Now that the World Cup is over, I'm finally redressing the imbalance in my viewing habits in recent times – meaning I don't have to watch multiple football matches every day. For one thing, I'm gagging to get back to actually watching movies now that my evenings are my own, but it's also allowed me to catch up on House of the Dragon.

I've been a moderate defender of the show in the last couple of years, since I think it's definitely maintaining a higher average quality than the last two or three seasons of Game of Thrones, and that makes it highly watchable. That said, its third season has been hit and miss, to me.

It opened with a great sense of momentum and some big battles, staged at the sort of scale that few other TV operations can match. Some truly crazy practical sets and backdrops make it look far better than most of its rivals, and the craft that go into it is hard to overestimate.

Still, a few episodes later and I can't help but feel we're back in the mire of plot conveniences, confusing timelines and locations, and a general sense that the showrunners don't know how to keep its war going credibly without basically having to remove characters (and dragons) from the board.

Now, the show has a mid-season trailer giving glimpses of what's coming in the second half of the season, and it's giving hope that the short answer will be "more action".

We certainly seem to get a look at battle formations and siege tactics, as the Targaryen forces encircle Tumbleton, where their enemies have taken root – a battle that looks set to decide much of the outcome of the bloody war of succession.

It's fairly clear that a whole heap of characters are going to converge on the town, but what I'd like is for some more clarity when we're not in the middle of big battles. It's all well and good having tentpole moments a couple of times a season, but the show's a little too blurry outside of these sequences.

Part of the genius of Game of Thrones' animated intro sequence was that it reminded you where everyone was in relation to each other as each episode kicked off, and that made it all the more frustrating when distances ceased to matter in later seasons (as the writing got lazier).

Now, I'd say House of the Dragon is committing the same sin, and without even a map to help viewers figure anything out, it's really confusing to try to work out where people are. That makes it all the more baffling when we're told that a dragon like Vhagar, the size of a jet plane, can't be found despite the number of sheep she seems to consume.

In the same way that Daemon (Matt Smith) was locked in purgatory in Harrenhal last season, it's also now Aemond's turn, and it's just as boring the second time around. Unpredictable characters who turn events on their head are the heart of this series' attraction, so putting them in a box for hours at a time to keep things simple is a dull solution.

I'm hopeful that the season can right that wrong and get Aemond and others back into more meaningful positions quicker than I'm worried about, but it's an unknown until those new episodes arrive. Still, from the trailer it's clear that I'll at least get some sort of denouement to enjoy in the next few weeks.

During the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 launch last summer, I queried Samsung's Minseok Kang, Head of Smartphone Product Planning, about when we might see the company release a phone with new battery technology.

He confirmed that "years of work" had already gone into testing at that stage. But now the wait is finally over – as the all-new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and 8 Ultra each feature a silicon-carbon (Si-C) battery type. That's a first for the Korean giant.

But it's far from a first for the industry, which is why so many have been querying when the mobile-maker would invest in the higher-density battery technology. After all, a key function of Si-C is greater longevity as a result, or the option of utilising less space in a design without compromising.

History lesson

I'm not surprised there's been an extended wait, though. It was almost a decade ago when the launch of the Galaxy Note 7 prompted a recall after risk of fire was identified. Ever since then Samsung has been cautious in pushing ultra-capacity batteries or the fastest-charging technologies.

“When Samsung apply or implements the battery, we consider three key points: one is the size; second is the charging speed; and the third one is safety – the reliability of that battery. We think a little more priority on the reliability is best practice," Kang said to me 12 months ago.

Clearly there's been ample testing time for Samsung's testing processes to be passed for these product lines. While it was initially thought that only the Ultra would feature such a battery, Samsung has confirmed it's that device, plus the all-new Z Fold 8 – which some have dubbed the 'Wide', given its less tall and wider ratio – and Z Flip 8 products.

A glimpse of the future

For future Samsung products I think this marks big potential to see further leaps forward. The Galaxy S27 Ultra is prime for a key update or two come next year – with battery being an area where it's stagnated. Sure, its 5,000mAh cell is perfectly capable, but when Oppo is delivering a 7,500mAh in its Find X9 Pro flagship, it's clear where the market is going.

Samsung can no longer afford to sit behind the pack, depending on its loyal customer base. But the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series is proof that it's put the work in to keep up with the times – and on its own terms. And a safety first approach is no bad thing, even if a bit of patience has been required.

There's a whole lot going on around Samsung's second Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026, with the Z Fold 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Flip 8 and Watch Ultra 2 launches the major headlines. Keep your eyes on T3 for more, as we'll be reporting live and direct.

Philips Hue could soon be launching its own TV backlight camera, according to a new report from HueBlog. Rumoured to be called the Philips Hue Screen Sync Camera, it's expected to make its debut at IFA 2026 alongside several other new Hue products.

Govee has long dominated the TV backlight camera market, with several popular models that use a camera mounted on top of the TV to mirror on-screen colours with compatible smart lights. Whilst Philips Hue already offers an impressive entertainment setup with the Hue Play HDMI Sync Box, it relies on an HDMI connection, making it less flexible than a camera-based system..

Pricing and an official launch date are still unknown, but if HueBlog's report is accurate, IFA in September is expected to reveal all.

From the single leaked image, the new accessory appears to clip onto the top edge of a TV or monitor, where it uses a built-in camera to monitor what's happening on screen. It then analyses the image and sends colour data to compatible Philips Hue lights, extending the action beyond the display and into the room.

TV backlight cameras have been a huge success for Govee in recent years, so it'll be interesting to see how Philips Hue's take compares. Personally, I think it could be a fantastic addition, especially for anyone looking to create a more immersive home entertainment setup without relying on an HDMI Sync Box.

Google might be planning to link Google Maps to various other applications to take advantage of its Gemini -powered Personal Intelligence feature. That could see Maps having instant access to a lot more information and avoid frequent app switching.

Personal Intelligence was announced by Google at the beginning of the year. The Gemini system has access to information from across Google's apps like Gmail and Photos, so that Gemini (in all its forms) can be more useful.

Code has now been discovered in the Google Maps beta that points to the feature coming to the popular navigation app, which could reduce the number of steps you need to make when planning a route or trip.

As uncovered by Android Authority, there are code strings within the Google Maps beta that directly reference the new feature, saying "Supercharge Maps with Personal Intelligence".

There's a lengthier description, saying that information about reservations and flights will be available directly in maps. That could mean if you're trying to figure out where you're supposed to be, you don't have to jump back and forth into your calendar or start searching through Gmail.

This leans on Google's Connected Content Apps and it's something that Gemini can already do. For example, you can ask Gemini where you need to be today and it will pull that information from your Calendar.

Personal Information works across Contacts, Google Photos, Google Workspace (that's Gmail, Drive and Calendar), Search, as well as YouTube.

Android Authority speculates that Google is going to use the Ask Maps feature as the starting point for this. Ask Maps is the Gemini-powered conversational side of Google Maps. It's not universally available yet (I still have the old voice search in Maps in the UK), but it make sense for Google to use this.

With all these dots joined, you should be able to open Google Maps and access a wide range of information. You won't have to go and dig it out elsewhere and copy it to another app. That should speed up route planning and navigation, making things more seamless.

That's also thought to expand to things like accessing Google Photos to ask about places that you previously visited in the area.

Gemini can do some of this already and there is a big question mark over all of this: if every app is getting Gemini powers, why not just start every interaction in Gemini and have it supply the final Google solution that you need?

As this is currently in beta, there's no telling when it might appear on Android phones.

Expanding its E line-up, JURA has just launched a new version of its E10 bean to cup coffee machine. This upgraded model comes with 36 drink options, as well as hot, cold and light brew and sweet foam functions – but as a luxury brand, the JURA E10 will set you back.

The original E10 debuted back in 2004, but 22 years later, the new and improved JURA E10 is finally here, and it combines four coffee modes in one premium appliance. JURA is one of the main coffee machine brands that have jumped on the cold brew bandwagon, and the JURA E10 is no exception.

As a 4-in-1 coffee machine, the JURA E10 can make hot brew, cold brew, light brew and sweet foam drinks at the touch of a button. It uses JURA’s Cold Extraction process which it’s introduced to many of its other coffee makers, including the Z10 which we gave five stars in our JURA Z10 review.

Using freshly ground coffee beans, the JURA E10 makes rich cold brews by pulsing cold water at a high pressure to extract the right flavours without any dilution. Its light brew is a new addition to JURA’s coffee machines, which brews drinks at a 60°C temperature for smoother and lighter coffees that are ready to drink straight away.

Sweet Foam is for milk-based drinks which – you guessed it – froths milk foam and gives it a subtly sweet taste. This, as well as its hot, cold and light brew functions, can be used on all its 36 drink options, which include latte, cappuccino, cortado, espresso and flat white to name a few.

Another new and impressive feature of the JURA E10 is its Coffee Timer, which allows you to schedule your coffee ahead of time. Available via the touchscreen, you can select what coffee you want and when you want it made, and the JURA E10 will have it ready for you when you want it – an incredibly handy feature for busy mornings.

The JURA E10 is almost identical to its other E coffee machines, although it only measures 27cm wide so it's much slimmer. Available in an onyx black colour, the JURA E10 has a 3-5-inch colour touchscreen display with side buttons for easy controls.

While it might look intimidating at first, the JURA E10 is an automatic bean to cup coffee machine, making it ideal for beginners as the machine does all the work for you. The JURA E10 is available to buy now for £1,425 at JURA.

Ninja has finally launched its Double Stack XL Air Fryer in its popular Stone Gold colourway. The shade first became a huge hit when it launched on the Foodi MAX Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer, with people loving its neutral tones.

The Double Stack XL Air Fryer launched back in 2024 and quickly earned an impressive four-star review from us. Since then, we've seen other brands take inspiration from the same vertical approach, with the Philips 4000 Series Stacked Dual Basket Air Fryer being one example.

The good news is that the Double Stack XL in Stone Gold is already reduced on Amazon, taking the price from £289.99 down to £249.99. It's not a huge saving, but if you've already got your eye on one, it's definitely worth grabbing at a lower price.

That said, if you think you'd prefer the Foodi MAX, the good news is that it's still reduced too, with the price dropping from £229.99 to £178. That's an even bigger saving, so it could be the better deal if you don't need the Double Stack XL's more compact footprint.

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.

It’s peak festival season right now, so if you’re headed to see some live music, you might want to take these new noise-reducing earplugs from Audio-Technica with you. Best known for its audio equipment, Audio-Technica has released two acoustic earplugs with effective noise reduction, comfortable fits, and insanely affordable price tags.

The new launches from Audio-Technica include the AT-ERP3 and the AT-ERP5. Both sets of earplugs have been thoroughly tested and are compliant with EN and ANSI hearing-protection standards. They’re also made from a soft silicone material that’s comfortable to wear, and mould to the ear to stay securely in place.

The standout from the new launches is the AT-ERP5 which are specially designed for festivals and concerts. While wearing these earplugs, users can still experience live music while protecting their ears from the higher volumes.

The AT-ERP5 earplugs have dual-layer filtering dampers that preserve the sound quality of what you’re listening to, while reducing excessive levels of noise to protect the ear drum. They reduce noise by 21dB SNR, and fit snugly in the ear so you can dance around with them without them dislodging.

Easy to take on the go, the AT-ERP5 come with a stylish travel case. Available in black or gold, they have metallic accents for extra style, but they also don’t stick out while you’re wearing them. What’s even better is that they’re only £22, which is significantly cheaper than other noise-reducing earplugs on the market.

For something better suited to everyday, the AT-ERP3 is a great choice. They work to reduce everyday environmental noises to help with concentration, and are recommended for use in offices and commutes, similar to the Loop Switch.

The AT-ERP3 limit noise to 26dB SNR and have high-isolation eartips that gently reduce sound. They’re available in black or grey, and are the cheapest out of the two launches at £17.50.

Audio-Technica’s range of noise-reducing earplugs are quite similar to Loop’s collection. Where they massively differ is the price, as with Loop, you’re looking to pay up to £59.95, depending on the model you choose.

It looks like Audio-Technica has taken its audio knowledge and expertise, and flipped it on its head to make non-audio focused earplugs – but how will they fare? We’ll have to try them to let you know.

An all-new member of the Range Rover family has just been revealed, in the form of the all-electric Range Rover GT.

Pitched as a luxury grand tourer with an electric drivetrain, sloping roofline and minimalist interior, the Range Rover GT is not a replacement to the aging Velar, but will instead become the fifth pillar of the Range Rover family. These include the small Evoque, the Velar, the Sport and the full-size Range Rover.

It is testament to the strength of the Range Rover brand that JLR feels it can shuffle the Velar and Sport along slightly, then slot in an all-new model without cannibalising other members of the family.

The big question is, can the same be said for Jaguar? Although neither have been fully revealed just yet, both the Range Rover GT and Jaguar Type 01 are up-market electric GT cruisers that will surely be targeting a similar demographic. It’ll be fascinating to see how that plays out – and what the price difference might be, since the Jaguar is expected to be the pricier of the two.

Back to the Range Rover GT, and while there are no performance figures available yet, imagery shows a refined, simple interior. Looking more like a concept car than a production-ready vehicle, the GT’s cabin features a large central touchscreen on the dashboard with little in the way of physical switchgear. This is joined by a letterbox-shaped driver display behind the steering wheel, lounge-like seating for four or five depending on configuration, and a steering wheel with ‘hidden-until-lit’ buttons that only illuminated when needed.

JLR described the Range Rover GT as having “class-leading” rear seat legroom, and the standard-fit four-seat option with large central armrest and touchscreen suggests this is more of a luxurious elevated saloon car than a family-friendly SUV.

JLR says of the cabin: “The interior of Range Rover GT is shaped by the same reductive principles that define its exterior proportions: purity, precision and quiet modernity…A woven textile, part of a suite of beautiful materials, wraps the dashboard in a single, cohesive gesture - tactile, architectural, and designed to hide speakers from within.

Hinting at an improved voice assistant, JLR describes the GT’s interior as being a “sanctuary of calm, with a focus on reduced visual and acoustic noise and natural conversational access to more vehicle functions than ever before.”

To be built in Halewood in northern England, the Range Rover GT is the first of its family to use the new EMA platform. It’ll be available as an EV initially with, JLR says, the option of adding a hybrid version later. Although not confirmed, the new platform is expected to be used by upcoming models of Land Rover, including the rumoured Defender Sport.

As for when the Range Rover GT will be available to buy, JLR says prototype vehicles are undertaking their final on-road testing now, and more details about the car will be revealed later in 2026.

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.

2026 is shaping up to be the year of Ulysse Nardin. Following its ‘most complex time-only watch ever created’ at Watches and Wonders 2026, Ulysse Nardin has just launched the limited edition Blast [Moonstruck] which combines five astronomical indications in one watch.

The new Ulysse Nardin Blast [Moonstruck] is inspired by the Trilogy of time by Dr. Ludwig Oechslin, and is a celebration of the manufacturer’s heritage in astronomical watch making. The first-ever Moonstruck timepiece was launched by Ulysse Nardin in 2009, and this latest edition pays homage to one of the brand’s most impressive astronomical complications.

Well known for its ‘no dial’ designs, the Ulysse Nardin Blast [Moonstruck] takes this to the next level, and is made up of multiple layers to make up its geocentric display. The watch gives the wearer a look into the different positions of the Earth, sun and moon, while also providing five different complications to marvel at.

These five indications include a moonphase which is accurate for 40.3 years, days of the month, tidal coefficients, a world timer and the sun and moon positions around the globe. All of this and more sits in a 45mm case, made from rose gold on the upper case and black DLC-treated titanium in the middle and bezel.

At the centre of the dial is the Earth and a 3D display of the Northern Hemisphere which sits atop an aventurine dial. Surrounding this is a track that shows the positions of the sun and moon, with the sun indication mounted on a rotating 24-hour worldtimer disc which displays 24 time zones.

The sun sits at 12 o’clock as a reference point so wearers can read time across all 24 time zones. The moon displays the moonphase and lunar month, and moves around the watch to reproduce the lunar cycle. As the moon always faces the sun, the part that does on the watch is illuminated.

But that’s not all! A two-tone day/night indication and fixed city ring allows wearers to see global time and the movement of the sun throughout the day, so you can tell between daytime and nighttime. A rose gold ring circles the dial which is engraved with the days of the month. A sapphire glass box covers the entire infrastructure.

Powered by the UN-106 manufacture calibre, the automatic movement features a silicon escapement and hairspring, components that Ulysse Nardin first introduced to its Freak watch in 2001. The movement has a patented time setting mechanism which allows wearers to adjust local time forwards or backwards in one-hour increments.

This adjustment is done by the oversized pushers that flank the crown on the right side of the case. The crown itself can adjust the astronomical settings. The movement is made of 338 components and 42 jewels, and gives the watch an impressive 50 hour power reserve.

Finished with a black alligator strap, the Blast [Moonstruck] might be the most impressive watch from Ulysse Nardin Blast that I’ve ever seen – and that’s saying something! It’s a true work of art, but you’ll have to be quick if you want it.

Limited to just 20 pieces, the Ulysse Nardin Blast [Moonstruck] is priced at £87,530 / €102,600 / $116,000.

Cambridge Audio has announced that its L/R X bookshelf speakers are now on sale, marking the availability of one cool retro-infused speaker set up.

T3 has been (im)patiently waiting for these to launch – and for good reason. When we reviewed its smaller bedfellow Cambridge Audio L/R S range back in March of this year, we gave them five stars, earning a coveted Platinum Award. We said at the time that it’s a speaker range that “absolutely demands your attention.”

The S range also won a coveted T3 Award this year.

But while we've yet to get this larger variant into our testing lab, there’s no reason why the X line can’t join that range in the top spot. Beneath the retro looks – this could easily have been a model that took pride and place in a conversation pit in the ‘60s – there’s a lot of modern tech packed in.

Stream dream

For those who prefer their music streamed, the Cambridge Audio L/R X offers access to your poison of choice – Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, Qobuz, Amazon Music, AirPlay, Cast… you name it.

There’s also multi-room support, 64-bit audio processing and a number of ports, including: HDMI eARC for TV, moving magnet phono stage for vinyl and Bluetooth.

Cambridge graduate, with hons

As for the audio, this is pumped out through 800W of total system power. Dual 5-inch woofers. 28mm torus-chambered tweeters and dual 6-inch force-cancelling passive radiators are on board, which negate the need for a subwoofer and make sure the sound is wider than Spain’s collective grin this World Cup.

There’s a choice of six colours and finishes, complete with LED underlighting and this all comes at a price of £1799 / $2299 / €1999 (add another £100 if you fancy the walnut finishing).

Head to Cambridge Audio now for more details.

It was only five months back that Samsung's first Unpacked showcase of 2026 wrapped, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Privacy Display the king of that reveal.

Now the next Unpacked event is upon us, this time with the best foldables set to be centre stage – and T3's tech editor, Mike Lowe, is on the ground at the event to report on all the news.

Samsung's second Unpacked of 2026 runs from 14:00 BST (06:00 PDT, 11:00 EDT) today – Wednesday 22 July. You can watch live, using the embedded YouTube video below, or follow along in the run-up to the event itself as we dissect the rumours.

As ever, in this live blog, we'll be highlighting the most important news related to the new folding handsets – expected to be the 'wide' Galaxy Z Fold 8, updated Z Fold 8 Ultra (with new name appendage), and Z Flip 8 – plus any additional surprises.

This is also the Unpacked where health will be showcased, with Samsung's latest wearables, the Watch Ultra 2 and Watch 9, expected as part of the package. So stay tuned – there'll plenty to see and adsorb, with news, opinions and previews to follow.

The biggest headlines from Unpacked July 2026

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: First impressions of the future of foldables
• Z Fold 8 'Wide' or Ultra? – I try both folding phones, so you don't have to
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review: Samsung's best yet
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 or Flip 7 – What's new?

Hello from London

Samsung has chosen the UK capital for this year's second Unpacked event, so I'm on home soil ahead of the event kicking off by the Thames.

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for any billboards or accidental giveaways ahead of the event kicking off at 14:00 BST, should anyone slip up.

Is anything ever secret anymore?

Well, that's a bit of a giveaway, isn't it? BTS' J-Hope is pictured holding the purported 'Wide' Galaxy Z Fold 8, showing off the new-form foldable for all to see. In a fetching purple finish of all things, too.

READ: Hello Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, where have you been all my life?

Given the Korean popstar's ties with Samsung, this seems to be no accident, more a coordinated tease of what the new wider-and-shorter foldable looks like – complete with its duo of cameras.

There's a lot more that Samsung will have to say about the latest Z Fold, though, so this glimpse is just that. It's the displays that we really want to see in action in this new aspect ratio.

The new standard?

Wait, hold up, that's not a Galaxy Z Fold 8. Here's where things are going to get interesting – as it's widely expected that Apple will reveal the 'iPhone Ultra' in September of this year.

Samsung, however, has beaten the Cupertino company to the punch. Sure, it was already several years ahead anyway, but this new format is likely to become the 'new standard' in what consumers expect.

It's believed that Samsung will be providing the AMOLED panel for Apple's foldable, which makes it even more likely that it'll be the very same base solution – hence the dummy render image, above, looking mighty similar.

What does that mean for the tall-and-narrow foldables market? We'll just have to wait and see. Samsung is expected to support both formats, but for how long?

Heavy metal

But here's one key aspect to Samsung's latest foldables that's already officially been released, as we reported last week.

That's all to do with the brand's new sub-structure, which uses a titanium-alloy film directly behind the display panel, replacing a polymer film. Samsung says this offers greater mechanical stiffness – up to 20x – which also means better anti-'crease' properties.

That ought to set the latest Galaxy Z Fold devices apart from the competition, as the crease has blighted foldable devices across all brands for many years now.

The end of the crease?

Samsung, like every other folding phone maker, has rightly been preoccupied in recent years with the crease in the middle of its phones' displays. Minimising that crease makes the internal display nicer to use, so it's a major goal – and leaks suggest this generation of phones could improve things massively.

A new image shared on social media today, ahead of Samsung's launch event, appears to show last year's Galaxy Z Fold 7 next to this year's Z Fold 8 Ultra. The harsh lighting makes it easy to see the crease on the older model, but the newer version next to it looks much smoother.

The angle is flattering, admittedly, and it's not the most scientific of comparisons given we only have the one image, but it's a great sign for those hoping Samsung would be able to keep things nice and flat on its new internal display.

What are we to make of this new shape?

As the leaks we've showcased already today demonstrate, this is a big moment for Samsung – it's not every day that a phone-maker completely redesigns one of its flagships. In a world where a new camera bump dominates headlines in iPhone-land, imagine if Apple completely changed the phone's shape one year: it'd be bedlam.

So, what does this new, squatter shape mean for Samsung? We can only assume that it's done an absolute shedload of market research and focus testing to back up the idea that taller folding phones aren't for everyone.

While we don't have the stats to back that up ourselves, it's worth throwing things way back to the Surface Duo, Microsoft's own bi-fold phone from a few years ago. It went the way of the dodo after a couple of iterations, but reviewers were consistently won over by its size and shape, which looks an awful lot like Samsung's new design.

Some things might not change as much

Of course, while the new size and shape of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is going to draw a lot of attention, we're expecting more than one phone today, and the reality is that the Z Flip 8 will likely be the bigger seller.

The flip-phone is a more common sight on the streets of London, in our experience, and its far lower cost of entry seems to be persuasive alongside its fun and dinky size. It's also highly like that we're going to see far less change between versions on this format.

That doesn't mean there won't be progress, and we'd assume that there will be internal upgrades as well as some display spec bumps, but the design is expected to be largely consistent with what came before – which is no problem, based on our glowing four-star review.

Watch out!

But it's not just about folding phones this Unpacked. As we reported yesterday, there's also expected to be new wearables.

Principally the Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 leaked, courtesy of serial leaker Evan Blass, who appears to have acquired official marketing images from a Spanish-language source, as posted on his X feed.

Key to the Ultra 2 is its brighter-than-ever display rated at an apparent 5,000 nits. The battery is also purported to deliver up to 60 hours of runtime, which sounds mega.

More info from Unpacked come 2pm (London time), no doubt, so keep your eyes on the site for more.

Privacy, please?

But back to the phones for a moment. Back when Samsung revealed the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the addition of Privacy Display turned out to be a bit of a controversy.

The feature, which when enabled turns off some pixels to narrow the field of view, makes would-be snoopers unable to see your S26 Ultra's screen. It can even be regionally applied, as to only affect notification areas, for example.

This being Samsung's big feature breakthrough for 2026, surely the latest and priciest Galaxy phones will feature it? But there's not been a peep in the leaks about Privacy Display in the new foldables.

Therefore, we don't anticipate that it will feature – not even for the devices' front displays. That might be for the best in some people's eyes, however, instead leaving the focus on the new titanium sub-structure as the key talking point.

Colour me excited

Pictured above is the Z Fold 7 model, released last year, in its trio of colourways. The Blue Shadow is the standout winner for me.

So what to expect this year for the Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra? Rumour has it that there'll be exclusive new colour options, as it typical of Samsung Store.

A new source suggests those will be rather green in nature, with Pistachio, Green Shadow and Mint the purported exclusive options for the Z Fold 8, Ultra and Flip, respectively.

Those will join the base Cream, Graphite and Lavender options, expected to be available from wider retail sources.

Time for a trek...

Right, it's 12:30 (BST), so my time has come to trundle on over to the Galaxy Unpacked venue in London before the show kicks off.

I'll leave this live blog in the hands of my T3 colleagues to update with any rumours and wonders ahead of the start time – when, Wi-Fi permitting, I'll be live-blogging to my heart's content.

Elvis (well, Mike) is entering the building

We're here and it's packed already! News editor Rik taking over for a little while as Mike finds his way to a seat inside the venue.

I must have covered more than 50 Samsung events in my time as a journalist and they always draw the crowds. But will there be anything extra to see today? I wonder if Samsung might tease something Android XR-related at the end of the show – maybe its first smart glasses with a display or even the Galaxy XR 2.

I hope so, as we know most of the rest of it already.

I'll have a piece of that

And just like that, I'm back in the hot seat. Well, an Unpacked seat! It's bustling inside, with 45 minutes to go before the official kick-off.

Samsung is showing off the social teasers about the assumed Z Fold 8 and Watch Ultra 2 that it put out the other week – albeit on the big screen.

That's clearly going to be the focus of this Unpacked event, I'd wager.

BTS: I Believe That's A Samsung

Samsung is leveraging its BTS tie-in, as ever, with an X (formerly Twitter) post showing off a shadowy glimpse of the Z Fold 8.

It's not actually expected to launch in black, mind, per my previous colourways post – so let's assume it's just heavyweight retouching.

Unless, who knows, it's a special edition BTS version. Surely not?

Pre-order benefits

I was just browsing Samsung.com to see if there are any obvious last-minute giveaways.

Instead, however, the countdown timer confirms there'll be "exclusive pre-order benefits" for those who sign up.

That could well be worth it, therefore, as previous years have seen a free doubling of storage for those who pre-order.

It's not expected that's the exact deal for this year – but Samsung has been tight-lipped on what to expect. Time will tell!

Aye, aye, cap'n AI

Just a thought for a moment about AI, too. Samsung has previously gone to town with Galaxy artificial intelligence feature pushes – but that seems to have quietened somewhat in the run-up to this particular Unpacked.

It seems that, while Galaxy AI will very much continue as it stands, that new features will be minimal. Instead, the focus is clearly going to be on Samsung's all-new foldable in that all-new form factor.

And we're off!

A nice flyover of London to kick off Unpacked with a VT. It's not actually quite so sunny today, but there we go...

TM Roh kicks off proceedings

The big boss and CEO, TM Roh, takes to the stage to kick off Unpacked 2026 – with a little tease of Samsung's new AI Glasses.

Curtain Up

The curtain behind TM Roh opens and we're on to more VT.

But nothing's a secret anymore: I've already seen all of Samsung's 2026 foldables – from Z Fold 8 to Z Fold 8 Ultra to Z Flip 8 – as covered on the site.

Check out the key links below:

• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 review: First impressions of the future of foldables
• Z Fold 8 'Wide' or Ultra? – I try both folding phones, so you don't have to
• Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 review: Samsung's best yet
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 or Flip 7 – What's new?

Flex Titanium

Here's the lowdown on the Flex Titanium technology, as presented by Kadesh Beckford, UK Product Manager for Samsung Mobile.

It's literally a thin layer of titanium – which, let's not forget, is a metal – with laser-etched mesh to enable it to fold across the hinge.

As titanium is so robust and rigid, it helps to maintain a flat and sturdy surface that largely negates the central 'crease'.

Better battery

Big news klaxon! Samsung has finally added a silicon-carbon battery to its line-up, meaning greater capacity from the higher density type.

In the Z Fold 8 Ultra that's a larger 5000mAh capacity, with 45W charging being faster than predecessors – and charging to 67% in just 30 minutes.

Snapdragon inside

The partnership between Qualcomm and Samsung continues, with the top-tier Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip used here – in its 'for Galaxy' overclocked form.

It's still not yet clear whether this will be the chip in all three devices, however, as the Z Flip 8 is rumoured to feature Samsung's own Exynos hardware instead...

The one we've been waiting for

The all-new Galaxy Z Fold 8 is official, confirming the foldable's new format.

Ideal for playing games that are less "squished" with its 4:3 aspect ratio inside, or flipping it around for 3:4 for some quality reading time.

The Z Fold 8 is upselling its case for content consumption. It, too, uses Flex Titanium technology like the Ultra, to help negate that central crease.

My FanCam

Samsung's new social forward feature, My FanCam, allows you to select subjects in a video and crop to the ideal format for your preferred social platform.

Z Flip 8 – the thinnest yet

The Galaxy Z Flip 8 brings a refresh to the range, boasting that it's the thinnest in the series ever – although only by a whisker.

Like all the other handsets, it comes with Samsung's One UI software over Android 17 – and in the Flip 8 in particular, the cover display can run full.apps, which Samsung had previously limited in earlier devices.

My Spidey senses are tingling

Jacob Batalon, who plays Ned Leeds in the recent Spider-Man movies – including Brand New Day, which is due in cinemas at the end of the month – takes to stage.

Financials

In the US, Samsung is to enter the banking market, offering a card with competitive cashback.

This Unpacked is getting weirder by the minute...

Be healthy

Now it's wearables time! The Galaxy Watch 9 is revealed – certainly not to scale, as it's the size of Big Ben on screen – along with its core Vitals feature, to support heart health.

A new FDA-cleared capability can detect sleep apnea and whether you need further medical assistance to monitor your condition. The Galaxy Ring will also adopt this feature.

Introducing the Ultra 2

At the top of the tree is Samsung's latest Ultra 2 – which we've already reviewed on T3.com.

In short: It's the toughest, most powerful and brightest Galaxy Watch ever.

Closing remarks – surely?

Samsung's COO, Won-joon Choi, takes to the stage. He was appointed Head of Mobile (MX) last year, so is a critical figure for Samsung's phone products.

"Welcome to the family", he says to those joining the Galaxy family for the first time.

"AI is no longer a feature you use from time to time. You can spend less time managing your phone and more time living your life."

"Agentic AI is a new way to use your phone – where you simply say what you want and your phone takes care of the rest. Together with Google, we're building the future."

Rik Osterloh, Google's SVP of Platforms and Devices, is welcomed to stage, talking about Gemini's evolution.

Gemini Notebook will come pre-installed on all of Samsung's new foldable devices. And there's 6 months Google AI Pro subscription included, too.

Beyond the phone

Gemini Intelligence is coming to more than just phones, though.

The Google and Samsung partnership with Gentle Monster and Warby Parker is no secret – but we'll have to wait to learn more in the future.

Oh, there's more

Cristiano Amon, President and CEO of Qualcomm, is here too. Samsung is rolling out all the big guns, eh?

He's bigging up the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 'for Galaxy' that features in some of Samsung's foldables – although it depends where you're based, as the Flip 8 gets Exynos for the UK market.

The all-new Snapdragon Wear platform is also inside the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, of course, which helps aid with its longer battery life and general all-round goodness.

Intelligent Eyewear

More about the AI Glasses. I've already seen them – but Samsung isn't permitted them to be worn or tested in any way at this stage. And touching them doesn't really give much away.

The next generation of Samsung's XR experience is intended to be far more 'all day, every day' than the current Galaxy XR device.

Full collection will be "this Fall" – so we're got to wait until nearer to the end of the year for the bigger picture.

That's a wrap...

So there we have it. From curtain up to curtain down, Galaxy Unpacked summer 2026 is over and out.

There was more on show than expected, with a longer runtime than usual, but it's all about the Z Fold 8's new form factor.

Chilly’s, the hip British answer to YETI, Stanley and Hydro Flask, has just unveiled its longest-lasting insulated water bottle yet.

The new Series 3 Flip is an insulated straw bottle available in 500ml and 1-litre sizes.

Even the larger version is a lot smaller than the last Chilly's water bottle we reported on, the Big Mouth, but it's still substantial enough for commuting, work and the gym.

According to the British brand, the larger version can keep drinks cold for up to 75 hours (~just over three days), while the smaller bottle promises up to 45 hours of cold retention.

Those figures put the Series 3 Flip comfortably beyond the 24-hour claim commonly attached to premium insulated bottles.

However, as we all know, real-world performance depends on factors such as the drink's starting temperature, ambient conditions, and how frequently the bottle is opened.

Silence is golden

Longer insulation is the headline upgrade, but Chilly’s has also attempted to tackle some of the smaller annoyances associated with reusable bottles.

The Series 3 Flip has a rubber base to prevent it from clattering on hard desks or gym floors.

Furthermore, a soft-touch, removable loop makes it easier to carry, and Chilly’s describes its construction as completely leak-proof, which, admittedly, is an important claim for anything destined to share a backpack with a laptop.

Its flip-up straw incorporates a BPA-free drinking surface treated with an antimicrobial additive.

The bottle’s steel construction is also made using 90% recycled material, although Chilly’s says this does not reduce its durability or insulating performance.

Visually, it retains the clean, urban styling associated with the brand, including an oversized Chilly’s logo embossed into the side.

The Series 3 Flip bottles are available now via Chilly's, with the 500ml bottle costing £40, while the 1-litre model is priced at £48.

Over the last decade or so, Netflix has repeatedly succeeded in predicting what people want from the biggest streaming service on the planet, and one of its biggest successes has been knowing that romance is hugely popular. People want steamy love stories, and they want them regularly.

It's already got more than one giant franchise out of this tactic, with Bridgerton standing out as the jewel in its crown, and now we're getting another new one – My Brilliant Career. The story of a precocious young woman in Australia starts in 1900 and looks like a classic take on what it was like to be of marriageable age at a challenging time for women.

Philippa Northeast stars as Sybylla, that gifted young woman, who sees herself as an untameable writer, but has to contend with the expectations of her family, who see marriage as her only way to economic security. The problem for Sybylla is that they're not entirely wrong – her chances of becoming a writer are slim, despite her undeniable talent.

She decides to humour them and meet some young men, all the while intending to see as much of the world as she can to fuel her writing. Little does she know, though, that she'll meet more than one man who does indeed ignite something in her, which is the one twist she wasn't expecting.

One of those men is a familiar face – Christopher Chung from Slow Horses, in a role that's the polar opposite of his more famous one. Rather than a repulsive IT support worker, he's a hunky romantic lead, with Jake Dunn playing his main rival. It looks like a classic love triangle as Sybylla is faced with a choice between the two.

Her other option, of course, is to ignore them both and stick to her craft, so it'll be fascinating to learn how it all unfolds – as someone who obviously hasn't read the beloved Australian novel this is all based on. The show hits Netflix on 13 August and looks like it'll bring some stunning costumes with it: get this one in your diary.

Xbox might be shifting back to a tried and tested exclusives model in the coming year, but one remaining consequence of its foray into cross-platform is that Master Chief will soon arrive on PlayStation 5 for the first time.

Halo: Campaign Evolved will officially release in just a week's time, on 28 July and it marks a real shift for the series. There's just one thing – it will only be available to purchase on PlayStation, while Xbox Series X/S and PC owners can get it for free with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate or PC Game Pass membership.

Rebuilt from the ground up, the remake of Halo: Combat Evolved (originally released for the first Xbox) retains the same gameplay and mission structure, but with dramatically improved graphics. It also features some control changes, such as when driving the Warthog.

The campaign mode is the real star – as the tweaked title suggests – although you still get four-player online co-op. There are new missions too, as well as a healthy serving of additional weapons, vehicles and enemies.

Those who pre-ordered the Premium Edition will actually get to play the game in early access from Thursday, 23 July, but if you're an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriber, you don't have much longer to wait.

The additional Xbox Game Pass games for July 2026

Shift at Midnight is another day one release for Ultimate and PC Game Pass members that's arriving soon – tomorrow, in fact. While Hell is Us will be added for all members, including Premium, from Thursday.

Mistfall Hunter is coming at the end of the month, on 30 July, as a new release also. And Corsair Cove will be available for PC only the day after.

Xbox has announced a couple of games coming next month, too. Both Heretic + Hexen and Beast of Reincarnation will be available from 4 August. The latter is yet another day one release.

Sadly, there are eight games being removed from the service at the end of July, with the pixel-perfect platformer Celeste being a particular favourite. I advise you download and play it in the days you have left.

After winning a grand prize on the Lego Ideas site earlier this year, The X-Files set from fan designer WetWired will soon be available to buy.

There have been a few tweaks to the design, but the Lego Ideas The X-Files set is remarkably close to the original submission. And it's a must-buy for collectors and sci-fi fans.

Lego has even enlisted the help of Dana Scully herself – Gillian Anderson – to launch the new set in a teaser video. She reprises the role from the show, while her minifigure is one of eight you get in the box.

She's joined, of course, by Fox Mulder, Walter Skinner, Mr. X, Alex Krycek, Carl Busch, The Flukeman and a grey alien. It makes me want to head back to watch all 11 seasons again (and the movies – well, the first one anyway).

They're all available on Disney+ to stream.

Back to the Lego set and you get 1,478 pieces to build a recreation of Mulder's office sitting underneath a forest scene, while a UFO hovers over head. Those who order the set on its initial release – between 1 and 10 August – will also get the Lego Ideas The X-Files: Scully's Lab for free.

The main set will first be available to Lego Insiders on early access, which starts on 1 August. General orders will then be accepted on the Lego Store from 4 August.

It will be priced at £179.99 / €199.99 / $199.99.

"I didn’t expect to be stepping back into Scully’s heels to investigate a Lego set," said Gillian Anderson. "It has been so much fun revisiting that world all these years later.

"This set is a wonderful celebration of the X-Files, and the fans who have kept its mystery alive."

LG just dropped some fascinating news to tie in with the streaming arrival of Masters of the Universe – it's adding an all-new picture mode to its latest top-end TVs. That mode is called Creator Original Picture Mode, and it's a little bit like Filmmaker Mode on steroids.

Tied in with Amazon Prime Video, where the movie is going to be added on 22 July, Creator Original Picture Mode is like a bespoke, movie-by-movie version of Filmmaker Mode. It lets your TV adjust itself to the exact settings chosen by the creators of the movie you're watching, instead of applying a uniform settings list.

LG says that the parameters on offer to creators and studios include "shadow detail, colour balance, noise reduction and motion handling", all of which can have a pretty big impact on how a film looks on your hardware.

This means that, in the case of Masters of the Universe, you should get the right contrast levels between some of its more glitzy effects and darker parts of the frame, for instance.

As an amusing extra cherry on top, LG is also making the movie available through a fun wake phrase. Those with a compatible TV will be able to use their remote's voice function to say "I have the power", which will bring it up for them to start watching.

Which TVs will actually get Creator Original Picture Mode? Well, it's only going to be the high-end ones. That means the 2026 OLED flagships – the paper-thin W6, the beautiful G6 and the more mass-appeal C6. Those last two are five-star models in our eyes, so this feature could make them even better.

LG says the setting will roll out by the end of July, and it'll be genuinely fascinating to see whether it gets much uptake. There's a lot to be said in favour of being able to get your TV tuned to a director's vision the moment you load up a movie, but it does depend on those creators actually investing the time in tinkering.

Interestingly, for now the LG press information on the setting also calls it "Creator Original Picture Mode for Prime Video" in its footnotes, which suggests the feature might not work across more streaming services or physical media when it does arrive, which would also limit its potential a lot.

Samsung will unveil several new products during its Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow, with the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 among them.

It is expected that it'll be joined by the Galaxy Watch 9 and the new line of foldable phones in the presentation in London. However, here's a further look at the flagship smartwatch ahead of time.

Serial leaker Evan Blass has acquired what looks to be official marketing images and posted them on his X feed. They have seemingly come from a Spanish source, considering the text featured on one or two of the pics.

As per previous rumours, the Ultra 2 will reportedly come with a brighter display than its predecessor, rated at 5,000 nits. We can also see a battery size of 800mAh, which can provide up to 60 hours of runtime, according to the leaked images.

Additional images, which were posted on Blass' Substack feed (via 9to5Google), also reveal that the smartwatch will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear Elite chipset and be "12% thinner" than the original Galaxy Watch Ultra.

The new model will also be rated IP69K for water and dust resistance.

A whole new colour trend emerges

It's also interesting that Samsung is moving away from the orange trend that it and Apple thrived on with previous watches. It seems to be going for a more natural colours this time.

The green shown in at least one of the images is a better fit, we feel. Although there's still a dash of orange on the dial, to show the range's heritage.

We don't have long to wait to see the final device and all the options, with the Galaxy Unpacked event starting at 2pm BST tomorrow, Wednesday 22 July. T3 will be covering all the announcements extensively, so join us then.

YETI has expanded its increasingly substantial cookware collection with two carbon-steel cooking tools designed for use at home and over an open flame.

Both arrive pre-seasoned and use a nitriding treatment intended to improve resistance to rust, scratches and everyday damage.

Unlike a conventional non-stick coating, nitriding is a heat-treatment process that hardens the material’s outer surface.

YETI says the naturally non-stick seasoning should also improve as oils and fats build up through repeated cooking.

The Carbon Steel Wok has a flat base that maximises contact with kitchen stovetops, paired with high, rounded walls designed for tossing ingredients without sending dinner over the edge.

Carbon steel responds relatively quickly to temperature changes, allowing cooks to move between high-heat searing and lower-temperature simmering.

YETI says it worked with its chef ambassadors on the wok’s shape, which is intended to handle everything from stir-fries and noodles to large batches of sauce.

The wok measures 21.5 inches from the edge of its bowl to the end of the handle.

Its elongated metal handle has been ergonomically designed for “nimble cooking manoeuvres” and includes a slot for hanging.

A tale of two temperatures

The rectangular Carbon Steel Griddle provides a 22-by-12-inch cooking surface and is compatible with stovetops, ovens, grills and campfires.

Its dual cooking zones allow different areas to sit over separate burners.

One side could sear meat or vegetables while the other maintains a lower temperature for warming tortillas, pancakes or other cooked ingredients.

The heavy construction is intended to keep the griddle stable during cooking, while raised edges help contain oil and food.

Angled corners make it easier to pour away grease and residue afterwards, although the griddle must be washed by hand rather than placed in a dishwasher.

YETI recommends gradually preheating both products and using high-smoke-point oils.

Acidic ingredients such as tomatoes, wine and vinegar can strip the seasoning, although continued cooking with fats should rebuild it.

The Carbon Steel Wok and Carbon Steel Griddle are listed on YETI’s US website for $200 (~£150 / €175 / AU$285) each.

At the time of writing, both pages display a “Notify Me” option, while UK, EU and AU pricing and availability have not been confirmed.

Peak Design has launched a new modular camera bracket designed to adapt to different shooting styles without permanently encasing your camera in a bulky metal frame.

The Field Bracket is the brand's take on the traditional L-bracket, used by photographers to quickly switch between landscape and portrait orientations when shooting from a tripod.

Its key feature is a removable upright section secured using the brand’s new Field Latch mechanism.

This allows photographers to transform the accessory from a relatively discreet baseplate into a complete L-bracket in seconds, and, most importantly, without reaching for a screwdriver or Allen key.

Each Field Bracket uses a camera-specific baseplate precision-machined from recycled aluminium.

Peak Design says the plates follow the contours of individual camera bodies while preserving access to their ports, controls and battery compartments.

Versions will initially be offered for selected Sony, Canon, Nikon, Fujifilm and Leica cameras.

From tripod plate to video rig

The Field Bracket serves as the foundation of a wider collection of optional accessories.

You can replace its standard upright with Peak Design’s Cheese Plate, which adds 1/4-inch-20 and 3/8-inch-16 threads, along with cold-shoe mounting points.

These can accommodate accessories such as microphones, external monitors and compact lights without requiring a conventional full-size camera cage.

A dedicated Hand Strap attaches directly to the bracket for more secure handheld shooting.

The system also remains compatible with Peak Design’s Capture camera clip and camera straps, as well as Arca-type tripod heads and various third-party accessories.

Perhaps its most unusual add-on is the Beacon Finder Tag. Peak Design describes this as the first tracking device designed specifically to fit inside an Arca-compatible camera plate, providing a more discreet alternative to attaching a conventional tracker to a camera bag or strap.

“The best camera accessories disappear into your workflow until you need them,” says Peak Design founder and CEO Peter Dering.

“Instead of asking photographers to permanently attach functionality they only use some of the time, we built a system that can transform in seconds while remaining just as rigid and dependable as a traditional L-bracket.”

As usual from the brand, Peak Design just launched the Field Bracket on Kickstarter (this is its 17th crowdfunding campaign).

Early customers will be offered a limited-time discount ahead of the eventual retail release.

The Field Bracket has a suggested retail price of $149.95 (~£114 / €131 / AU$214), while optional accessories will start at $39.95 (~£30 / €35 / AU$57). UK and European pricing has yet to be confirmed.

For more info, head over to Peak Design.

New Balance has unveiled two high-performance running shoes designed to take runners from speedy training sessions through to marathon race day.

The new SuperComp Rebel v1 is arguably the more surprising arrival, essentially fusing the FuelCell Rebel and SuperComp Trainer lines into one high-speed daily trainer.

New Balance says it has created a plated, high-stack training shoe intended to bring “race-day energy” to everyday running.

It is joined by the SuperComp Elite v6, the latest generation of New Balance’s flagship carbon-plated racing shoe and the successor to the T3 Awards-winner FuelCell SuperComp Elite v5.

New Balance has dropped FuelCell from both product names, possibly because the shoes introduce the brand’s new Infinion midsole foam.

The company claims the new compound is designed to provide responsive cushioning and sustained energy return.

Rebel with a plate

The SuperComp Rebel v1 combines Infinion foam with a carbon-infused Pebax propulsion plate.

New Balance says the plate’s shape, material and placement have been engineered to produce a responsive, energetic ride suitable for tempo sessions, faster training runs and potentially racing.

A 40mm heel and 36mm forefoot give the Rebel a 4mm drop. The men’s version weighs a claimed 218g in a size 9.5, while the women’s model comes in at 174g in a size 7.

FANTOMFIT reinforcement locks down the midfoot and heel without adding the weight of a more traditionally structured upper.

At £190, it also sits below New Balance’s premium competition shoe while retaining some of its race-inspired technology.

The SuperComp Elite v6 adopts the lightest version of Infinion foam and a redesigned carbon-fibre plate intended to increase stiffness and propulsion over marathon distances.

Despite retaining a race-legal 40mm heel stack, it weighs just 190g for men and 155g for women.

Its 8mm drop results from a 40mm heel and 32mm forefoot, while a translucent mesh upper reinforced with FANTOMFIT provides a lightweight but secure fit.

New Balance developed the shoe with input from athletes including Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee and American marathon record holder Emily Sisson.

"The innovation in this update raises the bar for race-day footwear," added Sisson when asked about the new shoes.

Yee ran his 2:06:38 marathon personal best in the Elite v5 at the 2025 Valencia Marathon and says the updated v6 feels “even lighter and faster”.

The New Balance SuperComp Elite v6 will launch on 6 August for £230 (~$310 / €271 / AU$441), followed by the SuperComp Rebel v1 on 20 August for £190 (~$255 / €224 / AU$364).

Both shoes will be available through New Balance stores and the brand’s website.

After months of leaks and speculation, Garmin has officially unveiled the Cirqa Smart Band, its first screen-free fitness and health tracker.

The new wearable combines Garmin’s familiar health, sleep and training tools with a low-profile fabric band designed to be worn around the clock.

There is no display, with all recorded data presented through the Garmin Connect app.

It is an increasingly popular formula already used by the Whoop MG, Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap, but unlike some of its rivals, Garmin has opted for a non-subscription model.

(I should add that it's an increasingly unusual model even from Garmin not to attach at least some ongoing cost to its wearable.)

Familiar intelligence

Despite its relatively discreet appearance, Cirqa supports many of the advanced metrics usually associated with Garmin watches.

It continuously monitors heart rate, stress, Body Battery, Pulse Ox and skin temperature, while its sleep tools cover sleep stages, naps, respiration, HRV and personalised guidance on how much rest you need.

Training readiness, training status, VO2 max, workout benefit and recovery time are also included, making Cirqa much more than a basic fitness tracker.

More than 80 activity profiles are available on the band, and you can start your favourite activity by using the single button on the side.

Garmin says the Cirqa band can also automatically detect and classify various activities without any input.

The brand also added that the Cirqa will learn from the activities you confirm or correct inside Garmin Connect, allowing its automatic classification to become more accurate over time.

Made for the Garmin ecosystem

There is no built-in GPS, although Cirqa can use a connected phone to map outdoor runs, walks and rides.

LiveTrack location sharing is supported through the Garmin Connect app, too.

Cyclists can pair the band with a compatible Garmin Edge computer to display live heart-rate data during a ride.

Garmin will also sell a separate armband, providing an alternative fit beneath a cycling jersey or during sleep.

Perhaps most importantly for existing Garmin users, health and training data can be synchronised across devices.

That means you could wear a Garmin watch for workouts and navigation before switching to the less conspicuous Cirqa for sleep or everyday tracking.

The band costs £180 / $200 / €200 / AU$300, comes in two strap sizes and promises up to 10 days of battery life.

The Cirqa is hardly inexpensive, especially when several screen-free rivals are now available.

However, access to Garmin’s extensive training ecosystem without a mandatory monthly or annual fee could make it one of the strongest Whoop alternatives yet.

It will be available directly from Garmin UK, Garmin US, Garmin EU and Garmin AU from 24 July in seven colours, including Citron Grey, Mauve, French Grey, Dark Olive, Captain Blue, French Blue and Black.

References to a battery health feature deep in the iOS 27 beta code have given a big hint to Apple's future folding phone plans with a reference to "batteries". That pluralisation might seem like nothing, but it could point to the split cell arrangement of batteries in a folding phone.

Apple is thought to be preparing its first folding phone, generally known as the iPhone Ultra. Traditionally, the battery in book-type folding phones is split in two, so there's a cell in each half of the phone to make the best use of space.

That's led MacWorld, which found the code, to believe that this references the iPhone Ultra. The code string discovered says: "The batteries in this iPhone are performing as expected".

This is exciting because no iPhone model currently has multiple batteries, so it's thought that this feature might be to support and monitor the split cells in the iPhone Ultra.

This isn't the first time that references have been made to features that a folding iPhone might offer – previously we saw references to fold state and display numbers in the code.

Apple is expected to launch a 4:3 aspect folding phone, shorter and wider than we've seen from most other manufacturers in the past – more like a folding iPad mini.

The iPhone Ultra is expected to sit at the top of Apple's range price wise, above the iPhone 18 Pro Max that it's expected to launch alongside in September. It's said to have a 7.8-inch internal display and a 5.5-inch cover screen.

As is always the case with Apple, it's hard know what the company is planning until launch day, so there's no shortage of speculation out there.

But to play devil's advocate, there's a further explanation that might apply to the use of the word "batteries". Apple is known being rather conservative with its batteries and charging speeds, but one of the things that enables faster charging is a dual-cell battery.

This splits the battery into two storage cells and it allows for faster charging because there's the potential for better heat management. That also typically allows for higher capacity batteries too.

It could be that the reference to "batteries" is this, with Apple planning to support faster charging speeds on future devices with a dual-cell design.

However, with so much speculation pointing to Apple's entry into the folding phone segment – including brands changing their own folding phones to match Apple's plan – it's highly likely that this is, in fact, pointing towards Apple's iPhone Ultra with a battery in each half of the phone.

Samsung will host its summer Galaxy Unpacked event in London tomorrow, Wednesday 22 July, where it is expected to announce its 2026 foldable phones and a couple of Galaxy Watches. However, one new Galaxy product has been officially revealed early.

The company has launched the Samsung Galaxy Card – a credit card that will offer perks on purchases, including on Samsung devices.

Released in partnership with Barclays and Visa, the Galaxy Card will be available in your Samsung Wallet and as a physical, "premium" metal card with just a black Samsung logo embossed on the front.

It'll give you several "cash rewards" for transactions, including 5% on "eligible purchases" made with Samsung directly, 3% on purchases through your phone's Samsung Wallet, 2% on streaming services, such as Netflix, Disney+ and Spotify, and 1% on all other purchases.

There's also 20% off Samsung VIP Advantage, with 5% cash rewards when purchasing or renewing membership.

Haven't I heard all this before?

Of course, this is all familiar. Apple Card launched almost seven years ago and is still offered in the US. It too comes digitally and with a physical credit card made of metal.

That's operated in partnership with Goldman Sachs and Mastercard, so Samsung's equivalent really is a rival in just about every sense.

The Galaxy Card does share one specific similarity though, it'll only be available in the United States – initially, at least.

Samsung us taking early access applications online for its credit card now, although the general public (in the US) will also be able to apply from tomorrow (22 July).

An introductory offer will give every card holder $200 in cash rewards if $2,000 is spent using the card in the first 90 days of the account opening. That'd take the sting off the price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 or Z Fold 8 Ultra a little.

Watch out, Shark – Dimplex has launched its DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan, and it looks strangely familiar. Dimplex’s new DuoCool fan has a cordless, adjustable design, app control and an impressive battery life – if you’re looking for a Shark FlexBreeze dupe, this is the one I’d recommend.

This summer is shaping up to be the hottest on record, so unsurprisingly, many people are looking to manage the heat with the best fans. But with so many brands to choose from – and the majority of models being completely sold out – it can be hard to narrow down your options.

A brand I’ve recently become acquainted with is Dimplex – and just at the right time, too. Dimplex is best known for its heating and cooling products, and for summer 2026, it launched a range of new fans and portable air conditioners, ideal for the intense UK heatwaves which have hit in the past couple of months.

The standout in the range is the Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan. A cordless, portable fan, the Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan can be used both indoors and outdoors – thanks to its IP54 rating – and can be adjusted from a pedestal to a desk fan and back again.

As mentioned, it looks almost identical to the Shark FlexBreeze, and it acts in a very similar way. It has a handle towards the back of the main fan so you can carry it around from room to room for instant on-the-go cooling. It can project air up to 20 metres, so it can be used for full room coverage.

The Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan comes with five speeds, including a turbo mode for intense cooling. It also comes with Wi-Fi and an accompanying app so you can adjust its speeds, and set timers and schedules remotely. It’s also compatible with Alexa and Google Home.

But the best feature of the Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan is its battery life. On a single charge, the fan offers up to 45 hours of battery life. This is definitely impressive, although this is on the lowest speed.

I’ve called the Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan a Shark FlexBreeze dupe, which it undoubtedly is as they both have a similar design and features. However, the Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan isn’t much cheaper than the FlexBreeze with it being priced at £179.99, compared to Shark’s £199.99 – but if you want to save some money, it’s a solid choice.

The Dimplex DuoCool Smart Cordless 2-in-1 Fan is available to buy for £179.99 at Dimplex, and select retailers like Amazon and Currys.

Most outdoor watch manufacturers are currently competing to offer brighter AMOLED displays, more detailed maps and increasingly sophisticated health insights.

Even though the brand has launched several modern smartwatches, including the Suunto Race 2 and Suunto Run, Suunto’s latest release takes a decidedly different approach.

The Core 2 is an old-school outdoor watch built around a monochrome LED display, physical buttons and a replaceable coin-cell battery.

There is no GPS, heart-rate sensor, or app-packed smartwatch interface, but it can run continuously for up to 15 months without needing a charge.

It is the successor to the original Suunto Core, launched in 2007 and subsequently adopted by hikers, outdoor professionals and tactical users.

The new model preserves its predecessor’s chunky tool-watch aesthetic while introducing several practical hardware upgrades.

Its essential outdoor functions come from an updated altimeter, barometer and compass (ABC) sensor suite.

The watch can track altitude, ascent and descent, monitor atmospheric pressure and provide offline directional guidance using a magnetic compass with bearing lock.

Suunto has also added automatic pressure filtering, designed to reduce false storm warnings, along with an alarm that alerts the wearer to a rapid drop in barometric pressure.

Back to (outdoor) basics

The 1.3-inch dot-matrix LED display is said to be 40% brighter than the original Core's and is now protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

You can switch between red and green backlighting, while a raise-to-wake function illuminates the screen without requiring a button press.

Water resistance has risen substantially from 3 ATM to 10 ATM, meaning the Core 2 is rated to withstand pressure equivalent to a depth of 100 metres.

Its reinforced composite case measures 49mm across and 14.8mm thick, while the watch weighs 56.5g before the 22mm silicone strap is added.

Other functions include sunrise and sunset times, moon phase information, cumulative elevation, daily step tracking, dual time zones, a stopwatch, a countdown timer, and alarms.

Bluetooth connectivity is included, although its role is deliberately limited.

Pairing the watch with the Suunto app enables automatic time synchronisation, step data transfers, and over-the-air firmware updates.

The Suunto Core 2 will be available globally from 21 July 2026, followed by a US launch on 20 August.

It is priced at $199 in the US, €199 in Europe and $155 in the UK, with AU pricing yet to be confirmed.

Head over to Suunto for more information.

Reolink's second-generation video doorbell has launched, following the arrival of its first 2K 4MP Battery Doorbell back in 2024. The new model brings a pretty significant upgrade to battery life, using Qualcomm's QCC730 micro-power Wi-Fi technology, which Reolink claims can extend runtime by up to 50% and deliver as much as 10 months of battery life.

That's particularly good news because battery life was one of the few things that let down the original model. The Reolink Battery Doorbell earned four stars in our full review last year, impressing us with its 2K resolution and subscription-free approach. So, seeing the brand focus on battery performance with its second-generation model is a welcome change.

The Reolink Video Doorbell 2nd Gen has an RRP of £119.99/$149.99 and is available from the brand's online store, where launch discounts are currently available.

The new doorbell keeps the original's 2K 4MP Head-to-Toe View, alongside on-device smart detection that can identify people, vehicles, animals and packages. This means you can keep an eye on what's happening outside your home and receive real-time alerts without relying entirely on cloud processing.

It also retains two power options, so you can either run it from the battery or connect it to compatible 8-24VAC doorbell wiring if your home already has the necessary setup.

The doorbell also remains subscription-free, with footage stored locally on a microSD card of up to 512GB, keeping your recordings under your control. There's also an optional cloud storage plan if you'd rather have your footage backed up online for a monthly fee.

Gerald Charles has debuted a trio of new Masterlink watches, and I can’t decide which one I like the most! Upgrading its iconic Masterlink design, the new timepieces feature stunning, colourful gemstones on the dial and bezel, adding extra colour and sparkle to its classic watch style.

The Masterlink watch is Gerald Charles’ most recognisable watch. It has a 38mm stainless steel case and an integrated bracelet with Gerald Charles’ Maestro ‘smile’ at six o’clock. Based on a square, the Gerald Charles Masterlink has a rounded octagonal shape with a fixed bezel and screw-down crown – see our hands-on with the Gerald Charles Masterlink for more details.

What makes this new trio different from the original Masterlink is its use of gemstones. Available in blue, green or red, each watch uses a different gemstone as the base of its dial, and introduces baguette-cut gems as the hour markers and set into the white gold bezels.

Starting with the blue – which I think is my favourite version – the Gerald Charles Masterlink Gem-Set Stone Dial is made from spectrolite which is a rare form of labradorite. Each stone is unique, but spectrolite typically comes in blue, violet, green and gold hues.

To further capture the blue shade, the Gerald Charles Masterlink Gem-Set Stone Dial features 60 blue sapphires on the bezel. Blue sapphires also represent the hour markers, and the rest of the dial is kept simple with just hour and minute hands to let the gemstone really shine.

The green version of the Gerald Charles Masterlink Gem-Set Stone Dial is made from aventurine. 60 green tsavorites are set into the bezel and on the dial. Finally, the red edition is made from Iron Eye which has layers of red, orange, black and brown colours. The bezel and hour markers are set with red sapphires.

Powered by the GCA1000 manufacture calibre movement, the Gerald Charles Masterlink has a 50 hour power reserve. The movement, including its offset micro-rotor can be seen via the open caseback. Stone dials are a big watch trend for 2026, and Gerald Charles has captured it perfectly with these new launches.

As you can imagine, producing these dials takes a lot of time, as you have to be very specific and delicate when cutting a circular disc from a gemstone. This care and craftsmanship reflects the price and limited availability of the watches, too.

Limited to 10 pieces each, the gem-set stone versions of the Gerald Charles Masterlink are available on request.

Apple could be preparing to launch multiple new smart home devices next year, according to AppleInsider. After years of rumours and only whispers of an updated HomePod, it would certainly be welcome news for anyone invested in the Apple Home ecosystem.

According to the report, Apple is planning to refresh both the HomePod mini and Apple TV as early as 2027, whilst the long-awaited Apple Home Hub is expected to make its debut later in the year. If true, it would mark Apple's biggest smart home push in quite some time.

As with most Apple rumours, nothing is confirmed just yet. September's iPhone keynote could give us our first hints, although AppleInsider's Wesley Hilliard believes the announcements are more likely to arrive during a Mac-focused event in October, where Apple Home could get its own dedicated segment.

The rumoured Apple Home Hub is expected to launch as a standalone smart display that can be paired with a range of accessories, including speakers, wall mounts and articulated arms. Last year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman also reported it would be priced around $350 or £300, though Apple is apparently still exploring ways to reduce costs before launch.

For now, it's all speculation, but we'll be keeping a close eye on Apple's upcoming events. With just a few months until keynote season begins, hopefully we won't have long to wait before learning what the company has planned.

Google could be about to roll-out a speedometer feature in Google Maps on Android Auto, letting you see the speed limit at a glance. The feature has been available in CarPlay for a couple of years, while it's also available in Google Maps on Android phones.

Sometimes, the disparity between Android Auto's offering and the native Android offering is remarkable. There are a number of apps that have great features on the phone, that aren't supported through the projected version on Android Auto.

For example, Waze on the phone supports ETA sharing, but the Android Auto version does not. It's almost as though the developers forget that you're going to be using the app in a car.

That's how it's felt with Google Maps for some time, with the phone app offering a speedometer when driving, but Android Auto missing out.

Sure, if you're in a car then there's a speedometer in the dash, but sometimes you just want that information centralised – especially if you regularly drive between countries that use imperial and metric systems.

Well, it appears that the Android Auto system might finally be catching up with Apple CarPlay (which got it in 2024). Drivers on Reddit (via 9to5Google) are reporting that the speedo has appeared.

That speedo also appears to be linked to national signage, with a rectangular design in Canada and a round design in Europe. That will help glanceability.

The bad news is that this only seems to appear when navigating: if you're one of the many drivers who likes to keep the map open in Android Auto when just driving around, then you won't get the full experience. Hopefully, Google will offer it as a toggle option like it does with traffic.

The other bit of bad news is that currently this appears to be in the beta release, so there's no telling when it's actually going to roll-out to drivers. Google doesn't have a great history with bringing timely updates to Android Auto, so it wouldn't be a surprise if it takes some time to actually land in your region.

Google Maps seems to be adopting features from Waze. Seeing as both are owned by Google, it's sometimes hard to see why both still exist, instead of having one unified experience.

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.

When you just won the World Cup but you also need to test out the new Honor 'RobotPhone' camera rig. 🥇 from r/Honor

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.

The Steam Machine was never intended to be one of the most expensive games consoles of all time. It was meant to be an affordable entry point to PC gaming in the living room.

However, AI came along and munched on available RAM chips like locusts in a wheat field, and Valve's good intentions ended up going awry. So, instead of a cheap and cheerful PC console, we got an overly-priced, under-spec'ed mini PC (albeit one that's cute).

That's not to say it's been a flop. Even starting at over $1,000, Valve is struggling to make enough units to meet demand. It is thought to have sold up to 15,000 Steam Machines so far and many on the lengthy waiting list are still awaiting.

If you're still undecided though, or are waiting for a price drop in future, we might have some bad news. There's every indication that the price will actually go up at some point.

As quoted by Jason Schreier at Bloomberg, one of the engineers that worked on Steam Machine, Yazan Aldehayyat believes the scarcity of components and the knock-on effect on prices isn't going to get better anytime soon: "Honestly, it’s still getting worse," he said.

The products and stock currently being sold are old, he suggested, and are soon to run out: "What people are seeing on retail shelves right now, from our observations, is lagging what we’re seeing from a bulk supply by at least three to six months."

The likely result of further price hikes for RAM and storage is that Valve will be facing higher costs to make more Steam Machines. And as a small company, those costs are likely to be passed on to the customer – just as they are now.

Aldehayyat's colleague, Pierre-Loup Griffais recently admitted that the existing elevated price the Steam Machine "ends up matching pretty closely" to the cost of its components. A sombre thought.

It could be why Valve has seemingly switched tact in recent times, from wanting its own console in some gamers' hands to wanting Steam OS in everyone's. It has recently started to release a version of its excellent front end and gaming platform for PCs of all shapes and sizes.

And so, if you want a more powerful Steam Machine, that's entirely possible. You just won't be buying it from Valve.

Watch out, Dyson Airwrap – Shark has expanded its FlexStyle hair styling range with its new FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler. Dubbed its most powerful multi-styler yet, the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler is specifically designed for curly hair, although UK customers will have to wait to get their hands on it.

Multi-stylers have taken over the haircare market, and Shark is one of the big name brands within this space. Its FlexStyle collection offers versatile drying and styling for all hair types, and its line-up of hair tools are some of the best we’ve tried – see our Shark FlexStyle 5-in-1 Air Styler & Dryer review for more details.

The latest addition to the FlexStyle range is the new Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler. As the name suggests, the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler is all about curly hair, although it can work across all hair types and textures.

But if you have curly hair or you want to create your own curls, the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler is the best styler to do it with. Using Ion Smooth technology, the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler dries and styles hair while minimising frizz and making curls look bouncier, shinier and more defined.

The Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler acts in a similar way to the Dyson Airwrap a.k.a the hair tool that put everyone on to this type of styling. It uses CoandaBoost technology (like the Airwrap) which uses a concentrated airflow to automatically wrap the hair around the tool to create curls and waves.

Measuring 11.24 inches in height and 1.49 inches in length and width, the main body of the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler is surprisingly compact and weighs just 1.5 pounds. It has power, speed and temperature buttons on the handle, and you can tilt the top of it to turn the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler into a hair dryer.

To set your hair, the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler has an Airset button which expels cold air to keep your style in place. It also comes with multiple accessories, including two Auto-Wrap Coanda curlers, a FrizzFighter High Shine Polisher, a Styling Concentrator and Oval Brush.

Hair stylers like the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler come into close contact with hair and the scalp. To protect hair, this styler has a scalp shield mode which instantly adjusts temperatures when it gets too close to your head, so your hair isn’t damaged from extreme heat.

I haven’t had the best luck with hair stylers, as no matter what product I put in or on my hair, it just doesn’t want to hold any styling! But the Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler may have convinced me to give this type of styler another try, and I love that it comes in a pretty lilac colour.

Sadly for me, though, I’ll have to wait until it arrives in the UK, as it’s currently only available in the US. The Shark FlexStyle IonCurl Hair Styler is available to buy for $349.99 at SharkNinja. As of writing, UK customers can sign up for it under SharkNinja’s Coming Soon page.

Breitling has teamed up with Aston Martin on the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41, a stunning, intricate watch that pays tribute to the iconic Aston Martin DB5 car. Available in three versions, the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 is inspired by the interior of the Aston Martin DB5, including its upholstery and steering wheel.

The Aston Martin DB5 was first introduced in 1963. It’s known as one of the most iconic on-screen cars, as it was featured in not one, not two but eight James Bond films. Aston Martin and Breitling have that in common, as Breitling’s Top Time ref. 2002 was worn by Sean Connery’s Bond in Thunderball in 1965.

To celebrate this history, Breitling and Aston Martin have collaborated on the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 which looks like the Aston Martin DB5 in watch form. The watch is available in three limited edition versions, including stainless steel with a silver dial, steel and platinum with a black lacquered dial, and a 18K red gold with onyx dial.

Measuring 41mm, the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 features a cushion-shaped case with a round, fixed bezel. The corners of the watch have a grooved pattern which matches the outer ring of the crown. The crown is flanked by two mushroom chronograph pushers that hark back to Breitling’s original 1960s chronograph watch.

The Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 has many wooden details as inspired by the interior accents of the Aston Martin. This is most prominent on the wooden inner rehaut ring which is a nod to the DB5’s steering wheel.

While the dials differ in colour and material, the features are the same, including a main sunray brushed dial, and chronograph subdials at three and nine o’clock. The subdials are 1/4th second and 30-minute counters, and have a ‘squircle’ shape – squares with rounded corners – that are meant to look like the dashboard gauges on classic cars.

The dial has an external minute track, hours, minutes and seconds hands, and bar-like hour markers. The hands have Super-LumiNova to enhance the visibility in low light conditions.

Powered by the Breitling Manufacture Calibre 01 movement, the Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 has a 70 hour power reserve. The movement, including a vertical clutch and column-wheel, can be seen via the open caseback. It beautifully displays the Aston Martin-engraved rotor which comes in rhodium or 18K red gold, depending on the version you pick.

The Top Time B01 Chronograph 41 is finished with a brown calf-skin leather strap, another nod to the DB5’s upholstery. My personal favourite is the steel, platinum and black lacquered dial as I like the contrast between black dial, wooden rehaut and steel case. This version is limited to 315 pieces and costs £14,400, so it’ll be slightly harder to get your hands on but not impossible.

The stainless steel and silver dial is limited to 1,022 pieces and priced at £8,650, while the 18K red gold version is limited to just 250 pieces and costs £35,100. Pricing can be found on the Breitling website.

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event takes place later this week and we're expecting a packed agenda. This includes new wearables, the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2. Now new images have just furnished us with more details prior to launch.

The Galaxy Watch 9 is going to be powered by Snapdragon Wear Elite as it shifts over from Samsung's own Exynos hardware for the first time. That Snapdragon chip was announced earlier in the year and it had previously been confirmed that Samsung was using it – but we now have visual evidence too.

Images of the unreleased device, adorned with "Powered by Snapdragon Wear" badges have been posted by Evan Blass, the retired leaker who has thwarted companies attempts to keep launch plans secret for many years.

Shared via Blasses' Leakmail Substack, we have images of the Galaxy Watch 9 in a full selection of colours, showing off a design that's pretty much the same as the previous iteration while focusing on some of the wellness features that it is expected to offer.

Included in that selection is a screen showing Vitals, which looks like it's going to focus on core health features like heart rate and heart rate variability to highlight what state your body is in.

Elsewhere, we see sleep apnoea detection, running coaching, sleep reporting with energy score, all familiar features from other Samsung devices coordinated through Samsung Health.

These high-quality images look like they're designed to illustrate Samsung's product pages.

The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is set for an update as well

In 2026, it looks like we'll be getting the Galaxy Watch 9 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, with no Classic this year as normally that device works on a two-year cycle.

We've already seen a lot of the Ultra 2, with claims of a big battery update and a couple of minor tweaks to the design of the watch, most noticeable through the buttons.

Thanks to the same source, we have confirmation of Snapdragon Wear Elite, a battery that offers 800mAh, and watch that's reduced in thickness by 12%.

Additionally, there's an IP69K rating for the titanium-finished watch, which retains its rugged credentials.

On top of that the Watch Ultra 2 has a display that's cited as offering 5,000 nits, which should ensure that it remains visible in the brightest of conditions.

We've previously heard that Samsung will be increasing prices for the new Galaxy Watch devices, which is something of a trend across all technology at the moment. That's the price that AI has put on the market, with increasing demand for components for AI data centre expansion.

Both devices will be fully revealed on 22 July, but thanks to these leaks, we're not sure there's much for Samsung to show us.

The griddle revolution continues! Char-Broil has just debuted its new Griddle 3400, its most versatile griddle to date. Designed to cook any meal you could think of, the Char-Broil Griddle 3400 has a large grill surface made from porcelain-coated cast iron, making it ultra durable and ensuring even heat distribution.

As outdoor kitchens have surged in popularity, griddles have become the fastest growing barbecue trend of 2026. With more and more people wanting to cook outside for breakfast, lunch and dinner, griddles are the go-to way to do that, due to their easy, versatile surfaces that can cook just about anything.

The Char-Broil Griddle 3400 is a perfect example of that, as Char-Broil claims you can use it to cook pancakes, tapas, paella, tacos and more on its durable one-piece grill plate. The surface of the Char-Broil Griddle 3400 is also smooth enough that you could even cook on it using pots and pans.

The Char-Broil Griddle 3400 is powered by gas, but it has an electronic ignition for quick and safe cooking. The grill measures 48cm x 68cm, so it can cook a generous amount of food on it, plus it has stainless steel three burners that distribute heat evenly across the surface.

The design of the Char-Broil Griddle 3400 is much like a barbecue, with a foldable lid, steel cart and swivel wheels. It also offers plenty of preparation and storage space, thanks to its side shelves with hooks and raised bottom shelf.

The Char-Broil Griddle 3400 is available to buy for £449.99 at Char-Broil and select retailers, like Amazon and Argos. Compared to full-sized gas barbecues, this price is pretty affordable – but should you choose a griddle or a barbecue?

Griddles and barbecues are similar pieces of outdoor cooking equipment, but they differ in their cooking surface. Griddles use a large, solid cooking plate that comes in direct contact with your food, while a barbecue has open-grates that allows your food to be cooked directly over smoke or flames.

Depending on your tastes, a griddle is recommended for more ‘delicate’ cooking, similar to that of a frying pan, whereas a barbecue is a lot more intense, giving food a smoky flavour. Personally, I’ve tried both griddles and barbecues, and it all comes down to how much you plan to use them.

If you’re looking to cook all your meals outside rather than using a hob or oven, then a griddle is a great choice. For cooking up a storm on weekends or during the summer, a barbecue will serve you well. If you have the budget, both are an option, too – and the Char-Broil Griddle 3400 would be a great addition to your outdoor kitchen.

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.

Alexa.com has officially arrived in the UK, allowing users to access Alexa+ straight from their web browser. Alexa+ first launched back in March as Amazon's biggest AI assistant upgrade yet, but at the time, the company only teased that browser access was on the way. Now, it's finally here.

Alexa.com brings the full Alexa+ experience to your computer, letting you manage your calendar, update to-do lists, control compatible smart home devices, ask questions and complete everyday tasks without needing to open the mobile app. It also means you don't necessarily need to be sitting in front of an Echo smart speaker to use Alexa+, as everything can now be accessed through your browser.

Alexa.com is available now, with Alexa+ Early Access customers able to head to Alexa.com and start chatting with the assistant from any supported web browser.

Amazon describes Alexa.com as a new way to interact with Alexa+, complementing the recently redesigned Alexa mobile app, which has also been updated with a more AI-focused interface. Together, they make it much easier to move between your phone, computer and Echo devices without losing the flow of a conversation.

Like Alexa+ itself, browser access is included at no extra cost for Amazon Prime members. If you already have access to Alexa+, you can start using Alexa.com today.

If you're curious about everything the upgraded assistant can do, be sure to check out the three things that impressed us most when we first tried Alexa+.

The new Reolink OMVI 3i WiFi outdoor security camera is now available to buy in the UK, almost two months after its initial announcement. It's one of three cameras in Reolink's new OMVI Series, which the brand first unveiled at CES earlier this year.

The standout feature across the range is its triple-lens design, which combines a 180-degree panoramic view with 360-degree pan-and-tilt tracking in a single device. Instead of installing multiple cameras to cover different angles, the OMVI 3i WiFi is designed to monitor large outdoor areas all on its own.

The Reolink OMVI 3i WiFi is available on the brand's website as either a single camera (£259.99) or a two-pack (£507.99), but Reolink is currently offering 15% off both options for a limited time. The camera is also already available in the US.

The camera uses a single cable to provide both power and data, reducing cable clutter and making setup much easier. It can be installed on a wall, ceiling or corner mount, providing users with plenty of flexibility.

Like many of Reolink's latest cameras, the OMVI 3i WiFi also features on-device AI, allowing it to distinguish between people, vehicles, animals and general motion without relying on cloud processing. Through the Reolink app, you can customise detection zones, create virtual boundaries and set loitering alerts for even more precise monitoring.

Another big selling point is Reolink's flexible storage options. You can record footage locally using a microSD card of up to 512GB, or connect the camera to a Reolink NVR, NAS or FTP server without paying a monthly subscription. If you prefer cloud storage, that's available too as an optional paid service.

Cinch Outdoors has taken the rooftop tent trend to its logical (and considerably taller) conclusion with the Wingman, a two-storey camping system designed for pickup trucks.

Developed with tent manufacturer Wild Land, the Wingman is mounted on the truck’s bed rails and collapses into a relatively streamlined box for travel.

Once parked, an electrically powered mechanism raises two separate levels, turning the pickup into something resembling a compact camper van with a penthouse.

The truck bed forms the lower floor, providing a sheltered area for storing equipment, preparing food or escaping bad weather.

It includes built-in MOLLE panels, detachable magnetic LED lights and a foldaway bamboo utility table.

Crucially, the system mounts above the cargo floor, allowing owners to continue using the truck bed to carry equipment while the Wingman is collapsed.

The room upstairs

The upper level is the sleeping area, with space for two (or three with a push) people on an approximately 225 x 146cm high-density foam mattress.

It also features thermal flooring, ambient lighting, mesh panels that provide panoramic views, as well as a transparent skylight.

That skylight doubles as a roof hatch, allowing campers to stand up and look across the surrounding landscape.

It could prove particularly useful for wildlife watching and outdoor photography, or simply recreating the tank-commander pose at every available opportunity.

Deployment, lighting, and the integrated Bluetooth 5.0 speaker system can be operated via a remote control or a connected smartphone app.

Cinch says the Wingman uses an all-metal construction, blackout insulation and 190g/m² polycotton fabric with a PU2000mm water-resistance rating.

The system measures 181 x 161 x 63.5cm when packed and weighs a substantial 250 kg (~551 lbs).

Cinch claims compatibility with more than 80% of pickups, including the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, Ford F-150, Toyota Tacoma and Jeep Gladiator.

The Wingman launched in the US at an early-bird price of $6,999 (~£5,196 / €6,118 / AU$9,999), although Cinch Outdoors currently lists it at $7,999 (~£5,939 / €6,992 / AU$11,428).

The available batches have sold out, with priority registration open for the next shipment. UK, EU and AU pricing and availability have not been confirmed.

[via HiConsumption]

Virgin Media regularly rewards its customers with new content and channels, and the latest free additions are available from today.

All Virgin TV 360 and Stream customers will find four new channels have arrived on their electronic programme guides, with a sum total of 96 hours worth of TV shows a day to watch at no extra cost.

That's because each of the new channels will be broadcast 24 hours a day, and as they are FAST (Free Ad-supported Streaming TV) stations, you don't have to do anything else to get them. You just need your device connected to the internet.

That's why they are exclusive to the Virgin TV 360 box and Virgin Media's own streaming puck, the Stream.

The channels that have been added (and their respective EPG slots) are:

• Robot Wars (235)
• Demand Drama (236)
• River Monsters (239)
• The Hotel Inspector (253)

How useful they'll be to you depends entirely on how much you enjoy the subjects, of course. Personally, I can't enough of Robot Wars (having been vaguely involved in its conception back in the 90s).

It may have broadcast its last episode in 2018, but you can watch decades of classic battles and seasons on the new channel.

I'm also a sucker for The Hotel Inspector, although I'm not quite sure I can stomach 24 hours a day of finding people's pubic hairs in bed and breakfasts. Maybe it's one to drop in on at time to time.

These new stations join a growing list of other FAST channels, with 40 of them already available on the platform. There will be more to be added later this year and beyond, the provider tells T3, so we'll keep you up to date in any further developments.

Researchers have developed a new material that captures moisture from the air before turning it into clean drinking water, potentially paving the way for self-filling bottles and off-grid hydration systems.

Created by scientists at Australia’s RMIT University alongside collaborators in China, the sponge-like composite absorbs water vapour even when humidity levels are as low as 30% – conditions that would leave many existing atmospheric water harvesters struggling. Better still, it releases that water using only gentle warming from sunlight, avoiding the need for electricity or complex equipment.

The material combines naturally porous balsa wood with lithium chloride, a highly effective moisture-absorbing salt, all wrapped inside a layer of iron oxide nanoparticles.

Those particles efficiently convert sunlight into heat, speeding up the release of collected water while helping the system complete multiple collection cycles throughout the day.

In laboratory tests, the material absorbed around 2ml of water per gram overnight before releasing almost all of it during daylight. Outdoor trials showed it could harvest around 2.5ml per gram overnight and between 5ml and 13ml per gram over a full 24-hour period, depending on humidity levels.

The researchers believe scaling the technology up could eventually allow devices to generate several litres of drinking water each day.

It's easy to imagine the possibilities. A camping water bottle that slowly refills itself overnight. Emergency water supplies after natural disasters. Off-grid homes in remote regions. Even military or expedition equipment that reduces the amount of water people need to carry.

There's still a long road before you'll see this built into your favourite reusable bottle, but the science is promising. Like the stillsuits from Dune, the goal is simple: recover every drop of precious water possible. Thankfully, this version doesn't require wearing a full-body desert survival suit.

Hypershell has officially launched its upgraded X Series exoskeleton range in the UK and Europe, bringing its AI-powered walking technology to retailers including Currys and Healf.

First announced internationally in May, the collection consists of the Hypershell X Pro S, X Max S and flagship X Ultra S.

Each provides a different combination of power, range and terrain-specific assistance.

All three use HyperIntuition, the company's end-to-end AI motion-control system.

It combines movement detection, recognition and prediction to adjust the assistance delivered to the wearer rather than relying exclusively on predefined movement patterns.

According to TÜV Rheinland-verified testing, the system achieves 97.5% gait synchronisation across different terrains and responds within 0.31 seconds, making it 64.5% faster than the previous generation.

I reviewed the older Hypershell X Pro in 2025 and found its assistance surprisingly natural once the exoskeleton was correctly adjusted.

It was particularly effective on inclines, where its motors helped drive my legs forwards and reduced some of the fatigue associated with climbing.

The latest generation attempts to make that support feel more immediate while improving comfort.

Its redesigned wearing system includes three-zone waist padding, a honeycomb anti-slip structure and additional lower-back support.

A little help from robotic legs

The X Max S and X Ultra S use Hypershell’s new M-One Ultra motor system, producing up to 1,000W of assistance and 22Nm of torque. The entry-level X Pro S delivers up to 800W.

The brand says SGS-certified testing found that the M-One Ultra system could reduce oxygen consumption by up to 39.2% and heart rate by up to 42.7%.

The flagship Ultra S adds 3D-printed titanium-alloy components, carbon-fibre composite leg structures and 12 assistance modes, including dedicated settings for snow and sand.

The Pro S and Max S have ten modes covering walking, running, cycling, stairs, gravel and mountainous terrain.

All three are IP54-rated against water and dust. The maximum quoted range is 17.5 km (~10.8 miles) for the Pro S, 30 km (~18.6 miles) for the Max S, and 30 km for the dual-battery Ultra S.

The new Hypershell X Series is available now through Hypershell and selected European retailers. UK prices range from £899 / €999 for the Pro S to £1,699 / €€1,999 for the Ultra S.

Focus timers aren't exactly exciting, but this one stopped me scrolling. Called Immersion, the tiny gadget transforms the passing of time into a calming stream of digital sand, and somehow makes the whole idea of concentrating feel more appealing.

Nottingham Trent University design student, Carrie Lee, has created Immersion, a minimalist timer designed to help you concentrate without adding another screen to your life.

About the size of a Tamagotchi, Immersion strips away almost everything you'd expect from a timer. There's no ticking countdown clock or barrage of numbers. Instead, its circular display fills with animated digital sand as your session progresses, giving you a gentle visual cue rather than a constant reminder of the seconds slipping away. Better still, rotate the device and the sand shifts naturally, making it super satisfying to interact with.

Focus sessions can be set anywhere from five minutes to two hours, making it suitable for everything from a quick reading sprint to a full Pomodoro-style work session. Crucially, because it's a dedicated device rather than an app, it keeps your phone out of the equation – removing the temptation to check messages or just quickly open Instagram.

The design is just as considered as the interface. Immersion sits in a sculptural charging dock inspired by stacked balancing stones, turning it into a desk ornament when not in use. There's even an optional strap so it can hang from a bag, making it easy to take to a library, coffee shop or shared workspace.

Sadly, there's one catch: it's currently only a concept. Lee developed both digital renders and a working prototype as part of her design project, so there's no word on commercial availability.

But with digital wellbeing becoming an increasingly hot topic, this is exactly the sort of gadget I'd happily make room for on my desk. It proves that sometimes the smartest tech is the technology that deliberately does less.

Fitness trackers have come a long way, but they're all limited by one simple problem: they only measure what they can reach. Whether it's a smartwatch or a chest strap, sensors can shift during exercise, lose contact with your skin and struggle to collect consistently accurate readings. Researchers at Penn State think they have a much better solution – one you paint directly onto your body.

The team has developed a conductive ink that works like face paint, allowing custom electronic tattoos to be applied almost anywhere on the skin. Once dry, the paint forms highly sensitive electrodes capable of monitoring the electrical activity produced by your heart, muscles and brain, all while being more breathable and comfortable than traditional adhesive sensor pads.

Unlike conventional medical electrodes, the paint can be mixed with different pigments to create colourful designs, making the technology feel more like wearable art than medical equipment.

The researchers also say the material bonds closely with the skin, helping it maintain accurate readings even during movement and perspiration – exactly where today's wearables often struggle.

That opens up some fascinating possibilities. For fitness enthusiasts, these temporary tattoos could provide more accurate ECG heart monitoring or detailed muscle activity tracking during training. They could also help athletes fine-tune performance without having to wear multiple straps, patches or bulky sensors.

The medical applications are even more exciting. The same paint-on electrodes can capture EEG brain signals, EMG muscle activity and detailed ECG readings that could help doctors identify irregular heart rhythms or even detect the warning signs of a heart attack earlier than consumer wearables can today.

The researchers also believe the technology could improve the control of robotic prosthetic limbs by reading muscle signals more precisely.

Plus, the tattoos aren't permanent. They can be washed away and reapplied whenever needed, making them far less intimidating than implanted devices while remaining far more versatile than today's disposable electrode patches.

There's no word yet on when – or if – this technology will make its way into consumer products. But as fitness trackers continue to evolve beyond the wrist, a colourful electronic tattoo that looks more like body art than medical equipment suddenly doesn't seem so far-fetched.

If you thought the World Cup was the biggest spectacle of the summer, you're sadly mistaken! The T3 Tech Cup is also underway, pitting 48 of the best tech products against one another to determine the ultimate winner.

Every day, we'll be battling it out between all sorts of product categories. Each of our head-to-heads will marry up with the live action on the pitch, so you can follow along with both at once.

To determine the winner, the result of each game will be decided by you, the readers. Below you'll see three polls to vote for your choice on today's game(s). You have until midnight (BST) to choose. The results will then be added to our table for the group stages and then form the progression into the knockout stages.

Once the group stages are complete, we will move to a round of 32 and then the final 16 before the quarter and semi-finals in July. The overall winner will be chosen in a final showdown on 19 July 2026.

Final

Leatherman Arc Vs Antigravity A1

It's the showdown. These two have blitzed their respective games throughout and now they square up for the final.

Our verdict: It's anyone's money today on these two, but if you had to push us, we'd go for Antigravity in this one.

Remaining dates

• 19th July: (Final) Antigravity A1 Vs Leatherman Arc

How the T3 Tech Cup works

The T3 Tech Cup is based on the same format as the football World Cup taking place this summer. Here, instead of 48 nations from around the world, we've selected 48 of the top tech products from across the various industries T3 covers.

The format will follow the football exactly, meaning every time there's a game on TV, there's also a poll to vote on! We'll be keeping points tallies for the group stage to pick out the winners, runners-up and highest third-place finishers, which then feeds into the knockout rounds.

With the first round of fixtures almost at an end, there's a lot of action happening across the board. The groups (as of 29 June) are as follows:

Planner

The North Face has dipped into its extensive footwear archive to create the Clyffe Ultra, a chunky new everyday trainer inspired by the brand’s ultrarunning shoes from the early 2000s.

It is a timely revival. Technical-looking trainers have moved well beyond the trail in recent years, with rugged outsoles, mesh uppers and oversized protective overlays now almost as common on city streets as they are in the mountains.

The Clyffe Ultra taps into that aesthetic without pretending to be a modern trail-running shoe.

The North Face describes it primarily as a lifestyle model for everyday adventures, city exploration and non-technical terrain.

Its upper combines premium suede with breathable spacer mesh, embroidered reinforcements and reflective details.

A substantial scratch-rubber rand wraps around the lower portion of the shoe, helping protect the upper from abrasion while contributing to its distinctive Y2K appearance.

Somewhere between the crag and the city

Underfoot, The North Face has used a plush foam midsole designed to provide soft, comfortable cushioning.

It isn’t the lightweight DREAM foam found in the brand’s latest performance running shoes, but it should be better suited to long days spent walking around town.

A nylon shank adds torsional stiffness and extra support, while the Vibram outsole provides traction.

The XS Trek EVO rubber features relatively deep 4.5mm lugs, giving the Clyffe Ultra considerably more grip than the average lifestyle trainer.

Dual heel loops make the trainers easier to pull on, while the low-cut silhouette keeps them looking more like an archive trail runner than conventional hiking footwear.

The North Face says the design combines heritage elements from its early-2000s ultrarunning styles with the more contemporary, climbing-inspired technology of the wider Clyffe collection.

At approximately 383g per shoe, the Clyffe Ultra isn’t especially light, although that is hardly surprising given the extensive rubber protection, suede construction and substantial outsole.

The unisex Clyffe Ultra is available now at The North Face UK, The North Face US and The North Face EU for £130 / $150 / €145.

Colour options include Desert Stone/TNF Blue, TNF Black/TNF Red, Pale Khaki/Lemon Mist, Cumulus Cloud/Peak Purple and Calacatta/Muted Pine.

The Puffer Outdoors debut tent throws out the traditional pole system entirely in favour of inflatable air beams that rise into shape in around two minutes using the included electric pump. Better still, it also builds the air mattress directly into the floor, meaning there's one less bit of camping kit to remember.

Called simply the Puffer, the tent mixes the silhouette of a classic A-frame with the curved structure of a tunnel tent. Three inflatable arches create steep walls for a roomy interior, while the integrated air base is inflated separately so you can adjust the mattress firmness without affecting the structure above.

Designed for two people, it offers an interior sleeping area measuring 216 x 107cm (85 x 42 inches), while packing down into a duffel measuring just 64 x 25cm (25.2 x 9.84 inches). The tent itself weighs 8.3kg (18.2lb), or 10kg (22lb) once you add the electric pump, bag and accessories, making it portable enough for festivals, beach camping or short hikes from the car.

Packing away is almost as simple as setting up. The supplied pump can reverse its airflow to suck the air back out of both the frame and mattress before everything rolls neatly back into its carry bag. Puffer also includes a repair kit, stakes and guy lines in the box should you encounter less-than-perfect camping conditions.

At $649.99 (around £480 / AU$980), it certainly isn't a budget buy, but it's also more than just a tent. The integrated sleeping system and rapid setup make it feel like a complete camping solution rather than another shelter to throw in the boot.

For seasoned campers, the price may be difficult to justify. But for festival-goers and weekend adventurers who value convenience almost as much as comfort, the Puffer could take much of the hassle out of sleeping outdoors. That's worth a lot when everyone else is still untangling tent poles.