Amazon has dropped the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 FE to $109.99, down from the $149.99 retail price. That saves you $40, a 27% discount off the RRP, and it is the lowest price since Prime Day.

See the deal at Amazon

Today may be all about Apple launches, with the introduction of both the iPhone 18 Pro series and the new foldable iPhone Duo, but we’ve still got some Pixel news to cover, as Google quietly starts pushing out a new Pixel 11 update.

This one was spotted by some Pixel fans over on the Reddit sub, and checking out Google’s repository of Pixel OTA downloads, we can confirm that build CD1A.260905.001.B1 now appears as the most recent release available for the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. There are no matching releases for any older Pixel devices.

Apple announced a bunch of new stuff today: the iPhone 18 Pro, new AirPods, new Apple Watches, and its first-ever folding phone, the iPhone Duo. Based on the favorable look Apple’s given us at it so far, the Duo seems pretty great. But there’s no denying Apple is years late to the party, and Motorola’s having some fun with that at Apple’s expense.

Moto posted a video on X during Apple’s event today showing off the “Razr family,” with a caption reading “new in their hands. iconic in ours.” The video shows a split-second view of many of the company’s Razr-branded devices, from its groundbreaking 2000s-era feature phones all the way up to its latest Android foldables. It ends with a cheeky tease of its unannounced wide foldable that leaked last week.

Wouldn’t it be a little creepy if I told you the watch on your wrist could rewind the last 15 seconds of your life? Well, that’s essentially what Apple’s new Live Rewind feature can do.

Apple announced the feature alongside the Apple Watch Series 12 and Apple Watch Ultra 4 today, and despite the slightly creepy premise, it’s easy to imagine situations where it could be genuinely useful. Maybe someone rattled off a Wi-Fi password too quickly, you missed an important number during a conversation, or a colleague said something in a meeting, and you only realized five seconds later that you should probably have been paying attention.

Google’s 2023-released Pixel Tablet was supposed to be the tech giant’s big return to the large-screen product category, but it ended up being a short-lived second act. For those unaware, Google cancelled plans for the Google Tablet’s successor late in 2024, before eventually putting its broader tablet ambitions on pause. The original Pixel Tablet has stuck around since then, but even that chapter appears to be closing now.

The Pixel Tablet had been out of stock on the Google Store for a while. However, up until recently, its product page remained live. That’s no longer the case.

Apple took the wraps off its newest hardware in a prerecorded video presentation today. There were new iPhones and new Apple Watches, but the biggest reveal was Apple’s heavily rumored first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo. The pricey new phone looks as polished as you’d expect Apple’s late entry to the foldable segment to be, with a form factor quite similar to the squatter Galaxy Z Fold 8. The Duo also has one feature that owners of Samsung’s latest foldables might be jealous of: support for Apple’s first-party Apple Pencil stylus.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 offered support for input from Samsung’s compatible S Pen styluses on its inner display, but the Z Fold 7 and Z Fold 8 lack that compatibility, partly due to concerns about foldable screen durability. The iPhone Duo, meanwhile, works with the Apple Pencil on both its cover screen and its inner display.

Foldable phones have been around for years, but today the device class is experiencing its arguably highest-profile launch yet, as Apple finally embraces foldables with the iPhone Duo. And even with its inaugural effort, Apple is already hitting the ground running with some hardware that outclasses some of its fiercest Android competition.

Over the generations we’ve already seen, manufacturers have been making foldable phones more and more robust — what were once incredibly finnicky, fragile designs, have reached something approaching the reliability we’re used to from regular, non-foldable models. But there’s been at least one area where they’ve lagged behind: resistance to dirt and water.

Apple’s new iPhones are here, and alongside all the camera, performance, and software upgrades, there’s another change that’s much harder to get excited about: they’re more expensive. The iPhone 18 Pro now starts at $1,199 for 256GB of storage, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max starts at $1,299. That’s a $100 increase over last year’s Pro models. An extra $100 on an already expensive phone might not seem enormous, but the bigger concern is what happens to the rest of the smartphone market now.

At its big product event in Cupertino today, Apple’s finally announced its first folding phone, the iPhone Duo. The rumors we saw turned out to be largely true: the foldable comes in a shape similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 8, featuring a squat silhouette when closed and unfolding into an iPad-like form factor.

Apple’s main pitch for the new iPhone Duo is, of course, the ability to carry a relatively big screen in your pocket. The foldable will come with multitasking features like the option to run two apps side-by-side, a first for iPhone.

Apple’s big hardware event is off to a strong start, already introducing us to the new iPhone 18 Pro series. Now it’s time to start getting into the accessories we’ll be using alongside those new handsets, as Apple unveils its new AirPods 5 series.

Just like last time around, Apple’s sharing two distinct models, but this time it’s not one with ANC and one without — active noise cancelation is now standard across the AirPods 5 range.

Samsung unveiled its first-ever smart glasses at Unpacked earlier this year, and although the wearable has yet to hit the market, the tech giant has reportedly already begun working on a successor. And it could finally deliver what the original glasses lacked.

For reference, the South Korean company showcased two designs for its upcoming smart glasses at Unpacked, though neither features a display. That’s reportedly what Samsung is looking to change with its next pair, as highlighted in a new report by The Elec.

Another September, another iPhone event, but this time, things are a little different. Apple is skipping the base iPhone, so there’s no iPhone 18 to be found (it’s likely to launch in March 2027, according to leaks). Instead, the iPhone 18 series currently features the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, along with the new iPhone Duo foldable, which is the star of the show. The iPhone 18 Pro series is a refinement over the iPhone 17 Pro series, with new features like a variable aperture on the main camera, something that Android experimented with years ago! Nevertheless, the iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max are here, and they set the baseline expectation for every Android flagship launching from now on.

Apple iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max: Release date, price, and availability

Keeping up with the latest smartphones gets expensive, fast, and unless you’re made of money, a lot of times upgrading to the newest phone means trading in your old one. But for Pixel fans attempting to trade in their older models for the Pixel 11 series, this process hasn’t been going nearly as smoothly as we’d expect, with many shoppers reporting a frustrating Pixel trade-in process, including inconsistent messaging and a failure to receive the trade-in credits they expected. Now Google shares that these problems are on the way to being resolved.

One recurring issue with these incidents, as reported by shoppers, was that the trade-in glitches seemed related to Pixel 10 models, with one theory suggesting that these phones had yet to be entered into a needed database for processing trade-ins. In a new statement a company spokesperson has shared on Reddit, Google doesn’t go into specifics, but confirms that Pixel 10 trade-ins were the problem:

The Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is built for players who want a lot more control at their fingertips. This wired MMO and MOBA gaming mouse packs a 12-button side keypad, and there’s a nice deal on it at Amazon right now.

See the deal at Amazon

Google is giving football fans a few new reasons to keep Search open during games this season. Alongside a new live feed that brings more of the action directly into Search, Google is adding deeper stats and, perhaps most interestingly, letting fantasy football players connect their actual teams to AI Mode.

The biggest change is the new Live Game Feed. Search for a professional football game that’s underway, tap the red Live indicator, and you’ll get a running recap with play-by-play updates, social reactions, video highlights, and AI-generated insights. So, if you missed the first half because you were at work or stuck commuting, Search should give you a much better idea of how the game got to this point.

A low-cost tablet makes a lot of sense for couch streaming, reading, web browsing, and keeping a second screen around the house, and Amazon has a strong deal on one that you won’t want to miss. The Amazon Fire HD 10 tablet is down to $76.99 at Amazon, a massive drop for a device that handles everyday basics well.

See the deal at Amazon

Amazon has dropped the Bowers & Wilkins Px8 headphones to $479, down from its $749 recommended retail price. That saves you $270, which is a 36% discount relative to the RRP, and it is a deal worth jumping on while it lasts.

See the deal at Amazon

A new smartwatch shouldn’t make you miss the one it replaced. Yet barely a month into the Pixel Watch 5‘s life, some early owners are discovering that their older Google watches can do something the latest model cannot: show live camera feeds in the Google Home app.

Several reports on Reddit and the Pixel Watch Community describe what happens when affected users select a camera in the Home app: Instead of loading the video, the watch displays a “Control more features on your phone” message and an “Open on phone” button. The feature still works normally on their older Pixel Watches.

If you often find yourself forgetting things that you were sure you’d remember, Gemini’s “Remember” command is definitely something you should be taking advantage of. While that’s useful on its own, we saw Google working on a new shortcut in the Android share sheet last month to make it easier to get Gemini to remember things. Now we’ve discovered evidence that the company could make the entire process even simpler still.

You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.

Apple’s fall hardware event is hours away, and we expect to see the company’s latest range of iPhones on show. This year, however, the manufacturer is also rumored to debut its first-ever foldable, supposedly called the iPhone Ultra or the iPhone Duo, depending on which leak you believe. One of the premier foldable brands in the business right now has, unsurprisingly, taken a subtle jab at the yet-to-be-announced foldable iPhone.

In a video posted to YouTube an hour ago, Samsung formally welcomes Apple to the foldable club. While it doesn’t mention the iPhone Ultra or Apple directly, the video’s timing and title make it clear what Samsung is hinting at, though fans could argue that the company could also be welcoming users to the form factor.

Google has been working on several new tweaks and features in Android Auto. We recently spotted the company testing new map interface colors and a new weather animation. Now, we’re seeing more evidence that the company is working hard to bring Android-style Quick Settings to Android Auto.

You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.

Working from home has its perks, the biggest being avoiding a hectic morning commute. That means that my car spends most of the week sitting in the driveway. I mostly just use it for the occasional weekend road trip, so I’ve never been able to justify upgrading my vehicle to a newer model with Android Auto support. Ironically, those road trips are where I miss having Android Auto support the most.

For years, I’ve gotten around that limitation by mounting my phone on the dashboard and keeping Google Maps open. This solution obviously works, but it’s far from ideal. Buttons are small, switching between apps is awkward, and, for the most part, it’s flat-out dangerous when driving at expressway speeds.

Smartphone makers have spent years making camera bumps bigger, but HONOR’s next flagship takes that trend somewhere new — and strangely familiar. The company has officially revealed the Magic 9 Pro Max, giving us a clear look at its redesigned rear and some seriously ambitious camera hardware.

Shown in a new Moss Green finish, the phone trades HONOR’s usual centered camera island for a wide plateau spanning the top of the device. A large circular module housing the flash and possibly a periscope telephoto camera sits beside two smaller lenses, with prominent ARRI branding completing the look. HONOR’s promotional images also show a contrasting rounded rectangular section immediately below the camera bar.

If space is a premium in your home, the new Dreame D20 Air Plus robot vacuum may be the perfect solution. With 20,000Pa of suction pressure, edge and corner cleaning, hair anti-tangle features, and a compact design, it is an affordable solution if mopping is not your top priority.

At 12.8 inches wide and just 3.7 inches tall, this is a compact, lightweight bot that can fit into tight spaces and under shorter furniture. Does this compact bot have what it takes to clean your home?

Weeks after the Google Pixel 11 launch, it’s clear the most egregious change wasn’t the price hike. The Pixel 11 Pro XL costs the same as Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra, but Google could’ve justified the new price by boosting Tensor performance, doubling down on local AI features, or meaningfully changing the design.

It didn’t do any of that. Google’s Tensor G6 chip is an iterative upgrade at best, my favorite Pixel exclusive uses cloud processing (Magic Capture), and the Pixel 11 Pro XL is still thicker and heavier than I’d like. To make matters worse, Google actually cut the amount of RAM on the Pro models from 16GB to 12GB.

Vivo has been teasing the X500 series of smartphones for a few weeks now. While the company has already shared some enticing camera details for the X500 Pro and the X500, we were waiting to see what the flagship X500 Pro Max would look like. Well, that changes today, as the company has finally revealed the design.

The latest Pixels offer plenty of improvements, from better cameras to new AI features and much more. Of course, like many newly launched devices, they aren’t without a few hiccups.

Despite launching less than a month ago, the Pixel 11 has already had a small number of reported issues. As an example, our very own Joe Maring ran into issues that left his Pixel 11 Pro bricked. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some of the issues that have plagued users so far, as well as some general troubleshooting and tips to keep your Pixel 11 running at its best.

These are strange times in the smartphone world. For as long as I can remember, recommending a new smartphone was fairly simple. If you wanted a premium smartphone without spending over a thousand dollars, an Android phone was almost always the better bet. While the absolute top-end of the market remains up for debate, Samsung, Google, and a plethora of Chinese OEMs competed on price and value to make Android phones the obvious choice in that sweet $700–$800 segment.

That’s no longer true.

Motorola only introduced the first phone in its new Signature series in January, but it already appears ready to start building anticipation for the follow-up. The company briefly teased a device called the “Signature 27” on its website — and may have shown its hand early.

A Reddit user first spotted the teaser as a pop-up, and Android Authority was also able to capture the image while it was live on Motorola’s US homepage. Rather than appearing as a regular banner, it surfaced after visitors opened the site and invited them to enter their name and email address for updates.

Traveling might be fun, but planning a trip and booking everything can be more stressful than anything else. While companies like Google are trying to make trip planning easier with price tracking for flights in AI Mode, what about finding the best hotel deals? That’s the gap NordVPN is trying to fill with its new tool, PriceMice.

PriceMice is a browser extension developed by NordVPN that can show you what a room would cost when booked from different countries. Travelers are well acquainted with location-based pricing on hotel booking websites. A room that costs $200 when booked from the US can cost considerably less when booked from another country.

People have been creating and editing images with ChatGPT for a long time. So much so, in fact, that they’ve occasionally stumbled upon absolutely bizarre generations. However, OpenAI is now making it easier and faster to generate images in ChatGPT, while also making them more realistic and giving users some advanced tools for accurate editing.

OpenAI announced the release of ChatGPT Images 2.5 as its new state-of-the-art image generation model. According to OpenAI’s blog post, the new model creates images with more natural lighting and textures without obliterating the subjects in an uploaded image. The company also claims that the new model is 50% faster at creating images.

Some work messages require a bit of thought before you hit send. You might be writing a long project update, carefully wording some feedback, or simply need to come back and finish the message later. The annoying part is putting all that thought into a Google Chat message, only to find that your unfinished text is gone when you return.

Google is now fixing that with persistent drafts in Chat. Unsent messages will remain saved directly in the compose box, even if you close Chat or restart your device. So, you can leave a message halfway through, come back later, and continue exactly where you stopped.

Google’s Gemini Daily Brief is a useful feature in theory. It surfaces helpful information once a day to keep users up to date with their tasks, emails, and everything else. The company is also working on making it easier to customize so users can fine-tune it to their liking. Now, Google is bringing Daily Brief to even more users in the US.

Google announced today in an X post that it’s bringing Gemini Daily Brief to users without a Google AI Plus, Pro, or Ultra subscription. This means more people can get an easily digestible list of their tasks and important information every day directly from Gemini. The company also updated its support page and removed the mention of Google AI Plus, Pro, or Ultra subscriptions as a prerequisite for accessing Gemini Daily Brief.

Meta has been taking strides to step up its AI game in recent months, launching Muse Glimmer and Muse Spark earlier this year. Now it’s time for the company to make its big agentic push with the introduction of just straight-up Muse.

Under the hood, Muse is powered by Muse Spark, and as Meta tells it, Muse it all about making it easier to get some work done. That means that users can present Muse with requests for anything from drafting and sending an email, to helping them find a deal on a new purchase, and the system will come up with its own plan of attack, and then move forward on actually doing the job once authorized. A separate agent called Sentinel helps make sure that Muse isn’t going online and doing anything you haven’t approved.

IFA is full of weird and wonderful tech, and every year the trick is separating the genuinely interesting stuff from the wall of white goods and AI-stuffed copycats. We spent the week walking the halls in Berlin at IFA 2026, and these are the five products that made us stop and look a little closer.

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We’re all used to dealing with the occasional glitch with the software or services we use. Maybe that takes the form of a confusing error message. Maybe it’s the app simply doing something other than what we tell it to do. But maybe the most frustrating problems of all are the kind where we just get nothing to work with — like the blank-homepage issues some YouTube users recently started reporting. That’s exactly why we’re so glad to see that Google’s already sorting this mess out.

If you haven’t run into this one yourself, impacted users report firing up either YouTube or the YouTube TV app, only to see nothing much at all. With regular YouTube, thumbnails wouldn’t load, but at least we got some text. YouTube TV wasn’t even that lucky, and could just present as a fully blacked-out screen.

A good smart home demands openness: With as many different devices as you’ll need to really get every last corner of your home automated, it’s critical that they all play nicely with each other. For Google Home, part of that means not arbitrarily setting up platform boundaries, and Google’s smart home solution is open for Apple users to enjoy. Unfortunately, Nest devices in particular have been experiencing a few hiccups lately when it comes to iOS devices — but Google’s already got good news.

We expect a few key features from any smart home setup — it needs to provide remote control through our devices, it should support automated actions, and it should notify us about things worth our attention. With Nest on iOS, however, users have reported running into trouble with that last one, sharing on sites like Reddit the problems they recently noticed with Nest notifications not coming through on iOS devices.

Apple’s big hardware event is scheduled for tomorrow, September 9, and the Cupertino-based company is finally expected to unveil a new device category that competitors like Samsung have spent years mastering: foldables. However, before the tech giant gets to enter the foldable market, Samsung is sharing figures to highlight just how much of a head start it’s working with.

Roughly a month after launching the Z Flip 8, Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the all-new wide Z Fold 8, Samsung is highlighting how the lineup is changing foldable preferences in the US.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the Z Fold 8 Ultra are the hottest foldables on the market right now. However, newer hardware also means some older models are reaching the end of their software support cycle. The time has come for 2021’s Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Galaxy Z Flip 3 to walk into the sunset, with both foldables recently receiving their last update.

This move was always in the cards, as Samsung has honored its commitment to offer up to four years of Android updates and five years of security updates for the two foldables. We no longer see the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Z Flip 3 listed on Samsung’s security updates page, with the oldest foldables being 2022’s Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4.

Amazon has cut $100 off the NETGEAR Orbi 770 Series WiFi 7 Mesh System, dropping it to $449.99 from its $549.99 retail price. That is an 18% discount relative to the RRP, and it is a strong chance to grab a high-end whole-home Wi-Fi setup for less.

See the deal at Amazon

No, you’re not imagining things — streaming services are now actually showing you more ads than they used to earlier in the year.

With ads in streaming, what started out as a free-to-watch model from Hulu has since transitioned into a cheaper alternative offered by almost every major streaming service. Netflix launched its first ad-supported tier in late 2022, and other services like Disney+, Prime Video, HBO Max, Paramount+, and more were quick to follow. Out of all those, only one platform currently shows fewer ads than it used to earlier in the year.

Amazon has dropped the Tapo MagCam 4K Outdoor Wireless Security Camera to $84.99, down from its $119.99 recommended retail price. That saves you $35, which is a 29% discount relative to the RRP, and it returns to its all-time low price, so this is a strong time to grab it.

See the deal at Amazon

Movie nights away from the living room are much easier with a portable projector. The XGIMI MoGo 4 Laser is built for that kind of setup, and it’s now on sale at Amazon for $539, down from its $709 recommended retail price. That’s a 24% discount relative to the RRP, saving you $170. This deal also brings the projector back to its record-low price, which we previously saw only during Prime Day. 

See the deal at Amazon

Keeping Chrome updated is about to become a more regular part of your routine. Earlier this year, Google announced that it would double the frequency of stable Chrome releases, promising faster access to new features, performance improvements, and bug fixes. That plan is no longer waiting in the wings.

Google has now launched Chrome 153 across desktop, Android, and iOS, officially moving the browser from a four-week release cycle to a two-week schedule. As a result, users can expect smaller Chrome updates twice as often, with new features and important fixes reaching their devices sooner.

The Anker Nano Laptop Docking Station is built for people who want more ports on their desk without giving up too much space. It is a compact 13-in-1 USB-C dock with a built-in removable 6-in-1 hub, and it is on sale at Amazon right now.

See the deal at Amazon

Samsung’s newest software tricks typically debut on its latest, most expensive phones, leaving older models waiting for their turn. But that wait is already ending for last year’s foldables. Just one week after the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 entered the One UI 9 beta program, Samsung is bringing them several features introduced with the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 families.

According to SamMobile, the Fold 7 and Flip 7 are receiving Call Brief, Custom Cards in Now Brief, Now Nudge, and My FanCam through their second Android 17-based One UI 9 beta. The same four additions recently arrived on the Galaxy S25 series.

The Google app is gradually rolling out an updated voice search interface that makes tools like Search, AI Mode, Live, and Song Search accessible on one page. That may not be the full extent of the incoming changes, though, as we have now found traces of a key upgrade in the works for the app’s Song Search functionality.

You’re reading an Authority Insights story. Authority Insights brings you all the latest exclusive reports, app teardowns, leaks, and in-depth tech coverage from the Android Authority team that you won’t find anywhere else.

Pixel’s Now Playing has long been the quiet friend that saves you from asking, “What song is this?” It recognizes music around you and places the answer on the lock screen, often before you reach for Shazam. Google made that simple trick less convenient earlier this year, but new Reddit reports suggest Now Playing notifications are finally returning.

Users are once again seeing recognized songs appear in the notification shade. The restored notification shows the song title and artist. A shortcut to favorite songs or Now Playing history should appear when you tap the drop-down arrow. That means you can check what is playing without locking your phone, opening the app, or reaching for its Quick Settings tile.

The conversation around mobile AI has been dominated by talk of NPUs, TPUs, and dedicated neural accelerators. But what if your phone’s general-purpose CPU could shoulder that burden instead? Arm is betting big on exactly that with its new C2-Ultra, the powerhouse architecture set to define the next generation of 2027 flagships — from the latest MediaTek and Samsung silicon to, perhaps, Google’s future Tensor chipsets.

Arm’s pivot here is interesting, if that’s the right word. Shifting focus away from just pushing higher clock speeds and pipeline width towards accelerating more specialist use cases has potentially significant upsides if those workloads stick around. However, there’s no guarantee the market won’t keep demanding ever-higher peak general performance, particularly as mobile and PC use cases continue to collide.

I’ve spent the last decade and a half dual-wielding an Android smartphone alongside the latest iPhone. As an enthusiast, I like trying different hardware, switching up how my phone works, and, especially, having control over the software experience. It goes without saying that I’ve dipped my toes in the foldable market as well, first with the excellent OnePlus Open and next with the somewhat lackluster Pixel Fold. Much as I’m excited about the prospect of getting another foldable phone, there have been a number of sidegrades in the category that have brought me back to my candy-bar flagship.

But with rumors building around Apple’s first foldable iPhone, I have to admit I’m more than intrigued. Apple has a history of waiting for a product category to mature before jumping in. If the rumored iPhone Ultra is finally Apple’s answer to foldable phones, it could have a big impact on the market. More importantly, it could change what we expect from a phone that doubles as a tablet.

Installing apps from sources beyond the Play Store, or sideloading as many refer to it, is a practice that I undertake daily. Dozens of apps on my phone are installed from alternative app stores, be it GitHub, F-Droid, or beyond, and usually offer unique features and functionality that you simply won’t find on apps listed on Google’s platform. Just look at Breezy Weather, an app that, while appearing similar to Pixel Weather, offers a wealth of additional functionality. However, I will admit that downloading and maintaining apps from external sources is certainly more difficult and tiresome than simply getting them from the Play Store.

Google is also rolling out more stringent measures to introduce additional friction when sideloading apps. While these measures, which include a new series of checks, a 24-hour delay, and a mandatory phone restart, are intended to make it more difficult for scammers to target vulnerable users, they also make it more cumbersome for power users to install safe apps from reliable, external sources.

It was quite a remarkable feat when Google announced a then-unmatched seven-year software support for its Pixel handsets. It proved to be a very important piece of the equation that finally challenged the iPhone’s dominance. And Google has so far stood true to its promise, delivering the latest Android updates and security patches to its Pixel handsets right on day one.

This way, Google addressed the long-standing Android issues where users would either not receive updates beyond the first couple of years or would have to wait so long that a new Android version would be out by the time they received the previous one. But in doing so, it created a new problem.

Google has released a new version of Google Play Services, bringing a useful new feature to Google Wallet alongside several developer-oriented features.

The latest version of Google Play Services (v26.35) adds a handy feature for frequent transit card users: you can now add your physical transit cards and balances to the Google Wallet app using NFC. This means you will soon be able to use your NFC-compatible Android phone to tap and access public transport without carrying a physical transit card.

Galaxy S25 owners have had plenty of reasons to watch One UI 9. Leaks promised Galaxy S26 hand-me-downs, including portrait lighting and gimbal-like Horizontal Lock, before the first beta arrived last week. Samsung is already back with Beta 2, giving testers more than bugs to squash.

The second One UI 9 beta is rolling out to the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra in South Korea. The 643.16MB update carries firmware version S93xNKSUCZZI4 and should reach other beta markets soon.

IFA 2026 has taken over Berlin once again, bringing a fresh wave of phones, smart home hardware, and AI-heavy gadgets from across the industry. As always, the Android Authority team was on the ground, working the halls and getting hands-on with as much of it as we could.

This year’s show had no shortage of standouts, from Xiaomi’s wide-screen 18 Fold and TECNO’s zero-bezel concept phone to TCL’s first NXTPAPER AMOLED handset. The smart home had a particularly strong showing too, with Anker’s MindBase hub, the Homey Portal controller, and new cleaning and mowing robots from Roborock and Mammotion. Add in a new 360 camera from DJI, Motorola’s rugged smartwatch, fresh mobile computing from Lenovo and Dell, and a gaming curiosity from Acer, and there was plenty worth calling out.

Xiaomi gave us a chance to get our hands on its new ide foldable at IFA 2026, and after spending a very limited amount of time with it, I can already see why Samsung might want to pay attention.

The Xiaomi 18 Fold is the company’s first wide-screen foldable phone in its main numbered flagship series, and its timing is impeccable. The phone arrives shortly after Samsung launched its first wide-screen Galaxy Z Fold 8 and just days before Apple is expected to unveil its first folding iPhone. Xiaomi’s approach isn’t identical to either, though. The 18 Fold has a more rounded look, especially when it’s unfolded, and packs a surprisingly ambitious camera system into its passport-style body.

September 2026 is Pro Max month, with several companies expected to launch “Pro Max” branded devices, and Xiaomi has kicked things off with a new tablet. Alongside the Xiaomi 18 Fold, the company has launched the Xiaomi Pad 9 Pro Max as its latest flagship Android tablet.

Headlining the tablet is Xiaomi’s XRing O3 processor, paired with up to 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. The company also claims a major performance boost thanks to the new processor. Compared with tablets powered by the XRing O1, the Pad 9 Pro Max apparently offers 54% better multi-core performance and 85% better GPU performance, while reducing power consumption by up to 64%.