Smartphones — Latest News and Analysis

Apple’s planned foldable iPhone could pair a pocketable 5.5-inch outer screen with a wider 7.8-inch display.

Apple Upgrade offers Klarna-backed U.S. device leases from $11.99 monthly, but ownership requires a later payment, while eligibility and exit fees add costs.

Huawei has outlined Tau Scaling and LogicFolding as a new design path for Kirin chips, targeting same-node gains now and 14A-equivalent density by 2031.

Samsung's rumored MediaTek pitch pairs priority HBM and DRAM allocation with Samsung Foundry 2nm orders for Dimensity chips, eyeing a TSMC displacement.

Google has completed the Android-wide Wallet redesign and launched Google Pay Cross-device Payment Verification at I/O 2026, replacing desktop SMS passcodes.

Meta appears to be testing Forum, a standalone Facebook Groups iPhone app that surfaces searchable answers, recommendations, and synced community posts.

Apple may cut iPhone 17 prices in China before the 618 shopping push as Huawei leads the premium smartphone market and Xiaomi keeps discount pressure high.

Google has added Android scam-call blocking, default theft protections, and Android 17 security checks aimed at stopping fraud and device abuse on phones.

OpenAI's possible AI phone could reach mass production in early 2027 with a custom MediaTek Dimensity chip, accelerating its rumored hardware push further.

OpenAI's rumored smartphone pairs MediaTek and Qualcomm on a custom chip, targeting 300–400 million units annually by 2028 with an app-free AI agent design.

Google has begun rolling out Gemini to replace Google Assistant on Android Auto for a wide wave of users, drawing mixed reviews over verbose responses and bugs.

Google has released Gemma 4, a family of four open-weight AI models under Apache 2.0, with edge-to-workstation variants built on Gemini 3 technology.

Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 has leaked in Pro and standard variants, with the Pro packing 50% more GPU memory and LPDDR6 support for Ultra-tier phones.

Google Messages has restored Ultra HDR image support in beta code, fixing the original 2023 version by rendering HDR brightness directly in chat thumbnails.

Meta has hired the entire Dreamer AI startup team, including former Google and Stripe executives, for its Superintelligence Labs.

Google has introduced Advanced Flow for Android, requiring a 24-hour wait, reboot, and biometric check before sideloading apps from unverified developers.

Amazon has begun developing an Alexa-first smartphone codenamed Transformer, led by ex-Microsoft executives, over a decade after its Fire Phone failure.

DRAM prices have surged up to 180% as Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have shifted production to HBM for AI, with Gartner projecting PC shipments to fall 11.3%.

Researchers have released a three-vulnerability exploit chain targeting Qualcomm's GBL on Android 16, enabling bootloader unlocking on Xiaomi 17 flagships.

Google has rolled out a redesigned Gemini Android overlay with a full Tools menu, giving users access to Deep Research, Canvas, and video creation from any screen.

Google has launched Gemini screen automation for Android on Galaxy S26, with free users capped at five daily requests and Ultra subscribers getting 120.

Apple has cut its App Store commission in mainland China from 30% to 25%, with small developer fees dropping to 12%, following regulatory pressure.

Google has launched Ask Maps and Immersive Navigation, bringing Gemini AI and photorealistic 3D visuals to its biggest Maps update in over a decade.

Microsoft has launched an Africa AI offensive, targeting 3 million users for training in 2026 while partnering with MTN to counter DeepSeek's growing dominance.

Anthropic has launched Remote Control, enabling developers to monitor and manage Claude Code AI coding sessions from mobile devices via a companion app.

Samsung has added Perplexity AI to upcoming Galaxy devices with the 'Hey Plex' voice hotword, creating a multi-agent ecosystem alongside Gemini and Bixby.

OpenAI, Meta, and Apple have raced to develop AI wearables to break America's phone addiction. Meta has sold over 7 million smart glasses in 2025.

Google has confirmed that Quick Share and AirDrop interoperability will expand to more Android devices in 2026, bringing seamless cross-platform file sharing to millions of users.

Qualcomm has reportedly considered adopting Samsung's Heat Pass Block cooling technology for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 to address persistent thermal challenges.

Qualcomm has posted record Q1 FY2026 revenue of $12.3 billion while accelerating its diversification beyond smartphones into AI PCs and data centers.