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Received today — 18 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US

18 August 2026 at 13:00
The Fairphone 6 Plus is the first Fairphone to officially launch in the US. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge

The Fairphone 6 Plus is a minor hardware refresh, but a major launch for the company: It's the first phone that Fairphone is selling directly in the US. It's on sale now for $649.99, available through Fairphone's website and Amazon, and is sold unlocked with support for both T-Mobile and AT&T. In Europe, it costs €649, a €50 increase on last year's phone.

Fairphones from the 4 onwards have been available to buy in the US, but never from Fairphone itself. They were exclusively sold through a partnership with Murena, the developer of /e/OS, a "de-Googled" version of Android. That meant buyers were forced to use Murena's software - which is c …

Read the full story at The Verge.

How to take better photos of your pets

17 August 2026 at 13:00
Photo of two tortoiseshell cats on an iPhone screen on a background of tabby cat fur.
Meet Noodle and Loaf, aka Carb Cats. | Image: The Verge, Getty Images

Like the pets of any self-respecting millennial, my cats have their own Instagram account.

Noodle and Loaf - aka Carb Cats - aren't exactly celebrities. But they are used to having their photos taken a lot. Between their Instagram account, my regular need to test smartphone cameras, and the fact that they are two adorable idiots, I've taken on an unofficial household role as pet photographer.

I know I'm not the only one. It's become standard practice to maintain a camera roll full of blurry bleps and dozing dogs. But pets are rarely easy to photograph. They're usually small, fast, and don't take direction well. Here are a few ways to impr …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Received — 15 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

I finally found a magnetic phone grip I never want to remove

15 August 2026 at 16:10
The OhSnap Snap Grip Stand, in black and silver. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

I told myself I wouldn't buy an OhSnap accessory for my phone. Every one I'd tested was nice, but felt overpriced and slightly flawed. After I weighed in on the $40 Snap Grip 5 last year, I wound up sticking with my $25 Syncwire instead. But OhSnap's $50 Snap Grip Stand finally got me. To have a truly useful vertical stand and grip always attached to my phone, ready at a moment's notice? Heck yes.

@verge

My favorite phone grip is the one I never want to take off - because it's a great stand. The $50 OhSnap Snap Grip Stand is the company's best yet, effortlessly propping up phones vertically. It's still got double-sided magnet action and …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Received — 13 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

Samsung’s $1,900 Z Fold 8 is still vulnerable to pocket lint

13 August 2026 at 16:00
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 in a pile of sand.

iFixit has provisionally given Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 a repairability score of 4 out of 10, which largely hinged on… well, the hinge. In its teardown of the device, iFixit found that because it carries an IP48 ingress rating - meaning it isn't protected against particles under 1 millimeter - dust and sand could make its way into the hinge mechanism, a component that's difficult to repair or replace.

"After working the Fold 8 open and closed, the hinge started making truly awful crunching and grinding noises, and the phone stopped opening normally," iFixit said. "Samsung has previously treated the hinge and inner display as one replacemen …

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Pixel 11 event live blog: Let’s watch Trevor Noah introduce Google’s new phones

It's almost time for the Made by Google keynote, where the company will show off the brand-new Pixel hardware it announced today. Like last year, it'll be a celebrity-packed live show, though Trevor Noah is hosting instead of Jimmy Fallon. If the 2025 show was any indication, today's broadcast might be something of a cringefest.

If you've been following tech news this morning, you already know a lot about the new Pixels. Press and creators were able to publish extensive hands-on impressions of the new hardware hours ago, and you can read our coverage of the Pixel 11 phones, their new camera features, the Pixel Watch 5, and more right now.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Received — 12 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

How the Pixel 11 Pro Fold compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 8

12 August 2026 at 18:00
The Pixel 11 Pro Fold. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge

Google wasn't first to make a foldable Android phone, but the company's Pixel Fold series is now an established player with unique traits compared to its competitors. For one, it popularized the passport-style design years ago, being more wide than tall - something that Samsung tried for the first time this year with its Z Fold 8, and that Apple is rumored to do with its foldable iPhone that may or may not arrive in 2026. It also delivered the first IP68-rated foldable in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, soothing concerns that all foldables are super fragile.

Now that the new Pixel 11 Pro Fold (along with the rest of the Pixel 11 lineup) has been unv …

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Google’s Pixel 11 series pairs a little new hardware with a lot of new software

12 August 2026 at 16:00

When I first picked up the Pixel 11 Pro this week, it was clear to me that this was one of those refinement years - at least when it comes to hardware. Aesthetically, the phones are as beautiful as ever, with Google's signature camera bar and bright, colorful backing glass. There are small updates, like a single piece of glass covering the camera bar and the all-new HiLight ambient LED on the Pros. But this year, the Pixel is all about quality of life and software improvements.

After weeks of teasers, Google has finally formally announced the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The phones are all shipping next we …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Honor’s Robot Phone is better than a gimbal in a phone has any right to be

12 August 2026 at 14:30
The Robot Phone takes pop-up cameras to a whole new level.

The Robot Phone, which launches today in China, doesn't sound like a good idea - and not only because it's not actually a robot. Instead it's a regular Android smartphone with its main camera installed on a compact gimbal arm that unfolds from the phone's rear. Cramming the equivalent of a DJI Osmo Pocket inside a smartphone sounds like a great way to get the worst of both worlds, but after an hour of testing, I'm cautiously optimistic that Honor has made this Frankenphone work.

This is a smaller gimbal than you'll find on DJI's compact Osmo Pocket line - Honor claims it's the smallest in the world. It still makes the phone bulkier than no …

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Received — 11 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

Google’s upcoming Pixel phones are for the fans, even if its launch event isn’t

11 August 2026 at 19:00
A teaser image of Google’s Pixel 11 Pro.
The Pixel 11 Pro has a flashy new light on the back. | Image: Google

Last year's Made by Google event for the Pixel 10 resembled a late night talk show, complete with Jimmy Fallon as host, and it aired an hour after the phones were revealed. Spec dives and executive appearances were replaced with celebrity cameos and awkward skits, to the confusion of many diehard Pixel fans. But it served its purpose in reaching a broader audience: Last year's stream racked up 8.4 million viewers on YouTube; the launch the year before only managed 1.4 million.

This year, Google has only escalated matters. For tomorrow evening's livestream, Fallon has been replaced by Trevor Noah, who will lead a "stacked" lineup of celebrit …

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Made by Google 2026: all the Pixel news and announcements

11 August 2026 at 19:00
A graphic that says “Made by Google”

Google is gearing up to reveal a bunch of new Pixel devices on August 12th. A series of leaks leading up to the event suggest that the Pixel 11 lineup will come in an array of colors, with signs pointing to a built-in light coming to Pro models. Teasers from Google also indicate that it will show off a next-gen Pixel Fold alongside a Pixel Watch 5 in four different finishes. There might be a new Pixel Tag tracker as well.

Google may take the wraps off the new devices well ahead of its Made by Google livestream. On Google’s website, the countdown for preorders ends on August 12th at 10AM ET — eight hours before its event at 6PM ET. Comedian Trevor Noah will host this year’s show, featuring notable guests like NBA star Stephen Curry, podcaster Alex Cooper, Indian cricketer Shubman Gill, and Japanese actress Ayami Nakajo. We’ll be live blogging the event, so stay tuned!

Follow along for all the latest news about Google’s Pixel devices.

Received — 7 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

Samsung’s Z Fold 8 Ultra is more of the same, but better than ever

7 August 2026 at 16:48
Photo of Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in front of a bookcase, showing the inner display
The Z Fold 8 Ultra retains the boxy shape of Samsung’s previous foldables.

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 previous Folds. It does have a substantially better triple rear camera system and a slightly larger battery. But with no support for the S Pen stylus and no Privacy Display, it's not Ultra in the same way as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

But compare it to last year's Z Fold 7 and the upgrades look more substantial. Samsung has improved the displays, battery, charging, …

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Received — 5 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

SpaceX is coming for T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon

5 August 2026 at 08:50
Elon Musk looking up with stock tickers and Space X rockets.

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 spectrum that we purchased from EchoStar does have terrestrial components, so we definitely intend to build out the terrestrial component," said Shotwell. "You will have not only the capacity from the satellites themselves, but you will have a buildout of the terrestrial, basically the hardware and systems ne …

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Received — 4 August 2026 The Verge - All Posts

T-Mobile’s $0-down financing plan bundles taxes and fees

4 August 2026 at 18:07
Illustration of the T-Mobile logo, the letter T in a pink box with two squares on either side of it, in front of a blue and aqua background.

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 you are financing a device, carriers typically require you to pay sales tax, an activation fee, or a down payment at checkout. T-Mobile says its new plan eliminates that by allowing you to pay off all of these costs over time - though its website notes only "well-qualified customers" will pay $0 upfront. The EIP Flex 36 financing option is available …

Read the full story at The Verge.

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