smartphone", looking to shake up the status quo with something a little different.

It's currently on pre-order (for £324) but it found its way onto the test bench of JerryRigEverything, which probably seemed like a good way to promote the new device, seeing as one of the highlights is a sapphire display cover.

There's a 4-inch AMOLED display, the camera has a 50-megapixel Sony sensor and it's all powered by a MediaTek 8781 chip. It runs Android, but a big part of this phone's identity is based around the AI OS that it also offers.

There's the boast of free AI internet, which appears to be just for using the AI functions, while it will support a regular nano SIM or vSIM for regular connectivity. It's an odd arrangement – with testing by Zack Nelson revealing that the AI was so slow it was barely worth using.

It appears that the display cover is indeed sapphire so provides good protection, but that doesn't extend to any other part of the phone. It has an IP54 rating and the camera itself doesn't get the sapphire protection.

The result is a strange little square phone, a bit like using the external screen of a flip phone without the advantage of being able to open it up.

Somewhere, this probably seemed like a good idea, but as many entrepreneurs will discover, the norm usually exists for a reason – because it's the best compromise of all factors.

The MindOne Pro looks interesting – especially as there's a plug-in keyboard which some might enjoy – but it's full of compromise compared to a normal phone. Still, at least someone is innovating in this space – even if the promise of an AI operating system seems to have fallen flat, as it has on so many recent attempts.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 could come with 60W charging, taking speeds higher than anything it has offered before. For many years, Samsung has been conservative with charging speeds.

Fast charging has been championed by the likes of Xiaomi and Oppo, while brands like Apple, Samsung and Google have stuck to slower charging rates over the years.

That's seen recent Samsung phones offering 45W, but that could see a bump to 60W in the Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra.

The details come from UniverseIce, a reliable source, but this bump in charging speed also matches changes that Samsung has recently made. The move from lithium-ion to silicon-carbon battery tech happened in the latest Galaxy Z devices and looks like it will continue into its flagship 2027 phones too.

Silicon-carbon isn't needed for faster charging: for many years, brands have offered charging up to 120W with lithium-ion, but the advantage that silicon-carbon offers is that the cells are more compact for the same capacity, meaning there's more room for cooling.

Fast charging generates a lot of heat, so dispersal of heat is needed to use higher powers, while heat build-up also leads to faster battery decay. That's likely to have been the reason that Samsung avoided it, so that the battery lasted longer and matched customer expectation.

Indeed, that's something we noted with the launch of the Galaxy Z 8 devices – they’re now rated to 1,200 charging cycles, rather than the 2,000 charging cycles previously supported. That's the cost of moving to silicon-carbon: batteries don't last as long.

However, slower charging speeds give rivals a competitive advantage and as we enter a tough time for smartphone sales, it looks like Samsung is looking for a better balance.

Apple might be better insulated against such competition, as it's much easier for a Samsung user to decide to jump over to a Motorola or Honor phone because the biggest part of the ecosystem is supplied by Google.

So while Apple only supports 40W charging on the iPhone 17 Pro – and rumoured to be 45W on the iPhone 18 Pro – the company may decide that keeping a slower charging speed to preserve battery longevity is more important to retain customers.

Faster charging will be welcomed on Samsung's 2027 phones: it will help close the gap with the competition. The side effects of that change might only be felt in a few years' time when the battery needs replacing because it no longer lasts as long as expected.

Huawei announced its latest foldable phone in China this morning and it comes with a couple of surprises.

The Huawei Mate XT 2 is a new tri-fold phone, but the brand has opted to change the design from its former model. Rather than a large screen that folds in on itself to create the front display, it now resembles the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold.

That means it has a separate front screen and the main tablet-like display is now better protected. And that's not the only feature "borrowed" from Samsung.

The Mate XT 2 also comes with a privacy display, as featured on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. But this is the first time a hardware level privacy solution has been used on a foldable, says Huawei.

For those who haven't seen Samsung's version of the tech, it can stop snoopers from seeing either the whole of your phone's screen, or even just individual apps, such as a video pop-up. The person sitting directly in front of the display can see it, but not those at an acute viewing angle.

Also new on the Huawei triple-fold phone is a built in stand, to prop it up when watching content on the inner screen.

As for other specs, Huawei has announced that it runs on a Kirin 9050 Pro processor, has an included ECG (electrocardiogram) sensor to read your heart rate, and comes preinstalled with the all-new Harmony OS 7 software.

It's not yet known when (or even whether) the Huawei Mate XT 2 will be available outside China, or how much it costs, but we'll update when we have more information.

A week of foldables

Of course, the Mate XT 2 isn't the only foldable to be launched this week. Apple is fully expected to unveil the iPhone Ultra on Wednesday – its first foldable device.

This will be a single fold phone, but with a similar wider design to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. That gives a larger iPad mini-like display in the middle.

T3 will be covering the Apple launch event live.

Google could be about to make one of the biggest changes yet to its Pixel Fold line, and it's one you should be able to see every time you open the phone.

The upcoming Pixel 12 Pro Fold is reportedly being lined up for a crease-less folding display, potentially bringing Google's foldable in line with some of the best new foldable phones on the market.

According to a report from The Elec, Google is among the companies working with Samsung Display on next-generation foldable panels using dual ultra-thin glass (UTG) technology. Oppo and Vivo are also reportedly adopting the technology, while it is expected to feature on Apple's first foldable iPhone.

Goodbye, crease?

The visible crease running down the middle of a folding phone's internal display has become one of the biggest compromises of the form factor.

It doesn't necessarily stop a foldable being enjoyable to use, but it's difficult to ignore when light catches it, and you can often feel it when running your finger across the screen.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold still has that compromise, while rivals have been increasingly aggressive about hiding it. Oppo, Honor and Samsung have all moved towards displays where the crease is considerably less noticeable.

Samsung Display's reported solution uses one UTG layer above the OLED panel and another underneath it, with the latter helping support the display. Samsung itself has previously used a titanium plate beneath the OLED to help achieve a flatter surface, while Oppo has taken a different approach involving liquid 3D printing.

Pixel 12 Pro Fold could be a big upgrade

The Pixel 12 Pro Fold isn't expected until the second half of 2027, with August reportedly a likely launch window given Google's usual Pixel schedule.

That gives Google plenty of time to refine the technology before it reaches us.

And the timing could be important. With Apple's first foldable expected imminently, a genuinely crease-less screen is rapidly becoming a feature we can expect from an expensive folding phone.

For Google, that means the Pixel 12 Pro Fold won't just need to fold. It could finally look like it doesn't.

With prices rising across the board, some smartphone shoppers might look to alternative brands for their next flagship phone and Poco, one of the champions of affordable alternatives, might be worth your attention.

But before we get started, the £899 price isn't exactly what we'd call cheap – until you see what you get for your money in the Poco F9 Ultra. How about Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 power, a 185Hz AMOLED display and 100W charging?

Put a 200-megapixel main camera on the rear and Bose sound, with Dolby Atmos, and you've already ticked a lot of boxes.

Fans of the Poco brand – a sub-brand of Xiaomi – will know that this isn't unusual. Poco is known for packing its phones with plenty of specs, designed to challenge premium phones without putting too much strain on the buyer's pocket.

But what about pricing? The Poco F8 Ultra launched at £749 in 2025, so the £899 starting price is something of a bump for the 12GB and 256GB version. That reflects the strain that the smartphone industry is under, with everyone from individual brands to IDC saying that the era of the cheap phone is over.

What you are getting though is an Ultra phone, where many of the rivals will now want to charge you closer to £1,000.

Poco also has a reputation for great gaming devices, thanks to the youthful market that this brand appeals to. There's flagship-grade hardware here in the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with a graphics boost provided by the VisionBoost D8 chip, which powers that 185fps display performance.

There's a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, with a brightness up to 4500 nits, which challenges most flagship phones like the Pixel 11 Pro and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra – but with a peak HDR brightness of 10,000 nits.

There's power and there's display brilliance, but with Bose behind the audio, it's no surprise to find Dolby Atmos support. It's a 2.1 experience, with an independent subwoofer for a richer and more rounded sound experience.

The battery isn't small either: it's a huge 8,050mAh silicon-cabon cell with 100W charging and the claim of 2 days of battery life. Wireless charging at 50W is supported with a compatible HyperCharge charger.

Finally the camera: the 200-megapixel main camera is just the starter, with a 50-megapixel telephoto and 8-megapixel ultrawide. With the focus on performance, it's typically the camera that's the weaker side of Poco phones – along with the software experience.

That's a slight dampener – Poco phones often come with a fair amount of bloat in the HyperOS software, while the four years of Android updates and six years of security updates won't quite compete with Samsung.

At the core of it, even with a price increase, the Poco F9 Ultra still gives you a lot of phone. It's no longer cheap, but in 2026, you might have to pay a little more for this sort of specification.

It can be a little bit challenging to get one's head around Sony's approach to its smartphone business, which seems to continue chugging along, making phones slightly unlike the rest of the market, with a dedicated user base but widespread rumours of slowly shrinking sales.

The Xperia brand is still a decent one in terms of recognition, though, so it perhaps isn't any surprise to see the Xperia 10 VIII unveiled this week. What is more surprising, though, is how Sony's chosen to do it – with just a low-key blog post that's really quite sparse, and basically no fanfare.

Sure, this is just a mid-range phone launch, but it doesn't exactly scream "pride" about its new device.

The phone launches at £549 here in the UK, €599 in Europe, and it isn't currently announced for the US, which is another notch in the belt for those who think Sony's not really trying to be a global smartphone player any more.

What's also eye-catching is the lack of meaningful upgrades over last year's Xperia 10 VII, other than a big bump in the price. In fact, it's got a brighter display, better stereo speakers, and that's just about it when it comes to actual changes. That means there's a lot that's the same, including the Snapdragon 6 Gen 3 chipset, and the same 6.1-inch OLED screen at 2340x1080 with a 120Hz refresh rate.

That doesn't necessarily make this a bad phone, but it's certainly as small an upgrade as you're likely to see this year between two generations of the same device. Given that the price has gone up by £150 here in the UK, a major bump on the launch price of the Xperia 10 VII (which has seen price hikes since), that's not the most exciting news.

Sony says the phone will be available to order very soon, in three colours: Frozen White, Frosted Grey and Misty Lilac. That's well and good, but in a world where the mid-range Android market is as competitive as ever, it's a little hard to see where the Xperia 10 VIII really fits. Nothing, Google and Samsung all make cheaper phones with better specs, after all.

Sony's fans might well find some positives about the phone, and power to them if so, but this is looking like one of the more downbeat product launches I can remember seeing recently.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has been well received, invigorating the folding phone segment with something that feels a little fresher. It's also better suited to large screen use than previous folding phones that were often square.

To keep momentum going, it seems that Samsung is looking to produce a special edition of the phone with a collaboration. That's nothing new, as Samsung has had a number of partners in the past – the most likely for the Z Fold 8 being Thom Browne.

That usually sees a special colourway for the phone, using Thom Browne's signature stripe, with the theme running from the phone's design to the packaging and bespoke wallpapers.

The details come from Lanzuk on the Naver Blog (via Notebookcheck), but the details are scarce, merely saying that Samsung has plans for a special edition. The last special edition with Thom Browne was on the Galaxy Z Fold 5, but it's easy to see why brands would be eager to be involved with the new model.

Why is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 different?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 switched the aspect of the internal display to make for a wider folding phone, which is much better for content. In portrait, it's great for reading, whether that's websites or documents, while in landscape it's better suited to movies and TV thanks to the 4:3 aspect.

Samsung's previous book-style folding phones had an aspect that was closer to 1:1 on the inside – square – so offered no real advantage when moving between landscape and portrait. It just offered a larger screen, without any real application for that space.

The downside of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is that the 5.5-inch external display is a little wide, meaning that it can be hard to navigate if you're trying to reach the far corner, for example, while its shorter stature means that when the keyboard is open there's less space to do anything.

But aside from those minor usability considerations, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 seems to have got off to a strong start with a bump in the pre-orders for the device. That's likely to be what Samsung wants to capitalise on with a special edition.

Increased competition is expected soon, with Apple thought to be launching its own, similarly-shaped folding phone in September, with Xiaomi also expected to launch a wider fold model in the form of the Xiaomi 18 Fold.

A weekend is a long time in tech leaks and that could be all that was needed for Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra to go from eager anticipation to absolute derision. Leaked schematic designs for Samsung's next flagship have appeared online – and that's got people talking.

The design first appeared from UniverseIce on X, and shows a radical change for the Galaxy S27 Ultra. Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy S27 looks much like it did before.

The schematics show the Galaxy S27 Ultra moving to a rectangular camera section at the top – like the iPhone 17 Pro – squishing in the cameras, while dropping one of the telephoto lenses, as has long been rumoured.

In addition, a circle on the rear of the phone suggests that these phones will have integrated magnets for charging, although it's unlikely that the design will have circle on the back of the phone.

In successive posts we see an AI-generated version which looks like a cheap knock-off you might find on a market stall, as well as seeing Sonny Dickson – another common leaker – wading in with more information.

Two Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra models tipped

Dickson suggests that Samsung is going to offer the Ultra is two sizes, which might take us back to the existing rumour that there will be a Galaxy S27 Pro as part of a four-device line-up in 2027.

The reaction to these designs has been swift, with comments on Reddit calling the design "atrocious", "fugly" and another saying "it’s like they have no shame". The accusation is levelled that Samsung is copying the iPhone 17 Pro – which also happens to be Apple's most controversial design.

We've already seen the iPhone copied in the Honor 600 Pro, where I called out the contentious design, and that seems to be the general sentiment of this leak too. UniverseIce is known for being a reliable leaker, so there's every chance this will come to pass.

This design, however, hasn't come out of nowhere. It was previously suggested for the Galaxy S26 Edge, a phone that was never launched, as slim but compromised phones haven't found favour with buyers.

The question here is one of balance. Camera bumps notionally give the camera a little more space. That could allow for a larger sensor or more sophisticated lens, while the pursuit of thinner devices continues.

We've been through this cycle before within the last decade, and new battery technology allows for thinner designs without sacrificing battery capacity.

However, slimmer phones are also harder to cool and ultimately, year on year, customers call for better battery life and rarely call for thinner phones.

Samsung's Galaxy S27 family is not expected to launch until February 2027, so we can expect a lot more leaks before we see the final design.

If you thought that Samsung was finished for the year, then think again: the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE has been confirmed, with the date set for 27 August.

Samsung, confirming the event on its official newsroom, says that it will "introduce the newest addition to the Galaxy S26 family". That lays any doubts to rest, reinforcing the particular model by saying "purposefully designed to bring the core Galaxy S26 experiences … to those who look for what truly matters most to them"

This has long been the mantra of the Galaxy FE models. FE stands for "fan edition" and the whole premise is to give buyers the core essentials they need, but strip out some of the other flagship features, to make for a slightly cheaper device.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 FE is expected to do just that, tweaking the design slightly to match the Galaxy S26 models, but offering much the same as it did in the Galaxy S25 FE.

Previous leaks have suggested a change in display supplier, while the specs aren't expected to change much, although it's likely to be powered by the Exynos 2500. It's also said that there will be a move to a silicon-carbon battery, along with 45W charging, although that likely means that the phone won't be rated for as many charging cycles.

Back to the teaser video that Samsung shared, and it appears to show three cups of matcha with the ice cubes conveniently shaped as the Galaxy AI logo. The tray they sit on hints at the design change for the camera.

A hand comes in an picks up the middle cup revealing that there's a Galaxy Event and the date. The video is labelled as being produced by AI, which might leave a bitter taste in the mouth, especially amongst Gen Z matcha fans who are turned off by this sort of AI image generation.

What's interesting is that in the version on X and other social channels, the video is rotated 90 degrees, so it looks like the cameras on the back of the phone. However, with the hand reaching in to remove one of the cameras, it suggests that the Galaxy S26 FE could lose one of its cameras - just like the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

That middle camera is the main 50MP camera, however, and all leaks have so far suggested we're getting the same 50MP main camera, 12MP ultrawide camera and 8MP telephoto camera as the previous model. It seems, perhaps, that this teaser video is just a little confusing.

The Galaxy FE has been a slightly confusing phone, launching cheaper than the Galaxy S flagship while offering many of the same specs. That doesn't appear to be happening with the Galaxy S26 FE: the expected move to Exynos 2500 is older hardware than the Exynos 2600 used in some S26 models, while the price is expected in increase, perhaps hitting €799, an increase of €50 over the previous model.

While the full specifications are unknown, the Galaxy S26 FE could walk a fine line between affordable flagship and costly competitor. You'll be able to watch the reveal live on 27 August.

Honor's Robot Phone almost has dibs on the "most interesting phone" conversation at the moment, despite Samsung's valiant effort with the new shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8. We simply haven't ever seen anything quite like a handset with a built-in motorised gimbal arm, after all.

After getting to wave at the phone at MWC in Barcelona earlier this year, I finally got to actually go properly hands-on with it in London this week, and there's a big gulf between those two experiences. Actually using the Robot Phone underlines just how much of a fun tool its gimbal is, although it still left me with questions about its long-term viability.

An engineering marvel

At this point, the Robot Phone has been trailed and unveiled so many times that its design is far from a surprise, but finally getting to go up close with it, to actually check it out from every angle, it really is an impressive bit of engineering.

This is a phone that's traditional in most ways, but completely different in one big, obvious element. The phone itself is slightly thicker than most modern flagships, but there's only one reason for that – the gimbal that collapses into its camera unit.

Amusingly, there are regular cameras here, for ultrawide shots and zooming in, but I don't think most people are coming to the Robot phone to use them.

Far more important is that robotic arm, which requires a couple of steps to use. First, you manually swipe open the protective cover that normally keeps the dust off it. Then, in the phone's camera app, you tap a little gimbal icon to activate it, and watch it pop up ready for shooting.

Once it's open, you have a huge range of control options available to you, including a virtual joystick to manually move the camera and direct it. This is responsive and easy to get to grips with, but it also moves the lens quite slowly.

More impressive is the automatic subject-tracking. Double-tapping on an object, building or person in the viewfinder will lock the camera onto it (if the subject-tracking mode is turned on). This will let you move the phone around pretty freely without it letting your subject out of the shot.

It's pretty brilliant, and I tested it on trains, a passing helicopter, and much more, all from a rooftop vantage point. It's clearly going to be ideal for those who'd otherwise pack an extra action camera into their gear pack, albeit it has a few limitations that those cameras don't (more on that later).

The footage I was able to review was really impressive, too, and did a decent job of selling the whole concept, frankly. That said, selling the phone is an interesting topic – it's only confirmed for sale in China at this point, and I can't help but feel it's really unlikely to make it to the UK in this guise.

Kinks to be ironed out

The sheer fact that Honor has managed to get a gimbal onto its phone makes the Robot Phone basically peerless – no other handset can match this one big feature.

That said, that lack of competition makes it hard to judge how good the gimbal is, and it does have clear limitations. One is that its freedom of movement isn't total. Because the camera's on an arm, it can move a lot more freely to the right than it can to the left.

This is hard to describe, but it means that if you lock a subject directly in front of you, then turn the phone to your right, you can keep going for ages before the gimbal reaches its maximum and you lose your subject. Turn to the left, though, and you'll hit that limit way more quickly.

I can see how that sounds like a tiny issue, but I think it's the sort of thing that you'd have to work around basically any time you shoot some dynamic footage, and it isn't a problem that I'm aware of many full-on gimbal cameras having.

If that gimbal does have limitations, then, it's also fair to say that the software experience I tinkered with doesn't feel quite final. It was fairly common to encounter small bugs or features that didn't want to work the first time around.

That's obviously entirely forgivable on a phone that isn't yet shipping, but in China the Robot Phone is now a real consumer product, and I'd be a little irked by some of the kinks in the system if I'd paid for it.

Then again, just like with the first generation of folding phones some years back, this is also very much an early-adopter type of phone, one that you know is doing something unique. It won't be an enormous surprise when it's a little quirky as a result.

I also have real reservations when it comes to durability – I obviously couldn't do any drop-testing with what remains a rare phone, but I'm extremely curious about how the gimbal would fare if you dropped the phone. It's also likely to be a stress point for mechanical failure, and I'd assume that a normal phone would have a far better chance of surviving for a longer span of years.

In some ways, that sums up how I felt about the Robot Phone after finally getting to actually use it. The novelty factor is huge here – that camera is unlike anything else on a phone right now, and it's really fun and rewarding to explore its abilities and limits.

That said, without any firm hints on a US or UK release, and therefore no pricing to contextualise it, it still feels like a bit of a mirage right now, even after having held it. Will this be a flash in the pan, or is there a genuine mainstream lineage of Robot Phone successors to come?

Google is in the process of making changes to sideloading on Android with the aim of improving user security, while maintaining freedom of choice.

That sees verification of developers, apps, additional app stores, as well as a process for installation of apps from unverified developers. The latter, called advanced flow, is designed to maintain the freedoms of experienced users to install whatever they like on their phone.

The changes have come about for a couple of reasons. First, "sideloading" (where an app is installed directly on the device rather than from Google Play) is a route used by hackers and those with malicious aims, like scammers. Second, verifying additional app stores see compliance with the fallout from the Epic Games anti-trust case.

Using a post on Reddit, Google has explained the timeline for the changes and what the sideloading restrictions will mean.

How Android sideloading is changing

While millions of apps have already been verified (through Google Play and some outside Google Play), additional verifications are coming through the Honor App Market, Oppo App Market, Samsung's Galaxy Store, Palm Store, V-Appstore and GetApps.

This step will first happen in Brazil, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, before spreading to global coverage in 2027. That will mean that installation of apps from verified developers and app stores will all be covered and shouldn't result in any changes for Android users.

The final step – which is the process that starts today – is the installation process for unverified developers. The aim here is a break the cycle of coercion, so a scammer can't (for example) phone you, say that your bank account is compromised, and tell you to install a remote control app, which they then use to take over your phone.

Instead, the "advanced flow" is a 24-hour process, giving some cooling off time that allows you to reevaluate that installation. It might just be an app that a friend developed that's totally fine, it might be that the break makes you realise you're being scammed.

Anyway, the process for the advanced flow is:

• In Developer Options, select "Apps from unverified developers".
• Toggle on "Allow apps from unverified developers".
• You'll be asked if someone is telling you to do this.
• Restart your phone, which cuts off any remote access or callers.
• Wait 24 hours, then return to "Apps from unverified developers".
• Choose whether to turn the setting on for 7 days or permanently.

These steps include a number of breaks to protect users so they aren't coerced into installing an unverified app on their device. The restart, the 24-hour break and the warning message take steps to highlight that installing an unverified app could be a risky process.

It's a one-time process, however, so if you're regularly installing apps from unverified developers, you don't have to constantly wait. However, if you are doing that (and enjoying one of the freedoms that Android has always been known for) then you're perhaps less likely to fall for a scam where someone else makes you install a malicious app.

The advanced flow will arrive as a gradual roll-out with an additional system service on your phone called Android Developer Verifier, which I found has already updated on my recent Android devices.

The result of Google's changes should mean that it's harder for tricksters to take over your phone, advanced users still have the freedoms they want, while regular users will just be able to get on with using their phone as normal.

The additional protections through the support of third-party app stores should provide the peace of mind that using those app stores is safe.

Samsung has developed a new structure for OLED screens that will boost the quality of folding or curved displays.

The new tech increases the viewing angles for the OLED panel, meaning that brightness can be preserved when not viewing the screen head-on. That's a problem for folding screens or anything that curves, with the edges or areas around the fold traditionally losing brightness.

Samsung says that the brightness in these areas could drop about 60%, meaning the user sees a darker area. Anyone who has used a folding phone will have noticed this around the fold, where the slight ripple in the screen leads to a dimmer area.

The Wide View Display from Samsung Display is said to counter this, with Samsung completely redesigning the material and structure of the OLED. The aim is to ensure that the image quality is consistent, so even if there is a bump or curve in the display, the quality is maintained.

Presented at IMID 2026 in Busan, Korea, the new material was presented in a 7.6-inch size, exhibited on a folding device. There's every chance that this screen technology could make its way to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra in 2027 and also be used by other folding phone manufacturers.

Samsung itself refers to "next-generation form factor products such as foldable, slidable, and rollable displays".

A huge boost to screen quality

Using a wide view display could also improve the quality when a folding phone isn't flat. In the accompanying image showing the technology, the colours also look more vibrant and uniform across the whole screen, rather than just in the section that's 90-degrees to the viewer.

That could also boost the performance of curved displays, which could be more applicable to automotive screens, allowing higher performance when viewed from a wider range of angles by different people in the car.

Samsung's use of wide-angle viewing technologies became a hot topic in 2026 with the release of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with its Privacy Display. The tech works by limiting the output to narrow angle subpixels, meaning the screen content is only visible to those looking straight at it.

When Privacy Display is switched off, the wider-angle pixels allow viewing from greater angles. That raises the question of whether Privacy Display would work effectively on a folding screen, given that the solution to dimming has been to increase the wide viewing tech in the panel.

Samsung has been taken aback by the overwhelming support for its wider foldable. Launched in July, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 has already proved a "smash hit" and the company is said to have ordered a million more units to be manufactured.

It also bodes well for the iPhone Ultra – Apple's first foldable that will reportedly come in a very similar form factor, and likely with the exact same folding display. We'll find out just how popular that will be too, when it will almost certainly launch early September.

But, it seems, Samsung is not going to wait until then to double down (or, in fact, up) on its own success story. It seems that it's already making plans to release two wider foldable phones next year.

According to trusted leaker Ice Universe, Samsung roadmap for folding devices next year includes another new foldable with a wider display, in addition to a follow-up to the Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Citing his X post as an "ETnews exclusive", the online leaker claims there will be five new Samsung foldables in 2027, although doesn't say whether the new wide model will be a cheaper or more premium device than the Z Fold 8 replacement.

If genuine, we'll be getting the following new phones around this time next year:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 9
• New wide-format Samsung Galaxy Z Fold model
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 9 Ultra
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 9
• Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold 2

That's a whole lot of new foldable handsets, with pretty much something for every budget.

"Samsung has clearly tasted the benefits of expanding its foldable form factors, and next year it plans to go even further," he posted.

And what about other manufacturers

With Apple soon to announce its own, it is surely just a matter of time before other manufacturers adopt the new form factor too.

Xiaomi is already rumoured to have a wider device in the works, and anyone who has had a play with the Z Fold 8 will understand why.

Unlike conventional book-style foldables, the wider format allows the inner display to provide a wider aspect ratio – more akin to an iPad mini. And while it means the outer screen is more square in shape, video content, games, and all manner of other applications look better on a 4:3 display.

It might take a little getting used to, but our tech editor Mike Lowe believes that it could be the future of foldables full stop: "Much as the Galaxy Z Fold 8's passport-sized form could have proved a floundering move for Samsung, having used this unique Android device for a full working week, I think it's opened new borders," he wrote in his review.

It seems Samsung agrees.

Among all of Google's Pixel 11 device launches – the Pixel 11, 11 Pro, 11 Pro XL, and 11 Pro Fold – there's actually a brand new non-phone device that'll be turning heads.

The Pixel Tag is Google's first-ever finder tag product, revealed some 5 years after Apple introduced its own ecosystem product, AirTag, and many years after the first Bluetooth trackers from Tile launched.

Clearly there's demand among the Android ecosystem for such a product, which Google promises will deliver "less searching, more finding" as a result of its updated Android Find Hub – which, until mid-2025, was called Find My Device.

Find Hub has an extensive volume from which to pull its location data, although Google doesn't disclose full details. You can share location with web tracking, via app access, and call on a Pixel Tag to play a sound to aid finding it.

Pixel Tag will even work beyond browser- and phone-based applications, with Find Hub also operating on Pixel Watch. You can even ask Pixel Buds to ask Gemini to locate a device.

Which is very much in play with Google's latest round of hardware launches. Gemini is now front and centre – well, rear and centre, really – in the new HiLight feature on Pro Pixel 11 handsets.

There's also the brand new Pixel Watch 5, which enhances the brand's Health Guardian features to be their most comprehensive to date – with the addition of Blood Pressure and Insulin Resistance trends.

Pixel 11 series: Pricing per handset

Not a huge amount of additional information about the Pixel Tag has been made available at the time of writing, including its price, colourways – and whether that'll match the Pixel 11 line-up – nor its release date, beyond "later this year".

More information about that as it arrives. But if it's handset pricing that you seek, then here's what we know you'll pay for Google's latest series of flagship phones:

Pixel 11 with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £879 / $899 / AU$1,499

Pixel 11 Pro with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,079 / $1,099 / AU$1,849

Pixel 11 Pro XL with 12GB RAM, 256GB storage – £1,279 / $1,299 / AU$2,099

Pixel 11 Pro Fold with 16GB RAM and 256GB storage – £1,799 / $1,899 / AU$2,799

Google will host its annual Pixel launch event today, Wednesday 12 August, and things aren't as they usually are.

For starters, the event will kick off at 11pm BST (6pm EDT), so you'll have to stay up pretty late if you're in the UK. And it'll be hosted by South African comedian and talk show star Trevor Noah, so expect a few clever barbs along the way. You can watch it live below.

Of course, Jimmy Fallon hosted it last year in a weird chat show way, so we could get similar. Although Noah is better know for his political humour and sharp wit, so who knows?

Here's everything you need to know about Made by Google '26 and what to expect.

When will Made by Google '26 start?

Made by Google will begin at 6pm EDT today, Wednesday 12 August. That means it'll be shown from 11pm BST and even into the following day for some other regions.

Here are the times for your area:

• US West Coast: 15:00 PDT
• US East Coast: 18:00 EDT
• UK: 23:00 BST
• Central Europe: 00:00 CEST
• India: 03:30 IST (13 August)
• China (Beijing): 06:00 CST (13 August)
• Japan: 07:00 JST (13 August)
• South Korea: 07:00 KST (13 August)
• Australia (Sydney): 08:00 AEST (13 August)

How to watch the Made by Google Pixel 11 launch live

You can watch the entire show live via the video further up this page.

Alternatively, it will be streamed on the dedicated Made by Google YouTube channel.

What to expect

Hosted by Trevor Noah (The Daily Show, Grammy Awards) in New York, the Made by Google event will introduce a number of guest stars talking about the new product launches. These include Stephen Curry, Chari Hawkins, Alex Cooper, Ayami Nakajo, Shubman Gill, and Pink Pantheress.

They'll talk about and demo the devices launched today, including the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro Fold, and the Pixel Watch 5 – all of which have been heavily rumoured and even officially teased over the last few weeks.

We might also see a new Pixel Tag – Google's first Bluetooth tracker.

If you thought we had seen the last of Samsung phone launches for this year, you’ve clearly forgotten about the more affordable Galaxy S26 Fan Edition.

Rumoured to be coming sometime in September, images of the device have leaked via Android Headlines, along with the specifications via WinFuture, and you might be disappointed.

What is the Galaxy S26 FE expected to arrive with?

According to WinFuture, the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE will be very similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 FE. It’s expected to come with a 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2x display with a 2340 x 1080 resolution, a peak brightness of 1900 nits and a 120Hz refresh rate.

The Samsung Exynos 2500 is claimed to be running the show, which is the same processor you will find in last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 7, supported by 8GB of RAM and storage options of 128GB or 256GB.

There is also claimed to be a triple rear camera, comprised of a 50-megapixel main sensor, along with an ultra-wide sensor and telephoto sensor with 3x zoom. An IP68 rating is also suggested in the list of specifications, while the battery capacity is said to be 4900mAh with 45W fast charging support.

None of that is particularly groundbreaking, especially when compared to the Galaxy S25 FE that has broadly similar specs aside from the processor. However, the Galaxy S26 FE is at least said to have a silicon-carbon battery like the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra all introduced last month.

The design also appears to have changed slightly on the rear compared to the Galaxy S25 FE, closer matching the Galaxy S26, though the weight is said to be a little heavier at 196g compared to 190g.

One last bit of bad news is that the price of the Galaxy S26 FE is expected to increase compared to the Galaxy S25 FE, too. That makes the traditionally affordable phone, well, less affordable.

According to WinFuture, the device will start at €799 (around £680), which would be €50 more than the previous model.

Samsung didn’t just announce two folding phones last month like it normally does each year – it released three. The third model introduced a gorgeous new shape and format.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrived alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, but while the Ultra features the same design as the Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 adopts a wider, squarer design, much like what the first folding iPhone is rumoured to be offering.

Why the Galaxy Z 8 Fold is so popular

Good thing too, really, as according to ETNews (via 9to5Google), Samsung will produce an extra one million units of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to meet the higher-than-anticipated demand.

The 9to5Google report calls the device a “smash hit” after Samsung confirmed much higher pre-order figures than expected. A couple of the models even went out of stock during the pre-order window.

The extra one million run is on top of the initial higher production numbers for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 too, so clearly the wider format is a bit of a winner.

I can see why. I was never quite sold on previous folding phones, despite thinking the Galaxy Z Flip was very cute, but I love the Galaxy Z Fold 8. It reminds me of my BlackBerry from back in the day, with the wider format much nicer to use than the slimmer and taller Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Apple is one of the few main smartphone manufacturers that doesn’t offer a folding phone at the moment, but that is rumoured to be changing come September.

We’ve been hearing about a folding iPhone – the iPhone Ultra – for years, but speculation has really picked up over the last couple of months, with the squarer format widely reported.

It’s looking more and more likely Apple will follow in Samsung’s footsteps come September and with the Z Fold 8's success, it's an obvious step.

Like many of its phone chassis, Nothing has been refreshingly transparent on its release plans over the years – regularly furnishing us with teases and reveals long before products launch.

It has also been open about absences, with CEO Carl Pei saying in January that we shouldn't expect a flagship Nothing phone this year. And while we have had three handsets since, the company has so far lived up to that promise

The Nothing Phone (4a) Pro and Phone (4a) have recently been joined by the Phone (4b), and each of them have their merits. But they are also entry to mid-range. What we need is a Nothing Phone (4) to shake things up again, and there's some news on that front.

Six new Nothing phones planned for 2027, says co-founder

Speaking to TimesNow, the brand's co-founder, Akis Evangelidis explained that although plans were tempered this year due to the global RAM and components crisis, things will be better in 2027: "It's still too early to discuss individual products, but I can say we've launched three smartphones this year, and we're looking to launch twice that number next year," he said.

"We'll share more details closer to launch, but the idea is to have a wider range of smartphones."

That could include the Nothing Phone (4) – the flagship device many hoped would appear earlier this year, but was already publicly postponed. It could also include the CMF Phone 3 Pro, which was also abandoned.

"We pulled the plug quite late," revealed Evangelidis.

"We're looking at different ways on how we could make it happen for next year. But that's still in consideration. We're staying close to how the memory price will evolve."

Nothing has continued to release headphones this year though, with the CMF Clip Pro open earbuds being the latest to hit the market. Announced earlier this week, they will be available to purchase for £79 / $99 from 15 August.

Google Assistant launched way back in 2016, so there is a good chance you've come across it at some point. That might have been on an Android phone, an iPhone, a smart speaker, headphones or even a car through Android Auto. We could go on – the list of devices it's been available on is not insignificant.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. With Gemini on track to replace it – and doing so quickly – the company has confirmed the date Google Assistant will be shuttered on Android phones and smartwatches.

When is Google Assistant shutting down on Android?

Picked up by 9to5Google, an email has been sent to existing Google Assistant users, explaining that the service is “being discontinued” on mobile devices.

It also highlighted, just in case you haven’t been keeping up over the last couple of years, that Gemini is now the assistant experience on Android.

Google detailed in the email that Google Assistant will begin to be removed from devices starting on 4 September 2026, and that will include Android phones, Wear OS smartwatches, headphones and any cars “running Android Auto projected from a user’s mobile device”.

The company did say the process may take a few weeks, so you might have a few days grace. However, it’s time to start saying your goodbyes.

Google added in the email that after its removal, you will no longer be "able to use or switch back to Google Assistant on your phone, tablet, or paired devices”.

It also said: “We are committed to providing a smooth transition and are confident that Gemini will offer you an even more capable and helpful assistant experience."

Let’s hope that’s the case. We really did like Google Assistant.

Samsung has only just revealed its latest folding phones – they're so new they aren’t even on sale yet – but that hasn’t stopped the rumours for its next big devices.

Usually rumours bring good news, whether it’s the leak of a fresh design or a camera upgrade, but the latest speculation surrounding the Galaxy S27 Ultra suggests this flagship phone could see a downgrade instead.

Camera changes incoming for the Galaxy S27 Ultra

According to ETNews (via 9to5Google), the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could ditch the 3x telephoto camera lens, reducing it to just three lenses on the rear. This would be a first for the Ultra.

The report claims the 50-megapixel 5x telephoto lens would remain, as would the 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, but the 3x telephoto could be no more in order to reduce manufacturing costs.

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra isn’t due to launch until early 2027, so there is still time for things to change, and there will no doubt be more leaks that appear between now and then. But for now, you may want to grab a Galaxy S26 Ultra if you really want that telephoto.

What else is new?

The other devices that are rumoured to launch alongside the Galaxy S27 Ultra include the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+, as you would expect, as well as the Galaxy S27 Pro.

The Pro model is rumoured to have a 200-megapixel main camera and 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, like the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but it is claimed it will opt for a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens – the one that’s being ditched on the Ultra.

Meanwhile, the standard Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+ are said to come with a 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera.

As mentioned, we are several months away from the release of these devices, so plenty could change. At the moment it’s looking like some interesting changes are coming.

Google will officially unveil its new Pixel 11 phone family and several other devices on 12 August at a Made by Google event, but let's face it, there'll be nothing left to unveil by then.

Not only have we now got a whole swathe of leaked images and information about pretty much everything that'll launch, Google itself is even getting in on the act. It has released a video teaser of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold that reveals the new foldable.

In it, you can see the new pill-shaped camera unit on the rear and little else, to be honest. But it looks extremely clean and could be a straight-forward, folding option for those who aren't ready to adopt Samsung's new Z Fold 8 form factor (or the forthcoming iPhone Ultra).

On top of this, serial online leaker Evan Blass (@evleaks) recently posted a series of what looks to be official marketing images of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. Made available on his new Leakermail Substack, they reveal more about the phone.

Over the last few days, he has also released leaked images of the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Pixel 11 Pro XL – the four phones expected to launch on 12 August.

And there are a couple of added extras too – of the Google Pixel Watch 5 and what looks like green versions of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, to match the new green colourway of the 11 Pro Fold.

Also expected to make an appearance during the Made by Google even next week is at least one Googlebook. The new laptop range will replace Chromebook and was announced just prior to Google I/O in May.

We've recently seen a leak of Googlebook devices from Lenovo, which suggests that something will be shown soon – the Made by Google event seems the perfect place.

Back to the phones though and as well as the official teaser, it is understood that pre-orders will open either during or immediately after the event.

Both Google and Best Buy in the US have countdown clocks, with Best Buy's stating that pre-orders start on 12 August. There's every reason to believe that will be the case in the UK and Europe too, maybe globally.

We’re a couple of weeks away from Google’s next event, which is set to reveal the next generation of Pixel phones and Pixel Watch, but it looks like there could be another device making its debut, too.

According to a report on 9to5Google, the tech giant might finally be adding a Bluetooth tracker to its portfolio, competing with the likes of the Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy Tag.

Until now, Google hasn’t offered its own tracker despite being responsible for the Find Hub network on Android. It works with a number of third-party trackers, including Samsung and Chipolo, but this would be its first dedicated hardware.

What will the Pixel Tag offer?

The Google Pixel Tag has reportedly started to appear in online listings, featuring the model number GA12506. It’s claimed it will come in a “Fog Light” colour, and 9to5Google has managed to obtain an image of the tracker too.

Based on the image, the Pixel Tag will be oblong in shape, similar to the Samsung Galaxy Tag. However, it looks like it doesn’t have a built-in keyhole as Samsung’s model does. That might suggest you will need to buy separate accessories, as you do with the AirTag, to attach it to your keys.

There’s no information on whether the Google Pixel Tag will have a replaceable or rechargeable battery either, nor is it known whether it will use Ultra-Wide Band technology like the Apple AirTag and Samsung Galaxy Tag. Still, one of the online listings picked up by 9to5Google does offer a marketing description to provide some extra detail:

“The Google Pixel Tag smart tracker helps you quickly and reliably locate your lost items using the secure 'Find My Device' network," it says.

"Never waste time searching for your keys, wallet or luggage again."

The listing goes on to describe the Google Pixel Tag as a "compact, lightweight and durable smart tracker that attaches discreetly to your most important items".

There's also a loudspeaker inside, to alert you to its whereabouts when lost.

As this is the first time the Google Pixel Tag has appeared in leaks, it’s not clear whether it will be announced alongside the Pixel 11 phones or released at a later date. With that launch happening on 12 August, though, at least it’s not too long to wait to find out.

A new flip phone has been unveiled as a way to offer minimalism to your pocket and, hopefully, your life. Light, the company best known for its distraction-free phones, has revealed the Light Flip. This is a modern take on the classic clamshell handset that's designed to be opened only when you actually need it.

Unlike today's foldable smartphones, there's no flexible display or cover screen demanding your attention. Instead, you get a physical keypad, a compact 2.8-inch OLED display and a tiny notification light on the outside.

That minimalist philosophy continues inside. Running the company's custom LightOS software, the phone skips social media, web browsing, app stores and AI assistants entirely.

Instead, you'll find practical tools including calls, texts, navigation, alarms, notes, podcasts, music playback, weather, a hotspot mode and two-factor authentication. The idea is to keep everything genuinely useful and to remove the features that encourage endless scrolling.

Light says the flip phone was created after repeated requests from customers – especially younger people – who wanted a better-built alternative to ageing feature phones without being dragged back into the smartphone ecosystem.

Closing the phone is intended to create a physical signal that you're switching off, rather than simply locking another glowing screen.

Despite its retro appearance, the hardware is actually modern. The Light Flip supports 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C charging, dual SIM via nano SIM and eSIM, a removable 1,800mAh battery and even retains a 3.5mm headphone jack.

There's also a 12-megapixel rear camera, and predictive T9 typing is joined by voice-to-text and audio messaging, to make communication straight forward too.

Available in six colours, the Light Flip is priced at $299 (around £220 / AU$460) and is expected to ship in April 2027.

Whether this becomes the ultimate antidote to smartphone overload remains to be seen. For anyone craving a calmer relationship with technology, this is one of the more refreshing phone launches for 2026.

Okay, so it wasn't the best-kept secret in world history – Samsung had been openly teasing the new shape of its Galaxy Z Fold 8 for a couple of weeks. So, even without the many leaks that preceded it, we had a pretty good sense that the main Z Fold phone would be getting a new look.

Still, it's one thing to see leaks and another to get an entire Galaxy Unpacked event to check the phone out, and then the hands-on thoughts of our Tech editor, Mike Lowe. The phone looks like it's making a great impression on people in the first instance, although we'll doubtless get more context in the next few weeks.

I'll admit, though, that I've been a bit of a sceptic. The steep price tag attached to foldables makes them a non-starter for me, and I didn't see why a squatter design would change that. What I didn't expect was one moment in Samsung's presentation when they showed the phone opened up, but not in landscape mode – using a portrait orientation instead.

The photo at the top of this article shows that moment exactly, and that Samsung was using it to underline how the Z Fold 8 could be a great little e-reader alongside all the other more phone-like tools it offers. My surprise? I'm won over, at least moreso than before.

I've tested every Kindle released in the last few years, and I still regularly use the Kindle Paperwhite when I'm travelling, to cut down on the weight of a book (especially if I'm reading something chunky). Still, while I like an e-reader as much as the next reader, I'm mostly doing it for that weight reason.

So, if I had a phone that could be as satisfying to hold and as easy to read with, that would indeed be pretty tempting. There's a lot to wonder about in terms of ergonomics, still, and the biggest question for me would be how reliably I'd be able to read on the Z Fold 8 without worrying about battery life, but the concept it still quite a winning one.

The simple reality is that as long as these foldables stay this expensive, there's no way I'd ever commit to them – at £1,699, I just don't think the Z Fold 8 having a more adaptable aspect ratio is enough to move the needle. Still, this is the first time in a few years that I've even really perked my ears up at all in this area.

I'll be super interested in the folding iPhone we're likely getting later this year, but again will almost certainly never get my hands on one, if the rumoured pricing is to be remotely believed. Perhaps in half a decade, though, when folding phones are even more widespread, and the memory crisis has hopefully abated, I could end up not needing a Kindle at all – one less device is rarely a bad thing.

Privacy Display made its headlines at the launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra and it looks like Samsung is boosting its features in a forthcoming software update.

The clever feature that's exclusive to Samsung's flagship Galaxy S phone works by limiting the light output to narrow pixels, limiting the viewing angle of the display. That means that only those right in front of the screen can see what's on it and those to one side can't.

It appears that Samsung is now going to expand the use of the feature to cover another use case, with Privacy Display working on picture-in-picture video too.

That means that if you're watching something that you want to keep private and you leave the source app, the floating miniature version of that video will remain obscured to those spying on your screen. The rest of the display becomes visible as normal.

Previously, if you left the app, the entire phone would stay in Privacy Display because part of that app was still open.

To get it to work you firstly need app support for picture-in-picture video. That list includes some big hitters like YouTube and Netflix, but it also extends to WhatsApp, Zoom and Google Meet, which is where you might have more sensitive video that you want to keep private.

When these apps are playing video, swiping back to the home screen minimises the video to a floating picture-in-picture window, which will then benefit from being private.

There are a couple of things you'd have to ensure to get this to work: first, you'll have to have selected the individual apps that you want Privacy Display to work on. Second, you'll have to ensure you're not using Privacy Display across the entire screen, in which case it would all be private all the time.

It's an interesting move and if you don't want that person next to you on the train watching your videos, this could potentially be useful.

The feature is reportedly included in beta One UI 9 software, according to 9to5Google, so once the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is out of the way, we're sure this will be heading the S26 Ultra in an update.

Samsung will launch its new range of foldable phones today, with the wider Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 being the much talked about newcomer.

It'll be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Z Flip 8 at the Galaxy Unpacked presentation being held in London, and you can watch it all unfold live right here on T3.

We also expect to see two new smartwatches announced on stage during the event, with the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 also heavily leaked in recent times.

And who knows, maybe there'll be a surprise or two along the way? Let's hope so.

Here then is everything you need to know about the summer Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including when it starts, running time and more.

When does the Galaxy Unpacked launch event start?

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked has a kick off time of 2pm BST – that's earlier than usual thanks to the event being held in London for the first time in years.

Here are the start times for your region:

• US West Coast: 06:00 PDT
• US East Coast: 09:00 EDT
• UK: 14:00 BST
• Central Europe: 15:00 CEST
• India: 18:30 IST
• China (Beijing): 21:00 CST
• Japan: 22:00 JST
• South Korea: 22:00 KST
• Australia (Sydney): 23:00 AEST

How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live

You can watch the entire event live via the video feed higher up this page.

It will also be available on Samsung's website and YouTube.

What to expect

We expect the main presentation to last around an hour, with the main focus being the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. This is the wider version of its book style foldable, which pre-empts the Apple iPhone Ultra by a few months.

The idea is that while more square-shaped when folded, the handset unfolds into a mini tablet form factor that's better to view videos on in comparison with conventional foldables.

The more traditionally-shaped Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will also launch. It'll be a direct replacement for the Galaxy Z Fold 7. It will also have a beefier camera system than the new wider model, and maybe a few extra upgrades, too.

Finally, the Flip 8 will be very similar to the Flip 7, we believe. We're just waiting to see what upgrades it might enjoy.

There will be a couple of smartwatches launched too – the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Both have leaked extensively in recent times.

As for surprises, we might hear a bit more on Samsung's Android XR ambitions. Watch this space.

Samsung will unveil its new foldable phones later today, during its London Galaxy Unpacked event, but just in case you haven't had enough spoilers already here's another.

One of the most talked about upgrades coming with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is its alleged "crease-less" display. And now we have some evidence. An image shared by an online leaker shows the new flagship device against the model it's replacing and the difference is obvious.

Posted by @kro-roe on X, the hands-on photo looks to have been taken in a factory environment or during an official event. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 on the left has a very visible crease down the middle of the open display, while the Fold 8 Ultra does not.

Admittedly, the Fold 7 in the shot might be a well-used device, as the crease can become more pronounced through wear and tear. However, it does seem that Samsung has made a major breakthrough in its screen technology – as it has suggested during the launch build up.

Of course, this might be a bogus image and we're not that familiar with the leaker, so do take it with a pinch of salt. But it does comply with previous rumours and information we've seen over the last few months.

What else is launching during Samsung Galaxy Unpacked?

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will be the flagship model launched today, with an upgraded Z Flip 8 expected too.

For many though, the most exciting new foldable to be announced will be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (sans the "Ultra"). This is a brand-new device with a wider, more square external display which unfolds to reveal a screen with a traditional tablet aspect ratio.

It is effectively Samsung's push to get ahead of the iPhone Ultra, which should launch in September. That is expected to have a very similar form factor. Indeed, it might even have the exact same display, as Samsung is likely to be supplying it to Apple as well.

Hopefully, the wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 will also feature the crease-less technology we can see in the latest leak (the iPhone Ultra, too). It will have some cutbacks, we understand, in comparison with the Z Fold 8 Ultra – such as a lower-spec'ed camera – but will still be the main focus of Unpacked.

You can also expect new smartwatches today, in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2.

It's a good job that Spain won the World Cup, because it gave defender Eric García the perfect platform to show off Honor's unreleased Robot Phone.

Mixed into the celebrations, the Barcelona player was seen filming with Honor's next-gen smartphone, which features a pop-out camera on a gimbal.

That camera, powered by Honor's AI, can respond to what it sees, reacting like a little robot, while also offering a versatile capture platform, a bit like the DJI Osmo Pocket.

This isn't the first time that's we've seen the Robot Phone. No, at Mobile World Congress we got up close and personal with it, but we weren't allowed to touch it. That doesn't seem to be the case for World Cup winner García – and perhaps that's what Argentina's Leandro Paredes was after during their post-match scuffle.

Well, judging by the look on García's face, all that was forgotten as he set about capturing a few moments on the pitch with the new device.

He's seen taking a selfie, filming his teammates still on the pitch while many of the fans seem to have left the stadium.

Honor's Robot Phone currently seems to be in its launch phase, having appeared at WAIC 2026 (World Artificial Intelligence Conference) in China, with confirmation that the phone will be launched in August.

It's not clear exactly where the device will be available, but it's available for preorder in China.

Honor has previously reported that it had really focus on reducing the size of the motors for the gimbal, allowing it to be stored in the phone and pop-out when needed. Previously, we've seen it dancing along to music, providing pretty amazing stabilisation, while also offering great object tracking.

But so much of the experience will depend on software and the AI behind the camera that gives it its personality. There's fine line between cute and creepy and I guess Honor will be one of the first to experiment with that.

We don't have many confirmed specs for the phone: a 200-megapixel main camera is expected to be joined by a 50-megapixel ultrawide and a 200-megapixel telephoto.

It's thought to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with a battery around the 6000mAh mark, and a 6.4-inch screen.

On the pre-order page on Honor's Chinese website, I spotted that Honor is offering free gimbal replacement for the first year to assuage fears. It's rumoured to be very expensive - perhaps you'll have to be a top flight footballer to afford one.

Samsung will host its annual foldable phone launch event this week, with Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday, but there might be nothing left to announce by then. Nothing that will come as a surprise, anyway.

That's because just about everything is either already known or subject to more leaks than the hull of the Titanic. We fully expect a couple of new Galaxy Watches and a trio of new foldables, including the wider Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Samsung itself has not been shy about its ambitions for the latter, revealing a new, more square-like form factor is coming in online teases. And now we have almost everything else, thanks to serial leaker Evan Blass and a regular Samsung collaborator, J-Hope from BTS.

J-Hope's posts on X (via @smasithick) show him using the new device openly during the band's global tour – currently in Paris.

His hands-on clips are likely staged for Samsung, as we never get to see the new phone open. However, you do get to see the device's shape and, as all the videos are recording using it, what the selfie camera is capable of.

Perhaps more revealing are a mighty bunch of marketing images posted by Blass. He has a renowned history of acquiring press images from a number of companies, including Samsung, ahead of launch. And while he's on a self-imposed "retirement" at present, he clearly couldn't resist sharing the latest.

Appearing on his Leakmail newsletter (via 9to5Google) there are official-looking images of all the foldable phones we expect, including the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8, too.

The Ultra is the more conventional book-style foldable, but with a few tech tweaks to justify its new moniker.

The Flip 8 looks very similar to the existing Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, so arguably the most interesting is the wider device, which unfolds into an iPad mini-like tablet.

The rest of the leaked images reveal some details, but not everything. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, for example, will sport dual 50-megapixel cameras on the rear (wide and ultra-wide). The selfie cam on the front will be 10-megapixel. As will the one on the internal screen.

The Z Fold 8 Ultra ups the ante in that regard. It'll have a similar 50-megapixel ultra-wide, but a 200-megapixel wide and a third lens for the 10-megapixel telephoto cam.

The selfie cams will be the same.

Finally, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 will sport a 50-megapixel wide and a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, with a 10-megapixel selfie cam on the "main screen.

All will become more clear this Wednesday, when Galaxy Unpacked starts at 2pm BST in London, but don't be surprised if there are more rumours and leaks in the meantime.

The rumours are true, OnePlus has confirmed that it is pulling out of Europe and the US, marking the end of a brand that shot to fame on the back of viral marketing for the OnePlus One. Sadly, it seemed to struggle to differentiate from parent company Oppo in recent years.

While the brand will continue in regions such as China and India (for now), those with recent phones in the UK, Europe and US might be wondering what will happen next to those devices.

The good news is that some level of support will continue, but the bad is that you'll be prompted to move to ColorOS.

That's to be part of the move to Android 17, so if you have a device with continuing support, you'll be moved away from the OxygenOS that OnePlus was once famous for, and moved over to ColorOS, the Android skin that Oppo uses.

That update will also include continuing security updates and aftersales support. And OnePlus has confirmed that warranties will be respected, including repair services.

The decision is yours

There's an extra twist in this tale: the move to ColorOS will be voluntary and OnePlus says that you'll be able to roll-back to an older version of OxygenOS if you want to.

The news will come as a blow to those who have loyally supported OnePlus, although arguably, there's another brand in town that offers a similar exciting feel – and that's Nothing.

Many will point to the change in OnePlus starting with the departure of Carl Pei, the co-founder alongside Pete Lau. While Lau continued to lead the Oppo and OnePlus brands, Pei left to ultimately found Nothing Tech.

Nothing offers a similar focus on software efficiency, pushing devices that are good value for money, often with respectable core power and with interesting designs. OnePlus devices, however, quickly moved down the path of mirroring Oppo's launches, which perhaps explains waning enthusiasm.

OnePlus hasn't shared a definitive list (it should be devices that still have support remaining), but the list according to a community post should include:

• OnePlus Open
• OnePlus 15
• OnePlus 15R
• OnePlus 13
• OnePlus 13R
• OnePlus 12
• OnePlus 12R
• OnePlus 11
• OnePlus Nord 5
• OnePlus Nord CE 5
• OnePlus Nord 4
• OnePlus Pad 3
• OnePlus Pad 2
• OnePlus Pad Lite
• OnePlus Pad Go 2

It's a sad day for OnePlus fans, especially those who have followed the brand from the start, but with such a change to the feeling of what OnePlus stood for, I suspect many will not be surprised.

Google has now officially started talking about its Made By Google event, with an official teaser on the Google Store that shows off a brief glimpse at Google's new Pixel phones.

The image shows what we assume in the Pixel 11 Pro with its gold frame and camera surround on the rear which points out a difference in design to the previous device. It also shows off a new feature.

The big difference is that the Pixel 10 Pro isn't glass all the way across the camera bar, only the area surrounding the three lenses is glass, with the LED flash and temperature sensor sitting within a metal surround.

Now the whole thing is glass and where we'd expect to see the flash, we are instead treated to something new – the Pixel Glow array on the back of the phone. There's a colourful glow as it dances through Google's favourite red, green, yellow and blue colours that make up its brand identity.

The existence of Pixel Glow was first spotted in Android 17 beta code in relation to laptops as well as phones. It's thought, like Alexa's blue light or Siri's coloured swirls, that this is going to some sort of interactive notification feature.

Indeed, in the original leak of Pixel Glow, the description said it "uses subtle light and colour on the back of your device to inform you of important activity when it’s face down".

So this appearance in Google's official tease suggests that it's very much part of the plan for the Pixel 11. We're assuming that what Google has done is change the flash from white LEDs into coloured LEDs, so it's dual purpose. There's no sign of the temperature sensor, but I'm not sure anyone will miss that.

Exactly what you'll be able to do with Pixel Glow remains to be seen. It's a much more subtle indicator than something like Nothing's Glyph Matrix, but potentially suffers from the same problem: when you place your phone face down to avoid distraction, it's going to be there to distract you.

LED indicators have long been a hallmark of mobile devices. From the first BlackBerry phones with a red flashing indicator through to the flashing sides of the screen – especially on devices with curved edges – phones always seem to want to tell us that something is happening, even when on silent.

That might make sure you don't miss that important message, but whether it does anything else remains to be seen.

Official-looking images of all the devices expected at Galaxy Unpacked next week have leaked, giving us a good look at the new phones and watches.

The devices are grouped together, posed with hands holding them, providing a really good comparison of the sizes of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and the new more compact folding device that's going to adopt the Galaxy Z Fold 8 name.

In addition to the phones, we also get to see the new Galaxy Watch models on the wrist, also gripping the new phones, although they don't look quite right.

These images come from Android Headlines and they look really detailed, but there's a distinctly unrealistic look to them. The hands look quite cartoony, the textures are really smooth, and the fabrics don't look realistic.

They look a little too clean, so I'd approach them with caution. Although, having seen numerous other leaks for these devices, they look exactly as we'd expect and this is a good opportunity to compare the sizes of those models.

That's not all that this leak contains. There are also images of two colourways that are going to be Samsung.com exclusives, including the Pistachio Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Mint Z Flip 8.

Samsung always keeps a couple of colours in reserve for those who buy directly from its online store. These colours don't get offered to networks or other retailers.

While buying directly from Samsung might deter some customers, there's often a good deal offered on trade-in, while sometimes there are bundle deals or other offers. It's been said that the pre-order double storage offer is changing for this series, with Samsung instead asking customers to pay 50% of the upgrade cost.

So here we have images for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. All these devices are expected to be revealed on 22 July at the Galaxy Unpacked event in London.

The event was also rumoured to see a new Galaxy Ring, although that hasn't leaked so might not appear – while rumours pointing to the unveiling of the Galaxy Glasses might also be wide of the mark.

There's only a week until we'll have all the official details from the event.

Just last week, a colleague wrote about the incoming Nothing Phone (4b) in a special edition colourway – and the internet lit up with excitement about it. Red is most definitely in.

My pre-release Phone (4b) just arrived on my doorstep for sake of review, and while it's very much not a special edition version – much as I'd want blue or red, I got the white – there was one thing in the box that still stopped me in my tracks.

Behold, the Nothing Phone (4b)'s SIM tool. It is massive. It is unlike anything I've ever seen before. And it is so downright peculiar that I actually kinda love it. Typical SIM tools are too small and dainty, but this one's easy to hold and actually makes sense.

As you can see in my gallery of images, embedded above, there's a USB-C male cable end for approximate comparison. Other phone manufacturers simply don't make SIM tools like this one.

It's perhaps a bit of a spoiler, as the Phone (4a) hasn't gone on general sale as yet – but you can pre-order from £299 on Nothing's Store right now (that's AU$629 in Australia; it's not on sale in the USA).

What else do you get for that low cash outlay? There's a 6.77-inch OLED display, 50-megapixel main camera (and 8MP wide-angle alongside), decent 5200mAh battery capacity, and mid-grade Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 4 chip.

Increasingly, however, eSIM is being used by more people, bypassing the need for a physical card. Not so in the Phone (4b), however, as it doesn't support eSIM – save for some special regions, where it's a required specification differentiation.

I'm yet to get into my Nothing Phone (4b) review – and it may be some time yet, what with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 series due at Samsung's second Galaxy Unpacked event of the year.

But if you are on the hunt for a cheap Android phone, then Nothing always has that focus in mind. Indeed, the Phone (4b) is even more cost-effective than the earlier Phone (4a), showing there's still major need for mid-tier handsets, not just fancy flagships and foldables.

Samsung's new folding phones will be announced on 22 July, with pre-orders expected to open soon after. However, you might not get the pre-order perk that you were hoping for.

One of the biggest perks that Samsung has offered in the past is its double storage deal. This sees shoppers getting the 512GB model for the price of 256GB, for example. Sadly, that's set to change with the next generation of Galaxy Z devices.

According to Korean outlet Chosun (via 9to5Google), instead of offering a free storage upgrade, Samsung is only going to offer half the usual discount. That means instead of getting the larger storage at no additional cost, customers will be asked to pay 50% of the difference.

This is in response to the component crisis facing the industry at the moment, it's said, as well as declining profits in Samsung's mobile section. That's not only led to increased prices for Samsung's new phones – thought to be about €100 more per model – but the pre-order benefit will be reduced too.

According to the leaked prices we've seen, that might mean that the 512GB Galaxy Z Flip 8 pre-order offer comes in at €1,359 instead of €1,499. While that's only €60 more than the base price, in previous years customers would only pay the €1,299 price for higher storage under the pre-order deal.

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are expected to be like-for-like replacements of the previous generation, and considering that Samsung offers a seven-year software support promise, that could convince some buyers to opt for older models instead of new.

The model that's going to stand out most this time is the Galaxy Z Fold 8 – the new wider folding phone. As this will introduce a new format, and is expected to be priced lower than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, it could be the model that defines 2026's sales.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to open with a 4:3 internal display while reducing the cameras by dropping the telephoto lens. It might otherwise offer flagship-level power and seeing as it's going to be cheaper than the Ultra, could be the performance phone of choice.

At the moment it's not known if Samsung will have other pre-order incentives: previously there has been the bundling of accessories in some regions, like Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch.

According to the source, Samsung will open pre-orders for the new devices on 28 July, with an in-store date of 7 August.

All will be revealed on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked.

Samsung will be announcing its new portfolio of folding phones on 22 July and there's going to be a change to the display, to reduce the crease and increase durability. Samsung has outlined a new structure for its foldable displays, called Flex Titanium.

While regular displays pose no problem, folding phones have always drawn attention to the fold because of the visible crease. To boost the performance of the folding section of the screen and reduce it, Samsung has turned to titanium.

In the new structure, there's a titanium-alloy film directly behind the OLED panel, replacing a polymer film. Samsung saye that it offers greater mechanical stiffness – up to 20x. This film is said to be a third of the thickness of a human hair.

Beneath the titanium-alloy film is a titanium plate which is flexible, but Samsung says it allows tighter bonding with the rest of the display, eliminating air gaps, and providing more support for the display when unfolded.

Combined, Samsung claims that it "reduces crease visibility", while the OLED panel itself is said to be more efficient with increased performance. Together, the company believes this will set a new standard for folding displays as it looks to fend off rival suppliers BOE.

One thing worth noting, however, is that while these changes take place under the display, the top of the display will still have a protective layer.

I recently wrote about folding phones and their top layer, which is a plastic film. While this can be removed to reveal the ultra-thin glass that sits beneath it, for most phones this will void the warranty and damage the display.

In the past, that top polymer layer has meant that folding displays typically attract lots of reflections, an area where folding screens can't compete with regular displays.

Samsung to launch a trio of folding phones

Samsung is expected to launch three folding phones. The Galaxy Z Flip 8 is expected to be nigh on identical to the Galaxy Z Flip 7, while the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is expected to be the same as 2025's Galaxy Z Fold 7.

The device that's going to attract the most attention is the Galaxy Z Fold 8, which is expected to adopt a wider format, opening with a 4:3 display while making some hardware reductions to be more affordable than the "Ultra".

The wider format of folding phone will likely compete with Apple's much-rumoured iPhone Ultra, that's all but certain to arrive in September.

Rumours have also suggested that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be the last of that format, although I much prefer the clamshell-style of folding phone for its compact design over the larger book-style devices.

Google's future Pixel 11 phones have spilled out, revealing themselves through both FCC filings as well as a huge retailer leak. With an official announcement scheduled for 12 August, we're left wondering whether Google will have anything left to show.

Starting with the FCC filing, the first reveal we saw was for the Pixel 11 Pro Fold, but now six of Google's expected phones appear to be in the FCC listings. This isn't a surprise, but it is great confirmation of what's coming.

The FCC listings, discovered by Droid Life, add to the GZDQ6 number of the Pixel 11 Pro Fold to give us GPQQ7, GUJ0N, G7SWN, GBC0H and G4HCD.

It's thought that GPQQ7 and GUJ0N are Pixel 11 models, G7SWN is the Pixel 11 Pro, while GBC0H and G4HCD are thought to be the Pixel 11 Pro XL. Duplication might refer to different carrier models, some offering 5G mmWave and some not, while the latter models list support for UWB and Thread, while the first two (Pixel 11) do not.

That's enough of model numbers, however, because the huge leak from Amazon is a lot more interesting. This comes from 9to5Google with the discovery of placeholders for three listings that seem to have been published and subsequently retracted.

There are some inconsistencies in the listings, so they are worth approaching with caution. That reveals the Pixel 11 in Sterling, Moss, Fuchsia and Midnight colours, with a 6.3-inch 2424 x 1080 pixel resolution, 256GB storage and 12GB RAM and a price of $899, with the 512GB model at $1,019. There's a 4,985mAh battery.

The Pixel 11 Pro has prices starting at $1,099 for 256GB ranging up to $1,449 for the 1TB model, with a 6.3-inch 2856 x 1280 pixel resolution and 4,850mAh battery. Meanwhile the Pixel 11 Pro XL is said to have a 5,115mAh battery and come in Pine, Midnight, Dune and Light Fog. The XL starts at $1,299 and runs up to $1,649 for 1TB.

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is said to have a 4,750mAh battery and come in Pine and Midnight colours. The prices are said to start from $1,899 and head all the way up to $2,249 for the 1TB model.

Here's a quick summary of those prices:

• Pixel 11 - $899 (256GB), $1,019 (512GB)
• Pixel 11 Pro - $1,099 (256GB), $1,219 (512GB), $1,449 (1TB)
• Pixel 11 Pro XL - $1,299 (256GB), $1,419 (512GB), $1,649 (1TB)
• PIxel 11 Pro Fold - $1,899 (256GB), $2,019 (512GB), $2,249 (1TB)

That gives us a full run of colours for the phone, with attached prices, but as these listings weren't supposed to be live, they need to be taken with a pinch of salt. The details that have been extracted are incomplete and the biggest changes – like the move to Tensor G6 or any changes to the cameras – are not detailed.

We're sure there will be further leaks coming for these phones: there's been a flurry over the last couple of days and there's still about a month to go until launch.

Shock news comes from a reliable source, with the suggestion that the Galaxy Z Flip 8 could be the last in the series. That's right, Samsung could move away from small format folding phones.

That might come as a shock to many, with the Flip offering a nostalgic hook to clamshell phones of the past and popular with buyers because it's a compact device.

The source of the information – Universe Ice – doesn't offer a reason why, but this rumour has to be taken seriously because of the source.

Traditionally, the Z Flip model outsold the Z Fold, although it's said that that situation reversed in 2025 with the launch of the slimmer and lighter Z Fold 7. However, this doesn't take into account that these phones appeal to completely different users.

There isn't a pot of people determined to buy a folding phone, no matter the format: the Flip is attractive because it has retro charm and is really compact, the Fold's appeal is in offering more screen space. Those are totally different traits.

However, despite the Z Flip model outselling the Z Fold, figures that came from IDC early in 2026 told us that in the US, Motorola had over 50% folding phone market share – and at that time, Motorola only offered flip-type folding phones. This, if nothing else, demonstrates appetite for the format.

But Motorola has had tiered folding devices for a couple of years, with a Razr Ultra model at the top (the latest being the Razr 70 Ultra) and a regular Razr 70 lower down. There's even a Plus model in the middle.

This gives buyer more choice, with lower entry prices to such devices. Samsung didn't make this move until 2025, introducing the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE.

Samsung exiting the market would be a gift for Motorola. While both brands (and all brands) are struggling with rising prices because of the demands that AI is putting on the industry, it's currently a market split between two players.

Samsung might, perhaps, be looking at pressing pause on smaller folding phones until it can reduce the costs to make it more profitable, or it might have simply decided that enough is enough.

This is definitely a rumour to keep an eye on: the end of the Galaxy Z Flip would be a sad day indeed.

Samsung will announce three folding phones on 22 July and it's the Galaxy Z Fold 8 that's going to get most of the attention. In a twist to the naming convention, the new phone will just be called Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the update to the Z Fold 7 will have the Ultra name appended.

The two larger format devices will be launched alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8 with both the Z Flip 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra looking exactly like the devices they update from 2025. That puts one phone in the focus as it appears to offer something new.

Thanks to leaked renders of all these devices, we can now see what they look like, along with the expected colours that will be revealed at Galaxy Unpacked.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 sports a wider format, so it's a shorter device, while the cameras on the back have been reduced to two. It's going to miss out on the telephoto camera, but priced cheaper than the Z Fold 8 Ultra. That might be a compromise many will accept.

From the leaked images on Android Headlines (Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8) we can see Lavender, Graphite and Cream colours, while Pistachio is expected to join the pack. The renders match previous case leaks and dummy leaks.

It's expected that both the Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra will be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, after Samsung confirmed that it would be using Snapdragon on Weibo. That could mean that apart from different aspect displays, the camera – and potentially different battery capacities – the two phones will offer very much the same experience.

It's hard to see why you'd pick the Z Fold 8 Ultra.

As for the Ultra, we're expecting to see Cream, Graphite and Purple, with a green colour that's exclusive to Samsung.com.

Looking over these images, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra appears to be exactly the same as the Z Fold 7 from a design perspective and with prices expected to increase over the previous models, some might be deterred, choosing the Z Fold 8 or the older Z Fold 7 instead.

Finally we have the Galaxy Z Flip 8. This, again, looks visually unchanged compared to the Z Flip 7. The expected colours are Cream, Graphite and Pink – while it's also said there could be a Mint version, although that's likely to be a Samsung exclusive.

Samsung exclusives are worthy of your attention if you're buying a phone outright. The manufacturer usually offers competitive trade-in values and is expected to have a double storage offer for preorders, perhaps with other incentives.

Everything will be revealed on 22 July at Galaxy Unpacked, but it's expected that all the attention will be on the new format of Galaxy Z Fold 8.

Honor has plans to join the wide folding trend, with the launch of a device of its own. This was first suggested early in 2026, but that rumour has returned – and now has some specs attached to it.

Key to these specs is the suggestion that the battery will exceed 7,000mAh, which is huge for a folding phone – and something that Honor seems to be especially good at.

The Honor Magic V6 has a 6,660mAh battery which is huge compared to the 4,400mAh battery in the Galaxy Z Fold 7. Honor will likely use silicon-carbon tech to achieve this and likely offer faster charging in its device too.

Honor's challenge to the forthcoming Galaxy Z Fold 8 has been revealed thanks to Digital Chat Station on Weibo. The timing is convenient as Samsung has just confirmed its 22 July launch event for its new folding phones.

It's not just the battery that the leaker is sharing, it's also suggested that it will be a 2nm device, which is interesting. It might use Exynos 2600 but it's unlikely; it might use Dimensity 9600 or it could be one of the launch devices for Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6. Both the latter chips are expected to be announced in September 2026.

Moving on, it's suggested that Honor's phone will have a 7.6-inch internal display and 5.5-inch cover display. It's the 5.5-inch screen that's a giveaway here, as the Magic V6 uses a regular aspect is 6.52 inches. So Honor's next foldable is shorter and wider.

We're told that there's a change to the camera layout with a "runway design", with a 200-megapixel main camera as well as a periscope telephoto.

This all points to Honor lining up a wide folding phone that's designed to be the absolute premium: while Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to slot in under the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and be more affordable, it will sacrifice some hardware in the process., handing the advantage to Honor.

In our recent review of the Honor Magic V6, we praised this phone's endurance, its excellent displays and the zoom camera. Honor's challenge is in software, presenting something that can rival the consistency of One UI, while Samsung's industrial design also shines through.

Honor will no doubt have Apple in the back of its mind too: while the iPhone Ultra is expected to make its debut in September 2026, it could be that Honor has its own maxed-out device looking to assert its dominance on the segment.

Google has scheduled a Made by Google event for 12 August, with invites being sent out for an event in New York. It's expected that the Pixel 11 series of phones will be announced alongside the Pixel Watch 5.

The timing of the event falls a little earlier than previous launches, with the Pixel 10 announcement on 20 August, but it can't be a coincidence that Google confirms its new launch event on the same day that Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked is confirmed.

Google itself has remained rather quiet about the event – there are no teases on social channels – instead the invitation has been sent to media outlets in the US. Whether there will be a parallel events in different regions remains unknown.

The invite is for an evening event in New York, perhaps pointing to a celebrity host. The Pixel 10 launch featured Jimmy Fallon and was more like a chat show. There's every chance that the Pixel 11 launch will be the same.

The invite features a phone with a gold frame, with a design that's expected to be the same as the Pixel 10 and Pixel 9 models. Rumours have pointed to a Pixel Glow feature, a light effect that's expected to range across a number of Google products.

By coincidence, a huge leak from Dealabs has spilled the beans on Google's new devices, pointing to the Pixel 11 coming in grey, black, pink and green colours, with the Pixel 11 Pro in white, black, pink and green. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold is thought to come in black and green colours.

The storage is expected to be 256 and 512GB, with a model of the Fold available in 1TB capacity.

Prices are expected to be around €100 higher compared to the Pixel 10 series, which could see the Pixel 11 Pro starting at €1,199 / £1,079. The top spec Pixel 11 Pro Fold would cost €2,389 / £2,149 with the 1TB storage.

The Pixel 11 series is expected to have a new Tensor processor with enhanced Titan security chip, while it's expected to deploy Samsung's latest display tech with a brighter screen and more vibrant colours.

The Pixel Watch 5 is also expected to be announced alongside the new phones.

We've speculated on the date for a fair while but Samsung has finally confirmed its next Galaxy Unpacked, and it promises to be a bumper event.

Taking place in London on Wednesday 22 July 2026, the showcase will be the launch platform for the brand's new foldable phones, smartwatches, and likely earbuds. We might always see the actual Samsung Galaxy Glasses made in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, and perhaps a surprise or two.

The star of the show though will be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8. While it's not been fully confirmed as launching, all the marketing teases and even the new invite suggest it's the main attraction.

That's because the Z Fold 8 will be a wider foldable device than we've seen before – unfolding into more of a tablet shape than the square-like aspect ratio of previous Fold models.

The invite to the event even sports the words "a new shape unfolds" down the side (in small letters). While the tearing of the ticket in the graphic – and accompanying video – signifies the longer form factor being reduced to a wider design.

This is all carefully planned, as Samsung is set to gazump Apple, which will launch its own wider foldable in September – the iPhone Ultra.

Confusingly, it is believed that Samsung has opted not to use "Ultra" for its own wide-aspect foldable phone. It will instead use it on the replacement for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

So basically, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 will not be like the Fold 7, but the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will. Yeah, we know.

Of course, they're not the only devices we expect to see on 22 July. There will undoubtedly be a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, likely a Samsung Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, plus new Galaxy Buds.

The smart glasses were already revealed during Google I/O earlier this year, but we should find out more about them. And maybe we'll see a tease of further Android XR devices – smart glasses with a display, perhaps?

It's certainly not a show to miss, and T3 will be there covering live as usual. You'll be able to follow our reports and watch it live yourself on YouTube and the Samsung Newsroom, starting at 2pm BST (9am EDT).

Nothing has had a busy year, launching the Phone (4a) and the Phone (4a) Pro, the latter introducing an aluminium unibody to give it a sleek design. But there's another phone joining the pack in the form of the Nothing Phone (4b).

The (b) doesn't actually stand for anything, but it marks out a new tier of phones, still part of the 4 family, but taking a step down. So while some of the specs will be a grade lower, we're expecting it to be cheaper too.

Here's how to watch the unveiling of the Nothing Phone (4a) live, as well as a rundown of everything we know about Nothing's new affordable phone.

How to watch the Nothing Phone (4b) launch?

The Nothing Phone (4b) launch will be livesteamed on YouTube, where it's likely that we'll see an introduction from co-founder Carl Pei, with support from other Nothing execs. The video is near the top of the page for your convenience, or you can watch it on YouTube here.

The Nothing Phone (4b) launch will take place at 11am BST on 7 July 2026.

What to expect from the Nothing Phone (4b)

The Nothing Phone (4b) design has already been revealed, while there's also going to be a special limited edition model for cricket fans. The design reflects what as saw with the Nothing Phone (4a), but with some modifications to reflect its lower positioning.

Nothing has confirmed that it's Snapdragon powered, with leaks suggesting that it'll come with the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. That positions it as an entry- to mid-range device, as does the expected 8GB RAM.

Moving on, Nothing hasn't officially revealed much more, but we believe that it will have a 5,000mAh battery on the international version while India will have a 6,000mAh battery.

There's thought to be a 6.7-inch screen with 120Hz refresh, while there are Glyph lights on the back as part of the design – with blue, black and white models expected.

The camera is said to be 50-megapixels with an 8-megapixel ultrawide, while there's a 16-megapixel camera on the front.

What's exciting about the Nothing Phone (4b) is that you're getting a great design and a nice big display.

We don't know the price at the moment, but we're expecting it to be in Nothing stores from 11 July.

Nothing is preparing to launch its next phone and if you had any doubts about how serious the company is about India, this latest pairing should make everything clear.

While Nothing flaunts the blue version of its handsets via its global accounts, Nothing India is showing off a limited edition of the phone that you'd be able to pick up at the Nothing Store in Bengaluru, bedecked in the RCB (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) colours.

It's an interesting pairing as we've seen brands working with football teams in the past, but cricket is less common. While local fans will likely be wildly excited, it's a great design and should to be sought after by those looking for something a bit different.

Nothing recently confirmed that its budget line CMF would not be releasing a new phone in 2026, just days before we caught wind of more exciting plans.

With the Nothing Phone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro already available, no one saw the Nothing Phone (4b) coming. It takes that Nothing DNA and strips out some of the specs to give us what's expected to be a slightly more affordable phone.

Nothing, in its normal style, has happily shared that the phone will be revealed on 7 July, with an 11am BST time, and it now adds to the details. It's going to be available from 11 July at the Soho store for those in Nothing's hometown, London.

Nothing has also confirmed that it will be a Snapdragon-powered phone, with previous leaks suggesting Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. Elsewhere, we're expecting a 6.7-inch screen with 120Hz, and there'll be a dual camera on the rear of the phone.

What's striking about the Nothing Phone (4b) is the design and while we don't know what the price will be – the Phone (4a) is £379 – we're expecting it to firmly sit at the affordable end of the Android spectrum.

Nothing will likely confirm more of the specs before the launch next week, but we'll soon have all the details.