This week’s Android headlines: Pixel 11 Pro specs, Galaxy Z Fold8 records broken, Gemini for WearOS, Qualcomm’s latest 8 Elite, Developer Verification issues, and more…

What makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so Ultra? Samsung’s first foldable with the Ultra name isn’t a souped-up version of the regular Fold 8, as you might expect. Where the Z Fold 8 is squat and wide, the Fold 8 Ultra retains the thin outer screen and square inner panel of the […]

Google confirmed in emails to users that Assistant on Android phones will shut down starting September 4, forcing everyone to Gemini. The process may take several weeks to complete, so holdouts may get a brief extension, but the direction is final. The…

SpaceX is preparing to build a terrestrial mobile network to “acquire quite a few” of the customers now subscribed to T-Mobile, AT&T, and Verizon. The message to compete head-to-head with the US carriers was delivered by SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell and CEO Elon Musk during the Q&A section of the company’s first earnings call. “The […]

The AI memory shortage has reached the phone-shop counter. T-Mobile is rolling out financing that lets customers walk out with a new handset for nothing down. It does this by spreading not just the device but its taxes and fees over three years. The re…

T-Mobile is launching a new financing option that will allow you to pay for a device, taxes, and fees over 36 months. In an update on Tuesday, T-Mobile says its new Equipment Installment Plan (EIP) Flex 36 requires no upfront payment and will come with a 0 percent APR for a limited time. Even if […]

ChangXin Memory Technologies has nearly completed R&D verification for LPDDR6 smartphone memory at speeds of up to 12.8Gbps, China Business News reported. This is one of the final technical stages before trial production. CXMT could begin mass prod…

After its 1.0 launch last month, Palworld is coming to iOS and Android with a new open-world MMORPG launching later this year, Polygon reports. Garena, the developer behind the new game, says in its announcement that Palworld Online “reimagines the depth, freedom, and scale of the original PC survival creature-collecting title for mobile.” The core […]

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on smartphones and Android, follow Dominic Preston. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Believe it or not, it didn’t all start with […]
Touchscreen MacBook Pros are coming. As Apple turns to Samsung Display, three key challenges await the introduction of touch to macOS.